STRONG SQUAD: Italian wants the big one in first full season at PSG
PARIS Saint-Germain coach Carlo Ancelotti knows that only first place will do as he prepares for his first full season in charge of the Ligue 1 giants.
PSG finished second behind Montpellier last season, despite lying top of the table when Italian Ancelotti was appointed midway through the campaign.
As the capital club's mega-rich Qatari owners are prepared to invest huge sums in the transfer market once again, PSG are likely to have by far the strongest squad in the French game by the time the Ligue 1 season starts on Aug 10.
With that in mind, Ancelotti is aiming high, although he insists that his side will not have it easy.
"We came second last season so naturally the objective is to finish in first place," he said at a press conference at PSG's Camp des Loges training base in the western suburbs of Paris.
"It will be a competitive championship. We also have the Champions League to look forward to and it may be that we treat that with the same level of importance as the league itself.
"But it will be easier to win the Ligue 1 title than the Champions League."
PSG will go straight into the Champions League group stages for what will be their first appearance in Europe's top club competition since 2004/05, when they finished last in a group containing Porto, Chelsea and CSKA Moscow.
As they chase success on multiple fronts, PSG completed their first signing of the summer on Monday in the shape of Argentine international attacker Ezequiel Lavezzi. The 27-year-old joined from Napoli on a four-year deal for a fee believed to be in the region of E30 million (RM118 million).
"He is a top player, a very good attacker, very lively," said Ancelotti of Lavezzi. "He has experience and will bring quality to the squad and extra competition for places. He will be a major player for us this season."
Paris begin their season at home to Lorient on Aug 11, and one man who looks set to miss that game is midfielder Thiago Motta, who suffered a hamstring injury playing for Italy against Spain in the Euro 2012 final.
"He suffered a dangerous injury to the back of his thigh. I think he will be unable to train for at least a month," added Ancelotti. AFP
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