PSG vs EA Guingamp: Three points the bear necessity for Zlatan, Maxwell and Co

“Maxwell is the best guy in the world. I mean if you want to have a teddy bear you have Maxwell.” As befits an author who has been nominated for Sweden’s top literary award, Zlatan Ibrahimovic has a way with words. Ibra was in particularly dazzling aural form this week, telling Ligue1.com all about his friendship with Maxwell. The pair have played together at Ajax, Inter Milan, Barcelona and now PSG, and their relationship stems back to the days when Ibra was shy retiring teenager in Holland. "I called Maxwell because Maxwell came to Ajax at the same time as me, so he picked me up at the airport and I got to know him a little bit more," explained Zlatan. "After two weeks I called Maxwell, I said 'I have problems'. And he was like 'ok',...

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The Rumour Mill: Cabaye saga rumbles on, Liverpool and Roma in Sakho chase

The current transfer window seems to be moving at the pace of a glacier; you know it’s going somewhere, but it’s impossible to see any progress and there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight. Gareth Bale to Real Madrid? Wayne Rooney to Chelsea?Yohan Cabaye to Arsenal? These transfers have been threatening to happen for some weeks, but seem to be hovering somewhere in the distance like very expensive mirages. Paris Saint-Germain have invested in a few expensive mirages over the last couple of years, so it’s probably not a surprise to see the club’s name linked to all and sundry as we approach September 2. Chief among the possible inbound transfers is Newcastle midfielder Cabaye, a player Laurent Blanc has been making kissy faces at all summer long. Sadly for Blanc, he has yet to get past first...

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Nantes 1-2 PSG: Lavezzi's precious strike gives Blanc welcome three points

It wasn't particularly pretty, but PSG's season is up and running properly after last night's 2-1 win in Nantes. Last season it took us four matches to secure a first victory, so in that respect Laurent Blanc is making better progress than his predecessor Carlo Ancelotti. "I hope it's the first of a long winning run otherwise I'll be packing my bags before I've had chance to redecorate my office," said Blanc afterwards. "It was a tough result to get, but it's one that is more than precious to us. I thought we could have had an easier match. The beginning of our season has been complicated, and even getting a win has been complicated." Things didn't look particularly complicated for about half an hour. Lining up in a new-fangled 4-3-3 formation, with Pastore dropping into central midfield...

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Nantes vs PSG: Can Parisiens pounce on first win of the season?

Watching Paris Saint-Germain take on Ligue 1's smaller teams often reminds me of my cat (left) when he's hunting a spider. You know that the cat, with his massive size and speed advantage, will usually prevail. What's more, the cat is well aware of his own superiority, and is often happy to toy with his pray before administering the killer blow. But every now and again something goes wrong; Pamplemousse (yes, my cat is called Grapefruit) gets bored, or does something stupid, or the spider spots a way out and escapes to safety. Last Sunday the Ajaccio spider's survival instincts meant it left the Parce des Princes with all it's legs intact. And a hard-earned point. Laurent Blanc will be hoping his PSG side can rediscover their killer...

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PSG 1-1 Ajaccio: Cavani leaves it late to beat amazing Ochoa

Football and hyperbole tend to go hand-in-hand, witness the resumption of the GREATEST LEAGUE IN THE WORLD this weekend. But while Sky Sports were busy drumming up EXCITEMENT about AMAZING MATCHES like, er, Chelsea strolling to victory against Hull and Spurs edging out Crystal Palace, Ligue 1 fans were treated to one of the most entertaining games of football you're likely to see this year. And I'm not exaggerating. Ajaccio clung on for a point against Paris Saint-Germain last night at the Parc des Princes with a logic-defying rear-guard action involving some great last-ditch defending, some phenomenal goalkeeping from Guillermo Ochoa and, it has to be said, more than a little bit of luck. "Even if we didn't start well nobody can say that...

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PSG vs Ajaccio: Corsicans coming to church of Zlatan

Footballers buy a lot of stuff: Armani manbags, oversized headphones, cars with aquariums in them, that sort of thing. Never one to fit the mould, Zlatan Ibrahimovic has decided to reinvest some of his hard-earned cash in a slightly different way, and has reportedly purchased a church. According to Afobladat, Ibra has snapped up the 115-year-old Elimkyrkan building in Stockholm, and plans to convert it into a New York-style townhouse. This is somewhat disappointing, as I was hoping he would turn it into a centre for his followers to gather in. I’m sure there are plenty of people out there who would appreciate a place where they could hang out, practice their Taekwondo skills and worship a massive statue of Zlatan’s nose. While the Church of Ibra may not be quite ready to threaten the major...

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