Former France international Youri Djorkaeff has defended Paris Saint-Germain coach Laurent Blanc against criticism that he is 'too nice' with his players.
Following PSG's first Ligue 1 defeat of the season at Guingamp on Sunday, which followed on the back of their 3-1 Champions League loss at Barcelona, the French champions' captain Thiago Silva suggested Blanc was too understanding and friendly with his squad.
Blanc responded by saying he could yell at his team if necessary, but that "it is not my style to do that permanently."
Djorkaeff, who played alongside Blanc in France's 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000-winning squads, told Le Figaro his former teammate's success in leading PSG to the Ligue 1 title with a record points tally last season shows nice guys can still do well.
"You can be too nice. It seems to me Carlo Ancelotti is also a nice person," he said. "There are good people who succeed. Honestly, I don't see why the fact a coach is too nice would stop him from succeeding.
"I looked at the league table this morning. PSG, who are criticised, are just a point behind Marseille, who are praised... I think that sometimes you have to take a step back. Laurent Blanc was the right man for the job last year. That he is 'too nice' is not why PSG are having problems right now."
Blanc saw his team struggle to a 3-1 victory in Wednesday's Coupe de la Ligue tie at Ajaccio and now leads them into their final league game of the year at home to Montpellier on Saturday.
Media reports suggest a number of senior players at the Parc des Princes are openly critical of Blanc, and former Lyon and Brazil midfielder Juninho Pernambucano told RMC that the PSG boss has to cope with a divided dressing room.
"PSG aren't in a good spell. We're not even at the halfway stage of the season and we want them to be champions already," Juninho said. "I get the feeling this team doesn't get along well. They're still not a team, not united. That's the impression I get from a distance. I'm talking about that in terms of them taking responsibility."