Monaco

AS Monaco boss Leonardo Jardim keen to avoid title talk

By Matt Law, Football Editor | 17 September 2016

AS Monaco boss Leonardo Jardim insists that French champions Paris Saint-Germain are still the favourites for the Ligue 1 title this term.

AS Monaco boss Leonardo Jardim has insisted that Paris Saint-Germain are still the favourites for the Ligue 1 title this term despite his team's strong start to the new campaign.

Saturday's 3-0 victory over Rennes left Monaco top of the Ligue 1 table, three points clear of second-placed PSG, whom the Red and Whites have already beaten in the opening weeks of the new season.

Jardim, however, has refused to entertain suggestions that his team are the frontrunners for a championship that they have not won since the 1999-2000 season.

The head coach told L'Equipe: "The favourites for the championship, which is a long-term competition, is Paris. We have had a good start. Our team is more balanced. We have more solutions that will balance the championship. But Nice, Lyon and Marseille have also invested in their squads.

"We want to continue with the good results. We want to win the next game. That's why we work. When you change the team and the players who enter respond, then it keeps a good atmosphere in the team and the locker room."

Monaco opened their Champions League campaign with a 2-1 victory away to Tottenham Hotspur last week.