PARIS BOUNCE BACK IN LILLE CHASE
Mbappe on target twice in PSG cruise
Kylian Mbappe scored twice to take his tally to 18 goals in Ligue 1 this season as Paris SaintGermain eased to a 4-0 victory at bottom club Dijon on Saturday to keep the pressure on leaders Lille in the title race.
Moise Kean and Danilo Pereira also scored for Mauricio Pochettino’s
team, who bounced back from a 2-0 home defeat by Monaco last weekend and moved back up to second in the table, a point behind Lille.
The leaders played Strasbourg at home, while third-placed Lyon, who are two points behind the capital club, took on Marseille, both late yesterday.
“I am very proud. We were very professional and it was important for us to get back to winning ways,” Pochettino told C anal Plus.
PSG, who go to Bordeaux in midweek, have now won seven and lost two of Pochettino’s first 10 league games in charge.
“The team needs to be more consistent in the league,” Pochettino added.
“Of course it is a mental thing, but it is also physical, it is about performance.”
Former Monaco striker Mbappe had been kept quiet by his old club but he got back among the goals against the division’s bottom side, who have now lost their last seven games.
Mbappe scored twice when PSG beat Dijon 4-0 at home in October and repeated the feat here to move onto 23 for the season in all competitions.
The victory was achieved in the ongoing absence of Neymar, with the world’s most expensive player missing a fourth consecutive game with a groin injury.
He has returned to individual training but, having already missed the first leg, he remains a doubt for the Champions League last-16 return match at home to Barcelona on March 10.
Angel Di Maria, Marco Verratti, Mauro Icardi, Leandro Paredes and Alessandro Florenzi were also missing at the Stade GastonGerard along with long-term injury victim Juan Bernat.
“We have a big squad, and we need to show that everyone can fight for their place,” replied Pochettino.
On-loan Everton striker Kean and Danilo, on loan from Porto, scored the other goals for PSG.
Saturday’s other game saw Metz win 2-1 at Bordeaux thanks to a stoppage-time goal by Cape Verde international Vagner Dias Goncalves.
CRISTIANO Ronaldo scored his 19th goal this campaign but champions Juventus had to settle for a 1-1 draw at Hellas Verona in Serie A on Saturday.
“We managed to take the lead, which was the hardest part, it’s a pity not being able to hold it,” said Juve coach Andrea Pirlo, who side remain third with 46 points, behind leaders Inter Milan (53 points) and second-placed AC Milan (49).
Pirlo’s side paid for their many absences and a redesigned defence with Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini out injured and Danilo suspended.
Also missing were Juan Cuadrado, Arthur and Paulo Dybala to injury with Alvaro Morata recovering from a viral infection.
“We lacked experienced players, we had many youngsters on the pitch and there are details that they don’t understand,” continued Pirlo.
“I asked Ronaldo and Alex Sandro to make their voices heard, but it wasn’t enough.”
Goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny and the post saved Juventus just minutes into the game at the Stadio Bentegodi following a Davide Faraoni header.
Ronaldo broke through four minutes after the break connecting with a perfect lay-off from Federico Chiesa to fire in.
Aaron Ramsey missed a chance for a second before the hour mark after a Dejan Kulusevski pullback which the Verona defence closed down.
Antonin Barak headed in an equaliser with quarter of an hour to go and the hosts were denied a late winner with Szczesny deflecting a Darko Lazovic effort onto the crossbar.
Lazio’s European ambitions
took a knock with a 2-0 loss at Bologna, days after a heavy defeat by Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
Ciro Immobile missed a penalty with goals in either half from Ibrahima Mbaye and Nicola Sansone sealing all three points for Bologna who snapped their 15match winless league run against the Romans.
“The missed penalty set the tone for the game,” said Lazio coach Simone Inzaghi, whose side remain sixth on 43 points.
Inzaghi’s side showed signs of fatigue as they came off a 4-1 Champions League last 16, first leg loss to holders Bayern Munich.
“We must forget about these two defeats which hurt.
“An ambitious team like ours needs to roll up our sleeves and do better.”
Lazio have lost momentum since losing to Inter Milan in the league two weeks ago, and next host Torino before travelling to Juventus.
PEP Guardiola rates Manchester City’s 20-game winning run as one of the greatest achievements of his glittering career.
City moved 13 points clear at the top of the Premier League with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over West Ham at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.
Guardiola’s side are unbeaten in 27 games and their run of 20 successive victories in all competitions is a record for an English top-flight side.
The Spaniard has won 29 trophies as a manager with Barcelona, Bayern Munich and City, including consecutive Premier League titles in 2018 and 2019.
But Guardiola believes City’s remarkable winning streak this season, amid a pandemic and despite injuries to Sergio Aguero and Kevin De Bruyne, is up there with his finest moments.
“It is so difficult. Twenty in this period, in this era, with this situation around the world. To be able to do 20 is maybe one of the greatest achievements we have done together in our careers,” Guardiola said.
“That doesn’t mean we will win titles but we have not had one week’s rest in three months. A game every three days, with the Covid situation, injury situations — to make this winning run shows mental strength.”
City weren’t at their best against in-form West Ham, but Guardiola was delighted with the
way they fought for the points.
“We didn’t paint something nice but there are many of these games during the season,” he said.
“It was obvious to every person who saw the game it was really tough. The opposition is incredible, well composed.
“So, a big compliment to West Ham. After 26 fixtures they were in the Champions League positions. They have everything.
“It was a really tough game but that is good for us for the coming games, to realise what is going to happen.”