Nene: 'Montpellier have surprised us'
17/02/2012
Nene has admitted Paris Saint-Germain did not expect Montpellier Hérault SC to be challenging them for the title, but now believes Sunday's encounter between the top two in Ligue 1 to be 'the most important of the year'.
Paris Saint-Germain - Montpellier Hérault SC 
(Sunday 19 February, 21:00CET)
PSG head into Week 24 atop the table, but they play host to Montpellier, their nearest challengers, with just a single point separating the pair. While the club from the capital spent heavily last summer and brought in further big-name signings during the January transfer window, Montpellier made only minor alterations to the side that finished three points off the drop last season, and certainly were not on many people's lips when title contenders were discussed prior to the season's kicking off.
"At the start of the season, we weren't thinking about Montpellier [as title rivals], but we saw that they're not joking around, and that they have the qualities to be where they are today," said Nene of the south-westerners, who have a ten-point gap back to third place LOSC Lille Métropole having played a game more. "They're our main rivals. In Brazil, we would call it a 'clasico'; a match between first and second is like a cup final. The championship won't be over, there are still a lot of games to play, but I think it's the most important match of the year. If we win, we can put a bit of distance between ourselves and them."
'We're not worried'
The pair's first meeting this season ended in a comprehensive 3-0 triumph for PSG, who were then expected to ease away from the chasing pack. Montpellier have hung in there, though, and boast Ligue 1's most prolific attack, taking their tally to an impressive 45 with a 3-0 defeat of AC Ajaccio last weekend.
PSG, on the other hand, have struggled in front of goal of late, drawing 0-0 with struggling OGC Nice last time out in Ligue 1 before only squeezing past Dijon 1-0 in the French Cup in midweek courtesy of a Nene strike.
"We're not worried about it. It's just like that, it's normal, we're not going to win every game," said the 30-year-old former AS Monaco star. "If we were in a bad run of form, then it would be worrying, but that's not the case. Up front, we have different qualities, and it's normal that different people try different things. We have to help each other, but the team is in good shape. We're creating chances, sometimes we don't put them away, but you have to admit that we've already scored quite a few."