COLUMBUS, Ohio -- New Paris Saint-Germain boss Unai Emery said he wants to take the French side to new heights after their 3-1 International Champions Cup win over Real Madrid.
Emery admits the victory over Madrid, which came courtesy of Nanitamo Ikone's early opener and Thomas Meunier's first-half brace, may have been a reflection on the two clubs' respective fitness levels but took encouragement as he seeks to improve PSG's standing in Europe.
Emery, who won three consecutive Europa League titles with Sevilla, has been tasked with mounting a serious challenge for the Champions League at the Parc des Princes and can draw encouragement from the success over the current European champions.
"First of all, this is a great club," he told reporters. "A great club looking to make its mark in football and to continue writing new pages in its history.
"As a club, we have the intention of continuing to be a top side and fighting against the other top clubs in the world. Overall, I am very happy so far.
"We will work together to discover our limits, to push them, and to reach new goals. It is the same for the coach, the players and the fans. We all share the same desire."
However, he accepts that Madrid -- who were missing players including Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale -- are not at the same level of fitness at this stage of the summer.
"Well, it is preseason, so that is logical," he said. "You have to take into account the circumstances, such as the missing players, the players' fatigue and the fact that the team was made up of a lot of youngsters too. You can't attach too much value to it at all."
He added: "Considering that it is preseason, the results are not necessarily the most important thing. However, I think that the team has responded well, especially considering the strength of our opponents.
"I think the players are responding well to what we are working on, particularly the tactical instructions. They are growing in confidence because of the results and the performances themselves. Keep in mind that we have a final, the French Trophee des Champions in about a week, so we need to keep on working well."
PSG lost Zlatan Ibrahimovic this summer but have brought in Hatem Ben Arfa, Grzegorz Krychowiak and Meunier, with Giovani Lo Celso due to join the squad in mid-season, and Emery said he was not planning any more major additions.
"We already bought a few players and we have more players to come back and join the team," he said. "We are missing the likes of Krychowiak, [Blaise] Matuidi and [Jean-Kevin] Augustin.
"However, we have a great team, we have a deep squad. Maybe we will make some small adjustments but I think that at least 90 percent, maybe more, that this is the group."