Ibrahimovic a real leader – Blanc

Laurent Blanc praised Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s leadership skills after the Sweden international guided Paris Saint-Germain past Toulouse in the Coupe de France.

Ibrahimovic started the round-of-32 encounter on the bench as Blanc gave Edinson Cavani the nod up front, but he came on in the 64th-minute and netted a last-gasp winner from the penalty spot.

“Ibrahimovic does not just score goals, but he is an important player in our system and gives confidence to the team,” Blanc said following Tuesday’s 2-1 triumph.

“He is one of the leaders of the team. People should not forget he is a leader and he has been one for quite some time.”

PSG were also without Thiago Silva and Thiago Motta, but nonetheless progressed to the last 16 and Blanc was pleased with his the display.

“When you play without Thiago Silva, who’s a team leader, without Thiago Motta, who’s a team leader and without Ibrahimovic, who’s a team leader, you obviously feel it on the pitch,” he added.

“Imagine another team without three or four key players, they would feel it as well.

“But despite that, we’re still competitive, so credit to the players.”