Blanc refuses to `devalue` PSG title triumph

Paris: Paris Saint-Germain coach Laurent Blanc insisted on Saturday that his club`s imminent Ligue 1 title triumph should not be "devalued" by their disappointing exit from the Champions League earlier this month.

"Over the last two years, because of the ambitions of the owners and the amount of money invested, the Champions League is the only thing that interests you," Blanc told assembled journalists at a press conference ahead of Sunday`s trip to play Sochaux. PSG will secure a second consecutive title by beating Sochaux, regardless of how nearest challengers Monaco fare at Ajaccio on Saturday. "Since the season started, everyone has been saying that there is no point in playing in the league. Maybe we would have won it more easily if we hadn`t played," added Blanc, whose side won the League Cup by beating Lyon 2-1 in the final last weekend. "We have dominated the league, but we have had difficult matches that had to be won. I say that in every country winning national titles is important. You need to go out and win games, motivate yourself. You mustn`t devalue it." PSG`s Qatari president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has never hidden his sky-high ambitions for the club in Europe and said in March that reaching the quarter-finals of the Champions League was "the minimum aim". However, their exit in the last eight on away goals to Chelsea has overshadowed the fact that the club are set to win the first ever domestic league and cup double in their history. "When the newspapers tell you that there is no point in bothering with the league, even the players can start to believe it after a while," added Blanc. Later, the club`s Italian international goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu said: "It has been a bit more difficult, the fact that outside the club people are saying that Paris should win without any trouble, that it should just be what happens. "But for PSG, just like for every team, that is not the way it is. It is something that you have to go out and do." Blanc added that, while in a knockout competition such as the Champions League it can sometimes be difficult to legislate for what happens in a match, teams can be more easily judged on their domestic league performances. Ligue 1 is "a competition which lasts for nine or 10 months. That is where you can see what progress you have made or what difficulties you are having," he said. "If we have been top of the table for so long (since October), it is because the team have always maintained their motivation and kept their focus on winning the title, which is great."