REAL MADRID
Bianchi: "As a team, PSG have the edge over Real Madrid"
The Argentinean spoke to 'Le Parisien': "Madrid might have better players, but collectively they don’t gel quite so well..."PSG vs Bayern Munich
Coach and former Argentina international Carlos Bianchi believes that the current Paris-Saint Germain side is a notch above Real Madrid, but placed both clubs behind Barcelona and Bayern Munich.
"If we’re honest, we have to put Barcelona and Bayern Munich rung above the rest. But after them, I think PSG are a better side than Real Madrid because they are balanced as a team. Madrid might have better players, but collectively they don’t gel quite so well", the 66-year-old former player told French daily, Le Parisien.
Bianchi, one of the most historic players to have donned the PSG shirt, also said that he cannot be compared to Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the team’s current star, because the game has changed so much over the past three decades and the modern game favours strikers.
"The rules changed to improve football and boost the number of goals scored in games. I think that’s great. But for that reason you can’t compare me during my playing days and Ibrahimovic – it wouldn’t make sense", he explained.
Bianchi, who joined PSG from Rennes, was the top goal scorer in Ligue 1 in 1977 and 1978, scoring 37 goals in his first season, and 27 in his second before moving on to join league champions RC Strasbourg.
"In my time, when you were in line with the last defender, you were offside. Not now. When the last defender tugged at my shirt and hauled me to the ground, he wasn’t shown a red card. They would do that to me 10 times in one game. And tackles from behind were never considered worthy of a red card", Bianchi continued.
Bianchi was hesitant about describing Ibrahimovic as one of the best strikers he has seen and instead, hailed for Madrid frontman, Ronaldo Nazário.
"Seriously, Ronaldo is one of the players ahead of him...", Bianchi said, who also had a few complimentary words to say about Ángel Di María, "He strong, fast, skillful and balances the team. He’s good with both feet and has good vision – he really is a complete player".