Emery not distracted by PSG pressure

Paris Saint-Germain coach Unai Emery refuses to be distracted by his critics following a disappointing run of form that has left the club playing catch-up in the Ligue 1 title race.

The defending champions sit seven points adrift of current leaders Nice, with Monaco three points ahead in second.

PSG have won just one of their last five matches in all competitions and host Lorient in their last league fixture before the mid-season break on Wednesday.

But former Sevilla boss Emery has vowed to maintain a positive outlook and prove his doubters wrong with an upturn in fortunes on the pitch.

“I have the football experience,” he told a news conference. “I have experienced great moments and others like I am now.

“I remain positive and I do not think about my situation but about the team, the players and the supporters. My responsibility is to work.

“All of the people with me are in the same spirit. The players train well and for me it is a good sign of the behaviour of the team.

“We need to win. If we win against Lorient, we will see everything differently.”

Asked to explain the reasons behind his team’s struggles, Emery added: “There is a bit of everything. But since the international break when we were on a good run, [Javier] Pastore then [Adrien] Rabiot were injured.

“Thiago Motta had to play many matches and was forced to stop and [Marco] Verratti was injured. That does a lot of things in midfield. This is one of the reasons why the team has lost strength.

“We need to prepare other players. I wait for all of the players to come back after Christmas and that will fix some problems.”

Probed over whether he had spoken to club chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi, Emery talked around the subject.

“The president is close to the team,” he commented. “He has been with us all these months.

“He comes to training, has been present at all games. He wants us to continue the work we have started.”