Neymar said that it's a "shame" that he, Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi have only just reached 100 per cent after the Paris Saint-Germain front three's stellar showing against Clermont Foot.
PSG romped to a 6-1 win at the Stade Gabriel-Montpied on Sunday night, with Neymar and Mbappe both grabbing hat-tricks as Mauricio Pochettino's side moved 12 points clear at the top of Ligue 1.
Messi also recorded three assists in the match and, although Neymar was happy with their latest display, he regrets the fact it's taken so long for the trio to combine to maximum effect.
What's been said?
All three men have faced criticism in 2021-22 as PSG have suffered early exits in both the Champions League and French Cup.
Neymar says they are now fully motivated to end the season on a high by capturing the Ligue 1 crown, though, as he told reporters following the Clermont win: "First of all, I'm happy to have won tonight. I'm also happy to have scored three goals.
"We're getting better and better. All three of us are at 100% but only at the end of the season.
"It's a shame for us but we're going to get what we have left in the league."
Mbappe echoed Neymar's sentiments when speaking to Canal+, as he added: "Yes, it’s a shame it’s only happening now, but then there were a fair amount of circumstances and events that meant we were delayed. But we feel that we’re three quality players and we're trying to help the team as much as possible. That’s what happened today."
On regrets over not clicking together earlier, he added: "That’s life. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. You have to keep looking forward, it’s in the past now. We had some pain, which is still present, but you need to keep positive. We have to show that we’re a big club and a big team and that we’re here to win trophies.”
PSG's front three in 2021-22
Mbappe's latest treble saw him move on to 31 goals from 39 appearances in all competitions this season, including 20 in Ligue 1 as he now leads the race for the Golden Boot, and also has 22 assists to his name.
Neymar has hit 10 goals in 16 less games than Mbappe, having spent a large portion of the campaign on the sidelines due to injury, while Messi has been the least prolific of the three forwards.
The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner has only scored eight goals in 27 outings for PSG to date, having joined the club on a free transfer following his surprise departure from Barcelona last summer, but has also set up 13 Ligue 1 goals.
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