Thursday 7 April 2016 10:06, UK
Laurent Blanc believes a lack of English semi-finalists in recent years means doubts over the strength of the Premier League are justified.
The PSG coach is readying his side for their Champions League quarter-final first leg against Manchester City, having already sealed a fourth straight Ligue 1 title with eight games remaining.
City, meanwhile, have won the Premier League title twice since their Abu Dhabi owners took charge of the club in 2008 and Blanc highlighted that while City have a similar history to PSG - both are owned by Middle East investors and are now two of the most wealthy clubs in world football - they are one of several Premier League sides underperforming on the continent.
Maybe England is more competitive but I don't see many English teams in the semi-finals of European competitions over the last five or six years.
"Manchester City had the same project a bit before Paris Saint-Germain," Blanc said. "They managed to win their domestic league, which is not an easy task, and some other titles, but maybe in Europe they're a bit behind us.
"Maybe this shows what Paris Saint-Germain have achieved is not as easy as it looks, but I'm a bit bored of these questions. Even the French media are asking is Ligue 1 as strong in terms of intensity.
"Maybe there's a case but it's not all about intensity. Maybe England is more competitive but I don't see many English teams in the semi-finals of European competitions over the last five or six years.
"Maybe they have reached a further level in terms of fatigue. You need to find a right balance. There are problems in every domestic league."
PSG knocked out English opposition in the previous round - Chelsea - and many in the French media believe City are inferior to their quarter-final opponents, having reached this stage of the tournament for the first time in the club's history.
However, Blanc does not buy into this view and, while admitting to being delighted to have avoided Barcelona and Bayern Munich, the French coach is expecting a tough battle.
"When we drew Manchester City we were quite happy to avoid the two 'ogres' of European football that are Bayern Munich and Barcelona," Blanc added.
"We may add a third one in Real Madrid. But I have the impression the media and the supporters of Paris Saint-Germain think this is an easy draw. Let's not get into that.
"I gave a speech to the players where I said do not listen to people who are saying that, they don't know anything about football.
"If you look at their squad, the number of quality players, they have great individual players. We are preparing ourselves for two very difficult games."
