Ibrahimovic must do better – Blanc

Paris Saint-Germain coach Laurent Blanc has urged Zlatan Ibrahimovic to step up his game as he feels the experienced attacker has yet to hit top form this campaign.

The 34-year-old has netted six goals in 10 appearances in all competitions this term, yet turned in a disappointing performance against Real Madrid in Wednesday’s 0-0 draw.

Blanc also took aim at a perceived selfishness from Angel Di Maria.

“Zlatan can do much better than he has been showing, but our attack is not all about Ibra,” Blanc said at a news conference.

“Against Real Madrid, we made a lot of bad choices going forward. It was not good enough. Of course, Madrid have a good defence, but our attack was in poor form, including Ibra.

“I have spoken with Di Maria. He needs to help the team and take some of the pressure off. He must integrate into the team. He should not weaken the collective, which is what happened a bit against Real Madrid.”

The PSG coach also had his say on the situation of Ezequiel Lavezzi, who has an expiring contract and is expected to leave the club at the end of the season.

“I have nothing bad to say about Lavezzi. He does not cause any problems within the group.

“Lavezzi is a great player. His contractual situation is not a favourable one for the club, but that is not a distraction. We were willing to allow him to leave in the summer, but he opted to stay put.”