Paris Saint-Germain manager Mauricio Pochettino has explained why he thinks Chelsea are ahead of his side as the team to beat in the Champions League this season.
PSG signed Lionel Messi this summer in a major statement of intent, while the likes of Achraf Hakimi, Georginio Wijnaldum and Gianluigi Donnarumma aren’t bad signings either.
The Ligue 1 giants now surely have one of the best squads in world football, but Pochettino believes European Champions Chelsea remain the favourites for the trophy after winning it last season and strengthening even more since then.
The Blues were surprise winners last term and Thomas Tuchel now arguably has an even better team with the addition of Romelu Lukaku up front, as well as Saul Niguez arriving on loan from Atletico Madrid.
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“It’s possible that Chelsea and ourselves are the two teams to beat on paper, looking at our squads, but Chelsea are the holders so they’re the team to beat especially after strengthening their squad,” Pochettino said at his press conference, as quoted by the Metro.
“We’re not a team yet. We are a club that has recruited many players this summer. There are some big names but we have to turn into a team.
“We know that we’ll be judged at the end of the season on our results. The pressure is there for all the clubs and we know that for a number of years, the Champions League is PSG’s main objective.”
Chelsea got off to a winning start against Zenit Saint Petersburg last night and will hope to build on that, though they’ll surely be aware of how difficult it will be to retain their trophy.
As well as PSG, the likes of Bayern Munich are sure to be serious contenders for the prize, while Chelsea’s Premier League rivals Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United can’t be ruled out either.