Friday, 19 July 2013
Wednesday, 17 July 2013
PSG complete Cavani capture, Digne deal done?
14:46
Matthew Gooding
Selling club Napoli took the blame for the delay, having apparently been slow to return some documents needed to complete the €64million transfer, though I have my suspicions that Leonardo kidnapped the Uruguayan and took him for a drive round Paris as part of a humorous final day prank.
Anyway, Cavani is here now and apparently happy to have made his move. Stand by for some bland quotes and repeated references to the “project”.
“I'd like to say how happy I am to be a part of this side and this project,” he said.
“My overwhelming emotions at the moment are joy, confidence, desire and a strong motivation to win important trophies here. The sporting project at this club is very ambitious and a great source of motivation.”
Let’s face it, I doubt many football fans would be unhappy if Cavani pitched up at their club. I mean, look at his face; as a man with an unblemished record of heterosexuality covering my entire life to date, I’m not afraid to say he’s an extremely beautiful creature.
But quite apart from his strong cheekbones and voluminous, glossy hair, Cavani’s record on the pitch is not to be sniffed at. His 78 goals in 108 Napoli appearances puts him right up there with the world’s top strikers, and a potential partnership with Zlatan Ibrahimovic is a mouth-watering prospect.
Whether Zlatan will hang around long enough to get acquainted with his new team-mate is open to debate, with various reports suggesting that Ibra, like Wayne Rooney, is angry and confused and wants a move away.
While being angry and confused is Rooney’s natural state, Zlatan’s unhappiness supposedly stems from the appointment of Laurent Blanc as his new boss, and it will be interesting to see whether he makes any comment on his future after returning to training tomorrow. So far camp Ibra has been very quiet, with even his rent-a-quote agent Mino Raiola playing his cards close to his chest.
“Ibra is sure [to stay]”, said President Nasser yesterday. “He will play with Cavani”.
Remember, this is a man who thought he could keep Ancelotti despite Carletto explicitly stating he wanted to leave. And a man who comes out with statements like this:
“Cavani did not choose Paris for the money, believe me 100 per cent. He believes in the project, he believes that with us, he will be able to win many titles.”
That clears than up then. Another man seduced by
Yesterday was Leonardo’s last day in his role as Sporting Director. The Brazilian had been expected to stay on until the end of the summer transfer window, but presumably has a pressing engagement with a beach somewhere.
“Leonardo's departure is sad for me. It's his decision, I wish him all the best,” Nasser said, before elaborating on the reasons for his departure.
“The media were aggressive with him. He did not feel the proper recognition for what he did. In last two years, he has done a lot. Yet all that was said or written about him was negative, it was not fair.”
Poor Leo, that squeaking noise you can hear is all the other clubs in Ligue 1 playing a symphony on the worlds’ tiniest violins.
Nasser added that he has not yet decided on whether to bring in another sporting director, and said the club’s management structure could change. Worryingly, this could include David Beckham being appointed as Special Advisor to the president. God help us.
Wednesday, 10 July 2013
Leonardo's resignation leaves PSG with questions to answer
14:48
Matthew Gooding
Having already managed to shed a manager since the end of last season, Paris Saint-Germain now find themselves without a Sporting Director after news broke this morning of Leonardo’s resignation.
“We regret his choice but respect his decision,” said a brief club statement. “We thank him greatly for his important contributions towards the project of building a top European Club in Paris and wish him all the best for his future career choice.”
Leo’s two years at the Parc-des-Princes have certainly been eventful, and not without some success. His capture of Javier Pastore from under the noses of Chelsea in August 2011 signalled PSG’s new status as a major power in European football, and though that transfer hasn’t worked out particularly well, his eye-catching double purchase of Thiago Silva and Zlatan Ibrahimovic from AC Milan last summer paid off in spades, with the team winning the title and making a good impact in their first season in the Champions League. His contacts in the Italian also must’ve helped in securing emerging talents like Salvatore Sirigu and Marco Verratti.
But overall his record in the transfer market hasn’t been that great. For every Sirigu there is a Van der Wiel, for every Silva a Lugano, and it has often seemed PSG are happy to throw money at established-but-average foreign players rather than pick up domestic talent.
Previously a smiley, likeable, type, Leonardo has also shown an uglier side of his character over the last couple of years. His comments in the media have at times been bizarre, and you often get the impression that he thinks French domestic football is beneath him. That’s before you even get on to the business of him, er, pushing a referee over and getting banned from all football for a year.
It’s also reasonable to assume that Leo’s behaviour was at least partly to blame for Carlo Ancelotti’s departure, as his not-very-discreet courting of other managers at various points last season must’ve left Carletto feeling distinctly undermined. Nasser Al-Khelaifi and QSI must now be thinking that they backed the wrong horse in that respect.
So in the long-term I think we’ll probably be better off without Leo, but in the short-term his departure so soon after Ancelotti’s isn’t ideal, and does raise a number of questions.
Leo had built a team with a South American core and strong links to Serie A. Do they bring in a Sporting Director who will continue in this vein? Or is it time to go in another direction? Is Project Wenger still on? And if so, is there any point getting another Sporting Director in until next summer, or can we do without?
What does Leo leaving mean for current members of the squad? It’s common knowledge that Zlatan isn’t his biggest fan, so he probably won’t be too fussed, but Thiago Silva is another matter. The recent stories linking the defender with Barcelona could turn from rumour to fact given the close relationship that supposedly exists between the two Brazilians. Will the Edinson Cavani deal, which has been all-but done for about a week but is still not finalised, be affected? Lots of questions, and at the moment not many answers.
One man who probably is happy about Leo going is Laurent Blanc, as the news has overshadowed the fact that PSG’s pre-season campaign began in inauspicious fashion yesterday, with a 3-1 defeat to Sturm Graz in Austria. Young striker Hervin Ongenda, who recently signed his first professional contract, got the PSG goal in the second half with a rather delicious chip.
"We were worse than average tonight,” said Blanc. “We knew it was going to be tough because we were up against a side that began preseason training three weeks ago and begins their season next week.
“We will analyse what happened in this match, but this result will not change anything of our preseason."
“We regret his choice but respect his decision,” said a brief club statement. “We thank him greatly for his important contributions towards the project of building a top European Club in Paris and wish him all the best for his future career choice.”
Leo’s two years at the Parc-des-Princes have certainly been eventful, and not without some success. His capture of Javier Pastore from under the noses of Chelsea in August 2011 signalled PSG’s new status as a major power in European football, and though that transfer hasn’t worked out particularly well, his eye-catching double purchase of Thiago Silva and Zlatan Ibrahimovic from AC Milan last summer paid off in spades, with the team winning the title and making a good impact in their first season in the Champions League. His contacts in the Italian also must’ve helped in securing emerging talents like Salvatore Sirigu and Marco Verratti.
But overall his record in the transfer market hasn’t been that great. For every Sirigu there is a Van der Wiel, for every Silva a Lugano, and it has often seemed PSG are happy to throw money at established-but-average foreign players rather than pick up domestic talent.
Previously a smiley, likeable, type, Leonardo has also shown an uglier side of his character over the last couple of years. His comments in the media have at times been bizarre, and you often get the impression that he thinks French domestic football is beneath him. That’s before you even get on to the business of him, er, pushing a referee over and getting banned from all football for a year.
It’s also reasonable to assume that Leo’s behaviour was at least partly to blame for Carlo Ancelotti’s departure, as his not-very-discreet courting of other managers at various points last season must’ve left Carletto feeling distinctly undermined. Nasser Al-Khelaifi and QSI must now be thinking that they backed the wrong horse in that respect.
So in the long-term I think we’ll probably be better off without Leo, but in the short-term his departure so soon after Ancelotti’s isn’t ideal, and does raise a number of questions.
Leo had built a team with a South American core and strong links to Serie A. Do they bring in a Sporting Director who will continue in this vein? Or is it time to go in another direction? Is Project Wenger still on? And if so, is there any point getting another Sporting Director in until next summer, or can we do without?
What does Leo leaving mean for current members of the squad? It’s common knowledge that Zlatan isn’t his biggest fan, so he probably won’t be too fussed, but Thiago Silva is another matter. The recent stories linking the defender with Barcelona could turn from rumour to fact given the close relationship that supposedly exists between the two Brazilians. Will the Edinson Cavani deal, which has been all-but done for about a week but is still not finalised, be affected? Lots of questions, and at the moment not many answers.
One man who probably is happy about Leo going is Laurent Blanc, as the news has overshadowed the fact that PSG’s pre-season campaign began in inauspicious fashion yesterday, with a 3-1 defeat to Sturm Graz in Austria. Young striker Hervin Ongenda, who recently signed his first professional contract, got the PSG goal in the second half with a rather delicious chip.
"We were worse than average tonight,” said Blanc. “We knew it was going to be tough because we were up against a side that began preseason training three weeks ago and begins their season next week.
“We will analyse what happened in this match, but this result will not change anything of our preseason."
Friday, 5 July 2013
Leonardo's year in the merde as PSG eye Cavani deal
08:22
Matthew Gooding
They say a week is a long time in football, which by my calculations means a year is an, er, very long time.
Leonardo is about to find out just how long a year in – or more accurately out of – football is, after it was revealed this morning that the French Football Federation (FFF) had rejected his appeal against a nine-month ban from football-related activity. For good measure, the FFF decided to stick the boot in by adding an extra five months to the sanction, meaning he will now be out of action until the end of June 2014.
Leo was busted for shoving referee Alexandre Castro at half-time during PSG’s match against Valenciennes in May. Despite his protestations of innocence, I never fancied his chances of getting off scot-free; as discussed previously, the FFF need to be seen to be backing their referees, even if the referee in question is an idiot.
But the fact that he’s had his already-lengthy suspension increased was a bit of a shock. Perhaps they weren’t impressed by Leonardo’s no-show at the hearing on Wednesday.
“He’s in negotiations with a great player”, reported Jean-Claude Blanc by way of explanation, a statement which sounded to me a bit like the footballing equivalent of “the dog ate my homework”. True or not, it comes across as a bit disrespectful, so you wouldn’t exactly blame the FFF panel for taking umbrage.
It will be interesting to see whether the club decide to take any further action against Leo. On the face of it his suspension shouldn’t interfere with his day-to-day business of being Director of Football too much; he’s banned from dressing rooms, technical areas, referees’ changing rooms and other such official business, leaving him free to travel to Italy, sign new players and schmooze rich people at his leisure. If anything it might work to our advantage that he isn’t able to stick his nose into team affairs all the while.
But this whole episode has been a bit embarrassing for the club, and you wonder whether QSI are considering jettisoning the smiley Brazilian. Certainly it's difficult to see what sort of role he would have were Arsene Wenger to show up next summer.
Meanwhile the PSG squad, sans Leo and all the international players, have flown out to Austria for a pre-season training camp.
New boss Laurent Blanc has been putting the squad through their paces this week, while also finding time to make kissy faces at Edinson Cavani.
"He's a player that I, and others, admire," said Blanc, who was officially appointed last week, paving the way for Carlo Ancelotti's long-anticipated moved to Real Madrid.
"If he became part of the PSG squad I'd be very happy"
Leonardo is about to find out just how long a year in – or more accurately out of – football is, after it was revealed this morning that the French Football Federation (FFF) had rejected his appeal against a nine-month ban from football-related activity. For good measure, the FFF decided to stick the boot in by adding an extra five months to the sanction, meaning he will now be out of action until the end of June 2014.
Leo was busted for shoving referee Alexandre Castro at half-time during PSG’s match against Valenciennes in May. Despite his protestations of innocence, I never fancied his chances of getting off scot-free; as discussed previously, the FFF need to be seen to be backing their referees, even if the referee in question is an idiot.
But the fact that he’s had his already-lengthy suspension increased was a bit of a shock. Perhaps they weren’t impressed by Leonardo’s no-show at the hearing on Wednesday.
“He’s in negotiations with a great player”, reported Jean-Claude Blanc by way of explanation, a statement which sounded to me a bit like the footballing equivalent of “the dog ate my homework”. True or not, it comes across as a bit disrespectful, so you wouldn’t exactly blame the FFF panel for taking umbrage.
It will be interesting to see whether the club decide to take any further action against Leo. On the face of it his suspension shouldn’t interfere with his day-to-day business of being Director of Football too much; he’s banned from dressing rooms, technical areas, referees’ changing rooms and other such official business, leaving him free to travel to Italy, sign new players and schmooze rich people at his leisure. If anything it might work to our advantage that he isn’t able to stick his nose into team affairs all the while.
But this whole episode has been a bit embarrassing for the club, and you wonder whether QSI are considering jettisoning the smiley Brazilian. Certainly it's difficult to see what sort of role he would have were Arsene Wenger to show up next summer.
Meanwhile the PSG squad, sans Leo and all the international players, have flown out to Austria for a pre-season training camp.
New boss Laurent Blanc has been putting the squad through their paces this week, while also finding time to make kissy faces at Edinson Cavani.
"He's a player that I, and others, admire," said Blanc, who was officially appointed last week, paving the way for Carlo Ancelotti's long-anticipated moved to Real Madrid.
"If he became part of the PSG squad I'd be very happy"
Reports coming out of Italy overnight suggest a €64million fee has been agreed between the clubs, and that Cavani will sign a contract worth €8million-a-season. Nice work if you can get it.
Friday, 21 June 2013
PSG turn to Laurent after drawing a Blanc in their manager search
08:45
Matthew Gooding
Paris Saint-Germain’s ongoing search for a manager is starting to remind more and more of the Duchess of Cambridge’s pregnancy.
Stay with me for a minute, this seemingly tenuous analogy makes perfect sense: both seem to have been going on for ever, have little interest to the public at large, and involve a cast of rich people you probably wouldn’t want to share a pint with. The main difference is that Kate will almost certainly have popped the Royal Sprog out by the end of July, whereas at this rate PSG will still be looking for their new entraineur.
What is fairly clear is that the man in charge at the Parc des Princes next season won’t be Carlo Ancelotti. The latest whisperings from the Real Madrid-bound Italian’s camp seems to suggest he’ll be freed from his PSG contract in the next day or two so that he can take over at the Bernabau.
His successor’s identity remains unknown, as so far PSG have been turned down more times than a letchy, half-cut, man with sweat patches dancing on his own at an office party. As far as I can remember the list of managers who have been linked with the job and said no/found employment elsewhere now reads as follows: Rafa Benitez, Guus Hiddink, Michael Laudrup, Andre Villas-Boas and Fabio Capello.
Capello should have been an easy mark, given his advancing years and propensity to take the biggest salary plonked in front of him. But after talks in Paris on Wednesday between Leonardo and the extremely smug-looking Pierfilippo Capello, Fabio’s son, lawyer, and agent, a move for the current Russia boss hit the buffers.
The sticking point for many of the candidates appears to be PSG’s reluctance to offer a long-term contract because the club still want to lure Arsene Wenger away from Arsenal when his contract expires next summer.
This obsession with getting Wenger strikes me as a bit bizarre. Not because I don’t rate him - he’s a great manager and seems like a decent enough bloke – but he isn’t the obvious fit for PSG. As someone who has consistently rallied against “financial doping” in football, is he going to want to go to a club whose success is built on flashing a lot of cash? Then there’s his age: at 63 he doesn’t represent a long term option to take the project (sorry) forward.
But the biggest flaw in the club’s strategy is that they don’t even seem to have anything in place guaranteeing that Wenger will leave Arsenal. The imminent signing of Gonzalo Higuain would suggest the Gunners mean business this season; will Wenger want to up sticks if they close the gap on the Manchester clubs or, heaven forbid, win a trophy? And even if he has agreed a deal, are we just writing off next season while we wait? It’s a strategy that makes little sense.
I’d be happy to have Wenger come in as Director of Football; his contacts and experience developing young players would be a tremendous asset to the club. So with that in mind perhaps this morning’s news that Laurent Blanc's agent is due in Paris for talks could be a good thing.
Judging by my Twitter feed, Blanc would not be a popular appointment with a lot of fans, and given how terrible France were at Euro 2012 I have some reservations about his ability to handle big-name players when the pressure is on. But he has qualities too, and I could see Blanc and Wenger working together to take the club forward, as well as putting in place a crowd-pleasing core of French players to back up our cast of superstars.
If Blanc is appointed, it will be interesting to see what sort of contract the former Bordeaux boss receives. That should give us a better idea of PSG’s long-term plan, if indeed they have one.
Stay with me for a minute, this seemingly tenuous analogy makes perfect sense: both seem to have been going on for ever, have little interest to the public at large, and involve a cast of rich people you probably wouldn’t want to share a pint with. The main difference is that Kate will almost certainly have popped the Royal Sprog out by the end of July, whereas at this rate PSG will still be looking for their new entraineur.
What is fairly clear is that the man in charge at the Parc des Princes next season won’t be Carlo Ancelotti. The latest whisperings from the Real Madrid-bound Italian’s camp seems to suggest he’ll be freed from his PSG contract in the next day or two so that he can take over at the Bernabau.
His successor’s identity remains unknown, as so far PSG have been turned down more times than a letchy, half-cut, man with sweat patches dancing on his own at an office party. As far as I can remember the list of managers who have been linked with the job and said no/found employment elsewhere now reads as follows: Rafa Benitez, Guus Hiddink, Michael Laudrup, Andre Villas-Boas and Fabio Capello.
Capello should have been an easy mark, given his advancing years and propensity to take the biggest salary plonked in front of him. But after talks in Paris on Wednesday between Leonardo and the extremely smug-looking Pierfilippo Capello, Fabio’s son, lawyer, and agent, a move for the current Russia boss hit the buffers.
The sticking point for many of the candidates appears to be PSG’s reluctance to offer a long-term contract because the club still want to lure Arsene Wenger away from Arsenal when his contract expires next summer.
This obsession with getting Wenger strikes me as a bit bizarre. Not because I don’t rate him - he’s a great manager and seems like a decent enough bloke – but he isn’t the obvious fit for PSG. As someone who has consistently rallied against “financial doping” in football, is he going to want to go to a club whose success is built on flashing a lot of cash? Then there’s his age: at 63 he doesn’t represent a long term option to take the project (sorry) forward.
But the biggest flaw in the club’s strategy is that they don’t even seem to have anything in place guaranteeing that Wenger will leave Arsenal. The imminent signing of Gonzalo Higuain would suggest the Gunners mean business this season; will Wenger want to up sticks if they close the gap on the Manchester clubs or, heaven forbid, win a trophy? And even if he has agreed a deal, are we just writing off next season while we wait? It’s a strategy that makes little sense.
I’d be happy to have Wenger come in as Director of Football; his contacts and experience developing young players would be a tremendous asset to the club. So with that in mind perhaps this morning’s news that Laurent Blanc's agent is due in Paris for talks could be a good thing.
Judging by my Twitter feed, Blanc would not be a popular appointment with a lot of fans, and given how terrible France were at Euro 2012 I have some reservations about his ability to handle big-name players when the pressure is on. But he has qualities too, and I could see Blanc and Wenger working together to take the club forward, as well as putting in place a crowd-pleasing core of French players to back up our cast of superstars.
If Blanc is appointed, it will be interesting to see what sort of contract the former Bordeaux boss receives. That should give us a better idea of PSG’s long-term plan, if indeed they have one.
Thursday, 30 May 2013
Paris Saint-Germain 2012/13 squad review, Twitter-style
20:51
Matthew Gooding
As you'll have noticed from the constantly recycled lines and stolen jokes, PSG Tourist is nothing if not unoriginal.
So for this end-of-season round-up I've shamelessly pinched an idea I saw on the marvellous Arseblog, and decided to review our players' seasons in the style of Twitter, using 140 characters or less. Hopefully I haven't forgotten anyone, and do let me know if you think I've got any of my ratings hopelessly wrong.
Goalkeepers
Alphonse Areola: Good hair, little first team action, would probably benefit from going out on loan somewhere #promise. C.
Nicolas Douchez: Seems happy to be Chris Woods’ to Sirigu’s Peter Shilton. Our cup specialist should practice penalty saves #shower. B-.
Ronan Le Crom: Moment in the spotlight went spectacularly pear-shaped, poor chap. #rouge. D.
Salvatore Sirigu: Another largely faultless season from Ligue 1’s keeper of the year and the Italian number one in waiting. Just retire now Buffon. #reliable. A
Defenders
Alex: The Tank is increasingly suffering mobility problems, could be stuck in the mud. Still solid enough, and lethal from set pieces. #turret. C.
Christophe Jallet: Never hit the heights of last season, but decent enough. Knee-high socks possibly hampering his progress. #baldy. B.
Diego Lugano: *Blocked*
Greg Van der Wiel: Started badly and improved a bit, but positional sense remains a worry. Not better than Jallet. #wasteofmoney. C-.
Mamadou Sakho: Form much improved, looks the part alongside Silva. Been smiling a lot lately, think the PSG fan has enjoyed this season #grin. B+.
Maxwell: Doesn’t get injured, good at defending, consistent. Am dubious whether he’s actually Brazilian at all. #unsung. B+.
Siaka Tiene: Yes he’s still at the club. No, hopefully not for much longer. #chocolatefireguard. D.
Sylvain Armand: Another of the old guard on his way out, another who has played his part in the title success. Reminds me of a wolf. #howl. C.
Thiago Silva: Predictably brilliant debut season from one of the best defenders on the planet. #rollsroyce. A*.
Zoumana Camara: Despite his age, has never let the side down when called upon. Probably off this summer. #Papus. C.
Midfielders
Adrien Rabiot: Exciting cameos at the start of the season, reportedly been in good form for Toulouse. Come back soon. #future. C+.
Blaise Matuidi: He’s big, he’s bad, I wish he was my dad (not really). PSG’s most consistent player this season, I love him #onemanmidfield. A*.
Clement Chantome: Resurgent this season, apparently Ligue 1’s most accurate passer. Unlikely beer drinker. #choirboy. B+.
David Beckham: Stood around and looked pretty, like an ageing model. Said goodbye. Little else of note. #tears. D.
Matthieu Bodmer: Decent little player, few chances to impress, good luck in the future #Sainte. C.
Momo Sissoko: Unfollowed
Thiago Motta: Injured a lot, suspended a lot. When he plays, you don’t really notice him. #overthehill. C-.
Forwards
Ezequiel Lavezzi: Took time to get going, but looks the part now. Key in the Champions League, best achievement is starring in *that* photo. #jacuzzi. B+.
Guillaume Hoarau: See Nene, but replace "desert" with "China". #comebacktoEurope. C.
Javier Pastore: A bit like an iPad: some good features but generally you wonder whether it was worth the hype and hefty price-tag. #showpony. D.
Jeremy Menez: Man. Father. Legend. Form patchy this year but did well to tell Tony Chapron what we've all thought on more than one occasion #teammenez. B.
Kevin Gameiro: No complaining despite being sidelined for much of the season, weighed in with several important goals. Probably leaving, sadface. #deservesbetter. B+.
Lucas Moura: Showed flashes of what he can do, bit injury-prone. Undoubtedly more to come though. #wizardofdribble. C+.
Nene: Alas poor Nene, I knew him well. Writing was on the wall at the start of the season, now getting rich in the desert. #mask. C.
Peguy Luyindula: #laughedatNenewhenhewaslockedinthetoilet #beststoryever #redbull. D.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic: Thirty goals, lots of assist, one ego. Love him or hate him, he is Zlatan, and he's quite good. #nose. A*.
So for this end-of-season round-up I've shamelessly pinched an idea I saw on the marvellous Arseblog, and decided to review our players' seasons in the style of Twitter, using 140 characters or less. Hopefully I haven't forgotten anyone, and do let me know if you think I've got any of my ratings hopelessly wrong.
Goalkeepers
Alphonse Areola: Good hair, little first team action, would probably benefit from going out on loan somewhere #promise. C.
Nicolas Douchez: Seems happy to be Chris Woods’ to Sirigu’s Peter Shilton. Our cup specialist should practice penalty saves #shower. B-.
Ronan Le Crom: Moment in the spotlight went spectacularly pear-shaped, poor chap. #rouge. D.
Salvatore Sirigu: Another largely faultless season from Ligue 1’s keeper of the year and the Italian number one in waiting. Just retire now Buffon. #reliable. A
Defenders
Alex: The Tank is increasingly suffering mobility problems, could be stuck in the mud. Still solid enough, and lethal from set pieces. #turret. C.
Christophe Jallet: Never hit the heights of last season, but decent enough. Knee-high socks possibly hampering his progress. #baldy. B.
Diego Lugano: *Blocked*
Greg Van der Wiel: Started badly and improved a bit, but positional sense remains a worry. Not better than Jallet. #wasteofmoney. C-.
Mamadou Sakho: Form much improved, looks the part alongside Silva. Been smiling a lot lately, think the PSG fan has enjoyed this season #grin. B+.
Maxwell: Doesn’t get injured, good at defending, consistent. Am dubious whether he’s actually Brazilian at all. #unsung. B+.
Siaka Tiene: Yes he’s still at the club. No, hopefully not for much longer. #chocolatefireguard. D.
Sylvain Armand: Another of the old guard on his way out, another who has played his part in the title success. Reminds me of a wolf. #howl. C.
Zoumana Camara: Despite his age, has never let the side down when called upon. Probably off this summer. #Papus. C.
Midfielders
Adrien Rabiot: Exciting cameos at the start of the season, reportedly been in good form for Toulouse. Come back soon. #future. C+.
Blaise Matuidi: He’s big, he’s bad, I wish he was my dad (not really). PSG’s most consistent player this season, I love him #onemanmidfield. A*.
Clement Chantome: Resurgent this season, apparently Ligue 1’s most accurate passer. Unlikely beer drinker. #choirboy. B+.
David Beckham: Stood around and looked pretty, like an ageing model. Said goodbye. Little else of note. #tears. D.
Marco Verratti: Showed great promise early on, form has fluctuated since. Still can be pleased with season. Too many bookings, stop talking #motormouth. B+.
Matthieu Bodmer: Decent little player, few chances to impress, good luck in the future #Sainte. C.
Momo Sissoko: Unfollowed
Thiago Motta: Injured a lot, suspended a lot. When he plays, you don’t really notice him. #overthehill. C-.
Forwards
Ezequiel Lavezzi: Took time to get going, but looks the part now. Key in the Champions League, best achievement is starring in *that* photo. #jacuzzi. B+.
Guillaume Hoarau: See Nene, but replace "desert" with "China". #comebacktoEurope. C.
Javier Pastore: A bit like an iPad: some good features but generally you wonder whether it was worth the hype and hefty price-tag. #showpony. D.
Jeremy Menez: Man. Father. Legend. Form patchy this year but did well to tell Tony Chapron what we've all thought on more than one occasion #teammenez. B.
Kevin Gameiro: No complaining despite being sidelined for much of the season, weighed in with several important goals. Probably leaving, sadface. #deservesbetter. B+.
Lucas Moura: Showed flashes of what he can do, bit injury-prone. Undoubtedly more to come though. #wizardofdribble. C+.
Nene: Alas poor Nene, I knew him well. Writing was on the wall at the start of the season, now getting rich in the desert. #mask. C.
Peguy Luyindula: #laughedatNenewhenhewaslockedinthetoilet #beststoryever #redbull. D.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic: Thirty goals, lots of assist, one ego. Love him or hate him, he is Zlatan, and he's quite good. #nose. A*.
Monday, 27 May 2013
Lorient 1-3 PSG: Keeper craziness enlivens final fixture
18:29
Matthew Gooding
I'm sure I wasn't the only Paris Saint-Germain fan who wasn't particularly excited by the prospect of last night's game at Lorient.
With neither side having anything to play for, I was expecting a dull end-of-season affair, but events in the second half ensured it was actually quite entertaining.
Three goals to the good and cruising to victory, Carlo Ancelotti did the decent thing and handed a debut to 38-year-old fourth choice keeper Ronan Le Crom, who came on in place of Alphonse Areola. Le Crom hadn't played a match of note since the end of the 2009/10 season, but looked in fine nick, making a couple of good reaction saves before it all went horribly wrong.
With five minutes remaining substitute Julien Quercia raced clear on goal, and toppled over Le Crom's clumsy challenge. It was an obvious penalty, but with Sylvain Armand back and covering, the following red card for Le Crom seemed a trifle harsh.
"I said to him, do not do this to me, please, this is perhaps the last game of my career," said a dejected Le Crom afterwards. "The referee told me he had to expel me for fear of being reprimanded by his peers. It's a shame but it will remain as a lasting memory."
No doubt it will also be a lasting memory for Mamadou Sakho, who looked overcome with joy as he donned the goalkeeper's jersey for the closing stages. The defender had a massive grin on his face despite being beaten by Arnaud Le Lan's penalty, and went on to make a couple of decent catches as PSG saw out the finals moments without conceding futher.
Overall the match was a fairly decent encapsulation of the season: Zlatan scored, a player dubiously was sent off, and PSG ended up winning by a slightly flattering scoreline.
It was goalless at half-time, with Areola having made a decent stop to foil Fabien Robert, and Javier Pastore shooting wide at the other end after a lovely move involving Ibra and Verratti.
Kevin Gameiro replaced Ezequiel Lavezzi early on, El Pocho having sustained a head injury in a clash with Mario Lemina. And it was ancien Lorientaise Gameiro who provided the pass for the opening goal just after half-time, with a lovely cross which Ibra chested into the net from six yards for his 30th goal of the season.
PSG had started the second half in purposeful mood, and Gameiro's quickfire double, in the 62nd and 65th minutes, made sure of the victory. The second goal was particularly sweet, with Pastore's pass finding Super Kev, who did the rest with a powerful volley.
Then came the keeper shenanigans, but it between times players from both teams stopped to give a standing ovation to Ludovic Guily, the former PSG forward playing the last game of what was an illustrious career. He was handed a PSG shirt by his former team-mate Armand as he exited the pitch, and then got to have his picture taken with the loitering David Beckham at the final whistle, which I'm sure he really enjoyed.
I wrote this love letter to Guily back at the start of the season, and my feelings haven't changed since. Ligue 1 will be a sadder place without him.
Overall it was a satisfactory end to a very satisfactory season, with PSG ending the campaign with 83 league points and 101 goals in all competitions, a new club record.
"After the celebrations, my players stayed focused and united," said Ancelotti. "It was a great match, a great way to end a great season. Everyone is happy."
With neither side having anything to play for, I was expecting a dull end-of-season affair, but events in the second half ensured it was actually quite entertaining.
Three goals to the good and cruising to victory, Carlo Ancelotti did the decent thing and handed a debut to 38-year-old fourth choice keeper Ronan Le Crom, who came on in place of Alphonse Areola. Le Crom hadn't played a match of note since the end of the 2009/10 season, but looked in fine nick, making a couple of good reaction saves before it all went horribly wrong.
With five minutes remaining substitute Julien Quercia raced clear on goal, and toppled over Le Crom's clumsy challenge. It was an obvious penalty, but with Sylvain Armand back and covering, the following red card for Le Crom seemed a trifle harsh.
"I said to him, do not do this to me, please, this is perhaps the last game of my career," said a dejected Le Crom afterwards. "The referee told me he had to expel me for fear of being reprimanded by his peers. It's a shame but it will remain as a lasting memory."
No doubt it will also be a lasting memory for Mamadou Sakho, who looked overcome with joy as he donned the goalkeeper's jersey for the closing stages. The defender had a massive grin on his face despite being beaten by Arnaud Le Lan's penalty, and went on to make a couple of decent catches as PSG saw out the finals moments without conceding futher.
Overall the match was a fairly decent encapsulation of the season: Zlatan scored, a player dubiously was sent off, and PSG ended up winning by a slightly flattering scoreline.
It was goalless at half-time, with Areola having made a decent stop to foil Fabien Robert, and Javier Pastore shooting wide at the other end after a lovely move involving Ibra and Verratti.
Kevin Gameiro replaced Ezequiel Lavezzi early on, El Pocho having sustained a head injury in a clash with Mario Lemina. And it was ancien Lorientaise Gameiro who provided the pass for the opening goal just after half-time, with a lovely cross which Ibra chested into the net from six yards for his 30th goal of the season.
PSG had started the second half in purposeful mood, and Gameiro's quickfire double, in the 62nd and 65th minutes, made sure of the victory. The second goal was particularly sweet, with Pastore's pass finding Super Kev, who did the rest with a powerful volley.
I wrote this love letter to Guily back at the start of the season, and my feelings haven't changed since. Ligue 1 will be a sadder place without him.
Overall it was a satisfactory end to a very satisfactory season, with PSG ending the campaign with 83 league points and 101 goals in all competitions, a new club record.
"After the celebrations, my players stayed focused and united," said Ancelotti. "It was a great match, a great way to end a great season. Everyone is happy."
