Saint-Etienne boss Christophe Galtier has compared his team's title challenge to that of a "Tour de France sprinter" following their 1-0 victory over Valenciennes.
The victory briefly took Les Verts joint-top of Ligue 1 with Lyon, before Paris Saint-Germain's victory over Troyes saw them edge one point clear.
Galtier remained grounded when asked about the possibility of his team pulling off a shock victory, such as the one produced by Montpellier HSC last season.
Instead, the 46-year-old referred to sixth-placed Valenciennes as their "direct rival" in the league.
"I was pleased with the match because we were up against a very good Valenciennes side," Ligue1.com quotes Galtier as saying.
"We're like a Tour de France sprinter that's going well and winning stages. We'll see how we cope with the mountains. I take no credit for us being top.
"It was important for us to beat Valenciennes, a direct rival, to build on the point at Evian, even if we were leading that game. Being unbeaten for more than two months is a good thing and the result of the spirit we work on on a daily basis."
Galtier takes his team to play Ajaccio on Friday.
Michael Penkman
