I love watching PSG play. One of the best 'brands' of football I've ever seen.
PSG | 2016-17 Performance Thread
- Thread starter Ecstatic
- Start date
What is their brand of football?
Keep posting, I enjoy your updates.
Cheers mate
What's up with Ben Arfa? Is he shit again?
Well, I need them to beat Dijon by more than 1 for my bet so I'll be watching.
Ben Arfa is the kind of players who doesn't like the trainings and work hard.
Unai Emery wants him to change. Mourinho did the same with Benzema in 2011
Both managers prefer aggressive players.
Hatem Ben Arfa left out of PSG squad again, English clubs already on alert
Another game, another squad omission, making it three times in the space of a week that Hatem Ben Arfa has failed to be selected in the PSG squad.
Having missed encounters with Arsenal and SM Caen due to manager Unai Emery’s decision to drop the player for “footballing reasons,” Ben Arfa now faces some difficult days ahead, having been omitted from Les Parisiens’ Coupe de la Ligue squad to face Dijon, as he reflects on his decision to join PSG this summer.
According to sources contacted by GFFN, the player does not work hard enough in training in Unai Emery’s estimation, with the statistical data on a player’s physical exertion during training sessions apparently backing up this sentiment.
The player’s camp have spoken to multiple reporters over the last week, making it clear that although Ben Arfa intends to fight for his place in the squad and then of course in the starting XI, that the former OGC Nice man has contacts in England and Spain about a possible loan deal.
Did HBA make the wrong play?
Another game, another squad omission, making it three times in the space of a week that Hatem Ben Arfa has failed to be selected in the PSG squad.
Having missed encounters with Arsenal and SM Caen due to manager Unai Emery’s decision to drop the player for “footballing reasons,” Ben Arfa now faces some difficult days ahead, having been omitted from Les Parisiens’ Coupe de la Ligue squad to face Dijon, as he reflects on his decision to join PSG this summer.
According to sources contacted by GFFN, the player does not work hard enough in training in Unai Emery’s estimation, with the statistical data on a player’s physical exertion during training sessions apparently backing up this sentiment.
The player’s camp have spoken to multiple reporters over the last week, making it clear that although Ben Arfa intends to fight for his place in the squad and then of course in the starting XI, that the former OGC Nice man has contacts in England and Spain about a possible loan deal.
Did HBA make the wrong play?
In Defence of Edinson Cavani
They say a week is a long time in the world of football and anybody who has watched Paris Saint-Germain recently would find it difficult to deny that Edinson Cavani’s week fits this cliché.
A player with the weight of expectation on his shoulders after the departure of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Cavani returned from international duty with Uruguay after scoring 2 goals for La Celeste in their World Cup qualifier against Paraguay.
Returning late back to Paris meant that he was deemed unable to start the Friday night Ligue 1 encounter with St Etienne, but the Uruguayan was back in the starting XI for last Tuesday’s Champions League game against Arsenal at the Parc des Princes.
With the striker slowly starting to find his feet this season for both club and country, it took the Uruguayan just 42 seconds to open the scoring when his header from a Serge Aurier cross from the right powered in past David Ospina.
Unfortunately, Cavani went on to miss a number of guilt edged chances before the Gunners claimed a late equaliser and salvaged a point from a game that really should have been out of sight for the north London club.
Cavani was the main topic of post-match discussion, with the majority of it being negative from the media. Blame was rightly placed on his clumsy finishing, because if he was more clinical, it is clear that Cavani would have gifted the Parisians the three points and an early advantage over the Gunners in the group.
Paris-based newspaper Le Parisien gave Cavani’s rating a 3/10 with the French sports paper L’Equipe slightly more generous with a 4/10 which was maybe a little harsh on the striker.
Critically, with every chance fluffed by Cavani during the game, a chant of the striker’s name in support from the very unforgiving Parisian faithful commenced. Manager Unai Emery and President Nasser Al-Khelaifi both publicly backed the striker after the game, using the media to echo their support to the club’s record signing.
At the end of the day, the PSG pair had no choice: they did not sign a single striker in the summer window, leaving Cavani as their only option.
This was a hugely important factor in what was to follow just 3 days later in Caen.
Elements of Cavani’s performance against Arsenal were positive. His goal, his movement, and the timing of his runs were excellent and his ability to find pockets of space between arsenal’s backline caused the Gunners problems throughout the evening.
However, Cavani will know that he is judged on his goals and the chances squandered against Arsenal will not be accepted from the Parisian faithful should it become a regular occurrence this season.
Fast forward to Friday night at Caen and the referee blows the half time whistle, the champions are leading 4-0 and Cavani has scored all four goals.
He looks confident and composed and his teammates trust in him is evident. The newspaper ratings have jumped to 9/10 and the headlines are writing themselves. A huge turnaround in just 72 hours.
The question now is can Cavani continue the level of performance shown in Normandy on Friday night?
Whilst Friday’s 4 goals at Caen aren’t likely to quieten the critics just yet, it will act as a huge boost for the player and club and this is where the focus should be.
He is getting the right man-management, the type of management he didn’t receive from Blanc even though he was the club’s record signing.
Ultimately, PSG broke their transfer record for Cavani only to then play him out of position. The ex-Napoli man signed for PSG under the provision that he would form a potentially destructive partnership with Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Instead he was pushed out wide, completely nullifying his strengths which negatively affected the confidence of one of Europe’s most-feared frontmen.
It was a poorly managed situation by Blanc who rarely deviated from his preferred 4-3-3 formation which begged the question of why he opted to sign a central striker like Cavani- to play him out of position- over an attacking midfielder/forward?
It can be argued that Cavani hasn’t performed during the odd-chance he’s had chance to play through the middle when Ibrahimovic wasn’t available.
But when a player’s confidence is fragile, it cannot be immediately restored in one game, especially when that player knows he will be played out of position again the following game.
For example, If Ibrahimovic, Lewandowski or Kane, all central strikers, were moved out wide from a central position, then their game would also be nullified and that player cannot be expected to be anywhere near as effective in terms of performance or goal scoring.
The Uruguayan’s finishing at times has been viewed as puzzling to many. There is a lack of understanding as to why a striker so rich in form in Naples has been unable to show the same level of finishing in Paris.
Many believe that Cavani hasn’t been the same player since his divorce in 2014 where he was given permission from the club to regularly travel back to his native Uruguay to resolve the situation.
Admittedly, this is likely to have had some form of effect on the player, at least psychologically. But the old adage that time is the greatest healer is true. The divorce has been irrevocably resolved for over two years and Cavani himself will undoubtedly have somewhat moved on and been able to focus his full attention to football.
In truth, Cavani’s current predicament is not puzzling to understand, on the contrary it is very straightforward when viewing his activity in front of goal.
The problem is psychological as a result of mismanagement where Cavani has developed flaws with his self-confidence – “belief that one can successfully execute a specific activity for overall performance optimism” and self-efficacy- “the belief one has to execute a specific task successfully”.
For a player that arrived in Paris in the form of his life, this has been partly the result of Laurent Blanc’s decision to play the striker out of position clearly deeming him second fiddle to Ibrahimovic.
Granted he has been given the licence to drift inside but his natural instinctive runs and ability to utilise his natural space have been taken away and that clearly restricted his own game.
Over time he has lost elements of his ability in front of goal triggered by a negative thought process on how he is perceived within the team by his manager and a fear of failure. A far cry from his status at Napoli.
Psychology theorist Bandura states that “self-efficacy is not concerned with an individual’s skills but rather with the judgments of what an individual can accomplish with those skills”.
Cavani’s skill and ability has never been called into question. A hard working player whose ubiquitous style is admirable as is his goal scoring record (58 goals in 100 appearances).
However, there is sufficient evidence that Cavani struggles in front of goal when he has time too much time to think about his actions. This was the case against Arsenal last week as well the two games against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in 2014 and 2015 amongst many others.
The way that Cavani will overcome this is with time and patience, his team mates will play a huge part in giving him the belief in front of goal on a consistent basis by playing to his strengths and continually creating chances for him to score.
Javier Pastore could be an important figure for Cavani as he went through the same self-confidence difficulties in the 2013/14 and managed to overcome them.
The early signs are that this is starting to happen for the Uruguayan and Cavani will get better as the season continues.
Even small actions such as his team-mates celebrating with him when he scores rather than celebrating with the assisting player which has been the case on various occasions will make him feel more important and valued, now that Ibrahimovic is no longer at the club.
He has sacrificed himself and his ego during the first 3 years in Paris and suffered the repercussions of that from the fans and media.
This is something that should be admired and not criticised and Cavani should be judged at the end of the season. PSG have gambled on not signing another striker but the ex-Napoli man deserved the opportunity to prove he can be the number one striker at the club
If PSG can continue the process of effective man-management with Edinson Cavani, there is no doubt that they can have a fantastic striker on their hands.
It is a rebuilding process that can be rectified and if operated effectively, we could once again see the deadly finisher we seen in Naples and one that could go on to beat Ibrahimovic’s scoring record for the club.
L.D.
They say a week is a long time in the world of football and anybody who has watched Paris Saint-Germain recently would find it difficult to deny that Edinson Cavani’s week fits this cliché.
A player with the weight of expectation on his shoulders after the departure of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Cavani returned from international duty with Uruguay after scoring 2 goals for La Celeste in their World Cup qualifier against Paraguay.
Returning late back to Paris meant that he was deemed unable to start the Friday night Ligue 1 encounter with St Etienne, but the Uruguayan was back in the starting XI for last Tuesday’s Champions League game against Arsenal at the Parc des Princes.
With the striker slowly starting to find his feet this season for both club and country, it took the Uruguayan just 42 seconds to open the scoring when his header from a Serge Aurier cross from the right powered in past David Ospina.
Unfortunately, Cavani went on to miss a number of guilt edged chances before the Gunners claimed a late equaliser and salvaged a point from a game that really should have been out of sight for the north London club.
Cavani was the main topic of post-match discussion, with the majority of it being negative from the media. Blame was rightly placed on his clumsy finishing, because if he was more clinical, it is clear that Cavani would have gifted the Parisians the three points and an early advantage over the Gunners in the group.
Paris-based newspaper Le Parisien gave Cavani’s rating a 3/10 with the French sports paper L’Equipe slightly more generous with a 4/10 which was maybe a little harsh on the striker.
Critically, with every chance fluffed by Cavani during the game, a chant of the striker’s name in support from the very unforgiving Parisian faithful commenced. Manager Unai Emery and President Nasser Al-Khelaifi both publicly backed the striker after the game, using the media to echo their support to the club’s record signing.
At the end of the day, the PSG pair had no choice: they did not sign a single striker in the summer window, leaving Cavani as their only option.
This was a hugely important factor in what was to follow just 3 days later in Caen.
Elements of Cavani’s performance against Arsenal were positive. His goal, his movement, and the timing of his runs were excellent and his ability to find pockets of space between arsenal’s backline caused the Gunners problems throughout the evening.
However, Cavani will know that he is judged on his goals and the chances squandered against Arsenal will not be accepted from the Parisian faithful should it become a regular occurrence this season.
Fast forward to Friday night at Caen and the referee blows the half time whistle, the champions are leading 4-0 and Cavani has scored all four goals.
He looks confident and composed and his teammates trust in him is evident. The newspaper ratings have jumped to 9/10 and the headlines are writing themselves. A huge turnaround in just 72 hours.
The question now is can Cavani continue the level of performance shown in Normandy on Friday night?
Whilst Friday’s 4 goals at Caen aren’t likely to quieten the critics just yet, it will act as a huge boost for the player and club and this is where the focus should be.
He is getting the right man-management, the type of management he didn’t receive from Blanc even though he was the club’s record signing.
Ultimately, PSG broke their transfer record for Cavani only to then play him out of position. The ex-Napoli man signed for PSG under the provision that he would form a potentially destructive partnership with Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Instead he was pushed out wide, completely nullifying his strengths which negatively affected the confidence of one of Europe’s most-feared frontmen.
It was a poorly managed situation by Blanc who rarely deviated from his preferred 4-3-3 formation which begged the question of why he opted to sign a central striker like Cavani- to play him out of position- over an attacking midfielder/forward?
It can be argued that Cavani hasn’t performed during the odd-chance he’s had chance to play through the middle when Ibrahimovic wasn’t available.
But when a player’s confidence is fragile, it cannot be immediately restored in one game, especially when that player knows he will be played out of position again the following game.
For example, If Ibrahimovic, Lewandowski or Kane, all central strikers, were moved out wide from a central position, then their game would also be nullified and that player cannot be expected to be anywhere near as effective in terms of performance or goal scoring.
The Uruguayan’s finishing at times has been viewed as puzzling to many. There is a lack of understanding as to why a striker so rich in form in Naples has been unable to show the same level of finishing in Paris.
Many believe that Cavani hasn’t been the same player since his divorce in 2014 where he was given permission from the club to regularly travel back to his native Uruguay to resolve the situation.
Admittedly, this is likely to have had some form of effect on the player, at least psychologically. But the old adage that time is the greatest healer is true. The divorce has been irrevocably resolved for over two years and Cavani himself will undoubtedly have somewhat moved on and been able to focus his full attention to football.
In truth, Cavani’s current predicament is not puzzling to understand, on the contrary it is very straightforward when viewing his activity in front of goal.
The problem is psychological as a result of mismanagement where Cavani has developed flaws with his self-confidence – “belief that one can successfully execute a specific activity for overall performance optimism” and self-efficacy- “the belief one has to execute a specific task successfully”.
For a player that arrived in Paris in the form of his life, this has been partly the result of Laurent Blanc’s decision to play the striker out of position clearly deeming him second fiddle to Ibrahimovic.
Granted he has been given the licence to drift inside but his natural instinctive runs and ability to utilise his natural space have been taken away and that clearly restricted his own game.
Over time he has lost elements of his ability in front of goal triggered by a negative thought process on how he is perceived within the team by his manager and a fear of failure. A far cry from his status at Napoli.
Psychology theorist Bandura states that “self-efficacy is not concerned with an individual’s skills but rather with the judgments of what an individual can accomplish with those skills”.
Cavani’s skill and ability has never been called into question. A hard working player whose ubiquitous style is admirable as is his goal scoring record (58 goals in 100 appearances).
However, there is sufficient evidence that Cavani struggles in front of goal when he has time too much time to think about his actions. This was the case against Arsenal last week as well the two games against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in 2014 and 2015 amongst many others.
The way that Cavani will overcome this is with time and patience, his team mates will play a huge part in giving him the belief in front of goal on a consistent basis by playing to his strengths and continually creating chances for him to score.
Javier Pastore could be an important figure for Cavani as he went through the same self-confidence difficulties in the 2013/14 and managed to overcome them.
The early signs are that this is starting to happen for the Uruguayan and Cavani will get better as the season continues.
Even small actions such as his team-mates celebrating with him when he scores rather than celebrating with the assisting player which has been the case on various occasions will make him feel more important and valued, now that Ibrahimovic is no longer at the club.
He has sacrificed himself and his ego during the first 3 years in Paris and suffered the repercussions of that from the fans and media.
This is something that should be admired and not criticised and Cavani should be judged at the end of the season. PSG have gambled on not signing another striker but the ex-Napoli man deserved the opportunity to prove he can be the number one striker at the club
If PSG can continue the process of effective man-management with Edinson Cavani, there is no doubt that they can have a fantastic striker on their hands.
It is a rebuilding process that can be rectified and if operated effectively, we could once again see the deadly finisher we seen in Naples and one that could go on to beat Ibrahimovic’s scoring record for the club.
L.D.
Exclusive | PSG tie Christopher Nkunku down until 2020
Get French Football News learnt last night that promising central midfielder and French youth international Christopher Nkunku has signed a contract extension with PSG until 2020.
The 18 year old featured in Les Parisiens’s UEFA Youth League encounter with Arsenal yesterday afternoon, in a match that ended 0-0.
Get French Football News learnt last night that promising central midfielder and French youth international Christopher Nkunku has signed a contract extension with PSG until 2020.
The 18 year old featured in Les Parisiens’s UEFA Youth League encounter with Arsenal yesterday afternoon, in a match that ended 0-0.
I don't know but it's nice. Possession for 20-30 seconds then they put together good combinations to create chances.
I agree. Very easy on the eye.
PSG 3-0 Dijon - yesterday
Injured: Aurier + Verratti
I haven't caught much of PSG this season but by the looks of things Pastore isn't considered a starter at the moment under Emery. Could any of the resident PSG fans please inform me as to why? Thanks.
Pastore started the season injured and is progressively getting back in form. He would be the starter in a 4231 but we're sticking to 433 for now.
Probably because he's nowhere near good enough to be starting?
I see. Thanks for responding!
Well, I rate Pastore incredibly high, so I wouldn't expect that. I was thinking it was either he wasn't fully fit yet, or that he wasn't working hard enough in training for Emery's liking.
I'm not sure Unai Emery has fixed ideas regarding the tactical system & think we'll keep a 4-3-3 system.
Verratti is an automatic starter. For the rest, we need to have all the players fit at the same time to guess our starting 11 given the fact the coach likes to make a lot of tactical experiments.
Tonight
PSG targets a central defender and would like one of the following players in the future
Rodrigo Caio (23 y São Paulo FC)
Rudiger - Roma - 23y
Lindelof - Benfica 22y
Rodrigo Caio (23 y São Paulo FC)
Rudiger - Roma - 23y
Lindelof - Benfica 22y
THE VERDICT | Serge Aurier’s situation is a damning indictment of the realities of modern football
When you’re a famous person, you must almost feel like your bulletproof. Money is an afterthought, people wait on you hand and foot and there must be those moments that make you think that you can do anything that your heart desires, be it legal or not.
That at least seems to be the mindframe of one such footballer in the French game. Paris-Saint Germain right-back Serge Aurier was handed a two-month prison sentence earlier this week for assaulting a police officer, his fourth offence with the law in recent years.
He will not serve any jail time due to France’s flexible sentencing laws, which also does not mean the three-month suspended sentence earned in May will be activated either. The club have decided to stick by him during this incident as he intends to appeal, meaning he will continue to play for PSG in the league and in Europe, collecting his bumper wage packet in the process.
Does this sound like something that happens in the real world? Because it shouldn’t.
This isn’t the first time that Aurier has courted controversy. Other than the flirtations with the police in France, he has also had some mind-numbing moments off it that make you shake your head and wonder what planet he seems to be on.
Aurier had been banned two seasons ago for making insulting comments towards a referee on Twitter. It gets worse, last season he took to Periscope to insult his then-manager Laurent Blanc and fellow teammates, describing the French World Cup winner as “une fiotte” and insulting the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Salvatore Sirigu.
The Ivorian was banned immediately as he put forward an apology. It surely put the cat amongst the pigeons, his words had gone pretty far and his actions off the field have so far proceeded to undermine the skills he shows on it.
Only, in the world of football, that’s all that matters. There should be no doubt in anyone’s mind, on his day and at times last season, Aurier is one of the best right backs in the world. He has great attacking instincts, can glide past players to deliver that killer ball and has added real quality to PSG’s right-hand side since his arrival from Toulouse.
That’s the deciding factor in it all, as Paris Saint-Germain see no benefit in selling him. Should they look to find a buyer for him, they know that they will be low-balled by clubs looking to take advantage of his rocky reputation in order to get a bargain.
With that being said, it’s not likely money has ever been the deciding factor for PSG during the Nasser Al-Khelaifi so the question really becomes is there a better option out there?
There are a few young up-and-coming players and a few talented full backs dotted around but none with his experience, combined with his talents and around his age of 23 where there is still room to grow.
The real hope from the PSG camp is that this is just some growing pains. As he enters his mid-twenties, he could mature to put some of these child-like behaviours and outbursts behind him so that he stops becoming a headache and leaves his talking for the weekend.
Whether PSG keeping him is ethical or not is irrelevant at this point. You can say everyone makes mistakes and although his are repeated infidelities, this is not unlike what we see across sports and within the celebrity culture in general.
The wider public is a sucker for a redemption story, a bad kid who turned his life around to do some good.
You see it all across social media whenever someone famous has done something wrong, even when it’s proven correct, there will always be those who will live and die by those they idolise while their teams or companies facilitate that for profit.
If this was a real world setting, this would be last chance saloon for Aurier. After so many poor moments, despite any positive impact he has had at the Parc des Princes, he has turned into a PR nightmare and there should be a real concern that the next thing he does could embarrass and shame the club to an almost unrepairable degree.
However, football is not the normal world, it is an escape from reality, especially with the amount of money at PSG. They do not really care, so long as he turns up on a matchday and performs.
There is no financial or footballing benefit for them to get rid, they could not find a better option easily and for lack of a better term, it’s easier for them to turn a blind eye to it than to deal with it properly.
Unfortunately, that is just the way the world works. Those in privileged positions get away with it while others in similar situations would have been crucified.
It’s a sad indictment on the world but when it comes to being a professional footballer, you tend to have a little more than nine lives.
N.S.
[Image: Le 10]
When you’re a famous person, you must almost feel like your bulletproof. Money is an afterthought, people wait on you hand and foot and there must be those moments that make you think that you can do anything that your heart desires, be it legal or not.
That at least seems to be the mindframe of one such footballer in the French game. Paris-Saint Germain right-back Serge Aurier was handed a two-month prison sentence earlier this week for assaulting a police officer, his fourth offence with the law in recent years.
He will not serve any jail time due to France’s flexible sentencing laws, which also does not mean the three-month suspended sentence earned in May will be activated either. The club have decided to stick by him during this incident as he intends to appeal, meaning he will continue to play for PSG in the league and in Europe, collecting his bumper wage packet in the process.
Does this sound like something that happens in the real world? Because it shouldn’t.
This isn’t the first time that Aurier has courted controversy. Other than the flirtations with the police in France, he has also had some mind-numbing moments off it that make you shake your head and wonder what planet he seems to be on.
Aurier had been banned two seasons ago for making insulting comments towards a referee on Twitter. It gets worse, last season he took to Periscope to insult his then-manager Laurent Blanc and fellow teammates, describing the French World Cup winner as “une fiotte” and insulting the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Salvatore Sirigu.
The Ivorian was banned immediately as he put forward an apology. It surely put the cat amongst the pigeons, his words had gone pretty far and his actions off the field have so far proceeded to undermine the skills he shows on it.
Only, in the world of football, that’s all that matters. There should be no doubt in anyone’s mind, on his day and at times last season, Aurier is one of the best right backs in the world. He has great attacking instincts, can glide past players to deliver that killer ball and has added real quality to PSG’s right-hand side since his arrival from Toulouse.
That’s the deciding factor in it all, as Paris Saint-Germain see no benefit in selling him. Should they look to find a buyer for him, they know that they will be low-balled by clubs looking to take advantage of his rocky reputation in order to get a bargain.
With that being said, it’s not likely money has ever been the deciding factor for PSG during the Nasser Al-Khelaifi so the question really becomes is there a better option out there?
There are a few young up-and-coming players and a few talented full backs dotted around but none with his experience, combined with his talents and around his age of 23 where there is still room to grow.
The real hope from the PSG camp is that this is just some growing pains. As he enters his mid-twenties, he could mature to put some of these child-like behaviours and outbursts behind him so that he stops becoming a headache and leaves his talking for the weekend.
Whether PSG keeping him is ethical or not is irrelevant at this point. You can say everyone makes mistakes and although his are repeated infidelities, this is not unlike what we see across sports and within the celebrity culture in general.
The wider public is a sucker for a redemption story, a bad kid who turned his life around to do some good.
You see it all across social media whenever someone famous has done something wrong, even when it’s proven correct, there will always be those who will live and die by those they idolise while their teams or companies facilitate that for profit.
If this was a real world setting, this would be last chance saloon for Aurier. After so many poor moments, despite any positive impact he has had at the Parc des Princes, he has turned into a PR nightmare and there should be a real concern that the next thing he does could embarrass and shame the club to an almost unrepairable degree.
However, football is not the normal world, it is an escape from reality, especially with the amount of money at PSG. They do not really care, so long as he turns up on a matchday and performs.
There is no financial or footballing benefit for them to get rid, they could not find a better option easily and for lack of a better term, it’s easier for them to turn a blind eye to it than to deal with it properly.
Unfortunately, that is just the way the world works. Those in privileged positions get away with it while others in similar situations would have been crucified.
It’s a sad indictment on the world but when it comes to being a professional footballer, you tend to have a little more than nine lives.
N.S.
[Image: Le 10]
For the bench? Marquinhos and T. Silva are as good as they come.
Mino Raiola denies that contract talks with PSG for Blaise Matuidi are ongoing
Speaking to Rai Sport, super agent Mino Raiola discussed Blaise Matuidi’s failed transfer to Juventus this summer.
“Fabio Paratici (Juventus Sporting Director) is still angry with me about the failed transfer of Blaise Matuidi. But it is not my fault. We discussed for a long time, then we spoke with the PSG President who was blocking the deal. In any case, it is wrong to say that we are negotiating an extension with PSG.”
Speaking to Rai Sport, super agent Mino Raiola discussed Blaise Matuidi’s failed transfer to Juventus this summer.
“Fabio Paratici (Juventus Sporting Director) is still angry with me about the failed transfer of Blaise Matuidi. But it is not my fault. We discussed for a long time, then we spoke with the PSG President who was blocking the deal. In any case, it is wrong to say that we are negotiating an extension with PSG.”
I guess they prepare the future (Thiago Silva is 32 years old) and would like to replace David Luiz.
The idea is to have 4 top central defenders against 3 today (TS, Marquinhos & Kimpembe) & 4 last season (Luiz, TS, Marquinhos & Kimpembe)
Ludogorets vs PSG 1-3 All Goals HD ~ Champions League 28/9/2016
Goals: Matuidi + Cavani (x2)
Goals: Matuidi + Cavani (x2)
PSG-BORDEAUX today
Hope for a PSG victory, always when i bet on them in an acca they fail miserably.
Done!
so far so good, hope tomorrow the results go the same way. PSG and Monaco did their job today.Edinson Cavani’s PSG contract extension talks continue to stall
According to L’Équipe, Uruguayan striker Edinson Cavani’s contract extension talks with PSG continue to stall, in a situation that is becoming increasingly worrying for the current Ligue 1 champions.
Talks began in April 2016 over the possibility of Cavani signing a three year extension, which included a healthy wage rise.
A meeting was due to occur at the end of August for the relevant parties to get closer together in terms of demands and offer, but Sporting Director Patrick Kluivert failed to arrange such a meeting. Why? Was it because the Dutchman did not believe at the time in Cavani’s capacity to replace Zlatan Ibrahimovic?
In any case, PSG have placed themselves in a precarious position with Cavani’s current deal expiring in June 2018.
Cavani knows that the pressure is now on PSG, with Gonzalo Higuain, Robert Lewandowski, Luis Suarez, Sergio Aguero and Antoine Griezmann all effectively off the market for quite some time from Les Parisiens’ point of view.
After making consistent murmurs about wanting to leave PSG under the Blanc era, it is important to note that Cavani is now loving life with the club. He now lives in Neuilly, where he has found a string of Argentinian restaurants that he likes and is reaping the rewards from finally being recognised as PSG’s number 1 striker.
PSG President Nasser Al Khelaifi has often told Cavani of his love for him and how he has no intention of separating from the Uruguayan.
It is down to Kluivert to now get his act together.
Thiago Silva not certain to sign PSG extension – agent
Speaking to Calciomercato, football agent Paulo Tonietto discussed the possibility of Thiago Silva signing a contract extension with PSG, warning that such an occurrence was by no means a sure thing.
“A contract extension with PSG? For the moment, everything is on hold. We are waiting for December to see how the club is doing. If PSG fails to qualify for the next Champions League, Thiago Silva will certainly not be signing an extension. The market? There are a lot of clubs that are interested in him.”
Presnel Kimpembe’s contract situation stalls
PSG central defender Presnel Kimpembe has refused to undergo any more contract extension discussions until he gets a sit down with President Nasser Al Khelaifi, according to L’Équipe.
The 21 year old and his entourage has had multiple meetings with Sporting Director Patrick Kluivert, but collectively the French youth international’s camp have decided that they will not be taking discussions further until they receive a sit down meeting with the Qatari chief.
This situation is potentially embarrassing for the former Dutch footballer, recently installed in the Sporting Director position this summer.
Presnel Kimpembe replaces Eliaquim Mangala in the France squad
21 year old PSG central defender Presnel Kimpembe has earned a surprising, late call-up to the French national team after Eliaquim Mangala had to pull out with a thigh injury.
Kimpembe had been initially selected with the France U21s, but has been promoted to the top team as Deschamps deals with an injury crisis at centre back. Kurt Zouma, Samuel Umtiti, Adil Rami and Jérémy Mathieu are all on the treatment table, save the latter, who had decided after discussions with Deschamps to retire from international football.
According to L’Équipe, Uruguayan striker Edinson Cavani’s contract extension talks with PSG continue to stall, in a situation that is becoming increasingly worrying for the current Ligue 1 champions.
Talks began in April 2016 over the possibility of Cavani signing a three year extension, which included a healthy wage rise.
A meeting was due to occur at the end of August for the relevant parties to get closer together in terms of demands and offer, but Sporting Director Patrick Kluivert failed to arrange such a meeting. Why? Was it because the Dutchman did not believe at the time in Cavani’s capacity to replace Zlatan Ibrahimovic?
In any case, PSG have placed themselves in a precarious position with Cavani’s current deal expiring in June 2018.
Cavani knows that the pressure is now on PSG, with Gonzalo Higuain, Robert Lewandowski, Luis Suarez, Sergio Aguero and Antoine Griezmann all effectively off the market for quite some time from Les Parisiens’ point of view.
After making consistent murmurs about wanting to leave PSG under the Blanc era, it is important to note that Cavani is now loving life with the club. He now lives in Neuilly, where he has found a string of Argentinian restaurants that he likes and is reaping the rewards from finally being recognised as PSG’s number 1 striker.
PSG President Nasser Al Khelaifi has often told Cavani of his love for him and how he has no intention of separating from the Uruguayan.
It is down to Kluivert to now get his act together.
Thiago Silva not certain to sign PSG extension – agent
Speaking to Calciomercato, football agent Paulo Tonietto discussed the possibility of Thiago Silva signing a contract extension with PSG, warning that such an occurrence was by no means a sure thing.
“A contract extension with PSG? For the moment, everything is on hold. We are waiting for December to see how the club is doing. If PSG fails to qualify for the next Champions League, Thiago Silva will certainly not be signing an extension. The market? There are a lot of clubs that are interested in him.”
Presnel Kimpembe’s contract situation stalls
PSG central defender Presnel Kimpembe has refused to undergo any more contract extension discussions until he gets a sit down with President Nasser Al Khelaifi, according to L’Équipe.
The 21 year old and his entourage has had multiple meetings with Sporting Director Patrick Kluivert, but collectively the French youth international’s camp have decided that they will not be taking discussions further until they receive a sit down meeting with the Qatari chief.
This situation is potentially embarrassing for the former Dutch footballer, recently installed in the Sporting Director position this summer.
Presnel Kimpembe replaces Eliaquim Mangala in the France squad
21 year old PSG central defender Presnel Kimpembe has earned a surprising, late call-up to the French national team after Eliaquim Mangala had to pull out with a thigh injury.
Kimpembe had been initially selected with the France U21s, but has been promoted to the top team as Deschamps deals with an injury crisis at centre back. Kurt Zouma, Samuel Umtiti, Adil Rami and Jérémy Mathieu are all on the treatment table, save the latter, who had decided after discussions with Deschamps to retire from international football.
Draxler 'will leave Wolfsburg'
By Football Italia staff
Julian Draxler “will definitely leave Wolfsburg” next summer and Juventus are ready to revive their bid, reveals his intermediary.
The creative midfielder had been extremely close to Juve in the summer of 2015, but the Bianconeri pulled out and he moved from Schalke to Wolfsburg for €36m instead.
“Max Allegri had spoken to Draxler, they were in sync and there was an immediate rapport between them,” Fabio Parisi told Tuttosport.
Parisi is the intermediary who worked on that move with Juventus just over a year ago.
“Wolfsburg have strong owners, but unfortunately for the German fans, everyone wants to leave there. Over the summer Draxler was on the verge of joining Paris Saint-Germain, who had offered nearly €65m.
“He will definitely leave Wolfsburg at the end of the season. He would’ve gladly run to join Juve and is the ideal trequartista for Allegri.
“I repeat: Draxler will leave, but whether or not Juventus are interested again is another matter. I think the Bianconeri can still spend big money, as their revenue is close to that of the top European clubs.
“The very real profit made on Paul Pogba will have an effect on their balance sheets for the next few years, allowing Beppe Marotta and Fabio Paratici to make more investments.”
Arsenal are also known to be interested in the 23-year-old Germany international.
By Football Italia staff
Julian Draxler “will definitely leave Wolfsburg” next summer and Juventus are ready to revive their bid, reveals his intermediary.
The creative midfielder had been extremely close to Juve in the summer of 2015, but the Bianconeri pulled out and he moved from Schalke to Wolfsburg for €36m instead.
“Max Allegri had spoken to Draxler, they were in sync and there was an immediate rapport between them,” Fabio Parisi told Tuttosport.
Parisi is the intermediary who worked on that move with Juventus just over a year ago.
“Wolfsburg have strong owners, but unfortunately for the German fans, everyone wants to leave there. Over the summer Draxler was on the verge of joining Paris Saint-Germain, who had offered nearly €65m.
“He will definitely leave Wolfsburg at the end of the season. He would’ve gladly run to join Juve and is the ideal trequartista for Allegri.
“I repeat: Draxler will leave, but whether or not Juventus are interested again is another matter. I think the Bianconeri can still spend big money, as their revenue is close to that of the top European clubs.
“The very real profit made on Paul Pogba will have an effect on their balance sheets for the next few years, allowing Beppe Marotta and Fabio Paratici to make more investments.”
Arsenal are also known to be interested in the 23-year-old Germany international.
They need to keep Cavani. He's been underwhelming for a while but is hitting some good form and I don't see who they can get to replace him who's better.
Details of PSG’s bumper summer offer for Neymar allegedly revealed
According to Mundo Deportivo, PSG offered Barcelona’s Neymar a whooping €40m a year net and yet the Brazilian signed a contract extension with Barcelona for just €15m a year net.
On top of the enormous salary that Neymar was offered by PSG for a five year deal, which would have seen Neymar earn €200m net over the course of such a contract, should the Catalan paper’s figures be believed, the same report also claims that Neymar was offered a €40m signing-on bonus, plus a 30% investment into a “Hotel Neymar” in Brazil and as €3m donation to for the creation of the Neymar Institute.
This report furthers claims that PSG went after the Brazilian in an enormous way this summer.
Gregory van der Wiel on Laurent Blanc: “We did not have a good connection.”
Speaking to Canal + in an exclusive interview last night, Dutch international Gregory van der Wiel had the following to say about his more manager at PSG, Laurent Blanc.
“We did not have a real good connection to be honest. Like I said before, we didn’t talk a lot. I did not know actually what he thought of me, did he think that I was a good player or not. Sometimes I would play the big matches, sometimes I played 3 games in a row. Then I didn’t play for a month, so it was a bit unclear for me… Let’s keep it at that.”
Gregory van der Wiel on Serge Aurier: “He can become one of the best.”
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Canal + last night, Dutch international and former PSG man Gregory van der Wiel discussed previous teammate Serge Aurier.
“I think he has the quality to become one of the best. But it is not only about talent, you have to have the luck, the mindset, to be willing to work to become the best in your position. He has the physique, he is strong, he is technical, he can cross. So he is a complete defender but that is not enough.”
According to Mundo Deportivo, PSG offered Barcelona’s Neymar a whooping €40m a year net and yet the Brazilian signed a contract extension with Barcelona for just €15m a year net.
On top of the enormous salary that Neymar was offered by PSG for a five year deal, which would have seen Neymar earn €200m net over the course of such a contract, should the Catalan paper’s figures be believed, the same report also claims that Neymar was offered a €40m signing-on bonus, plus a 30% investment into a “Hotel Neymar” in Brazil and as €3m donation to for the creation of the Neymar Institute.
This report furthers claims that PSG went after the Brazilian in an enormous way this summer.
Gregory van der Wiel on Laurent Blanc: “We did not have a good connection.”
Speaking to Canal + in an exclusive interview last night, Dutch international Gregory van der Wiel had the following to say about his more manager at PSG, Laurent Blanc.
“We did not have a real good connection to be honest. Like I said before, we didn’t talk a lot. I did not know actually what he thought of me, did he think that I was a good player or not. Sometimes I would play the big matches, sometimes I played 3 games in a row. Then I didn’t play for a month, so it was a bit unclear for me… Let’s keep it at that.”
Gregory van der Wiel on Serge Aurier: “He can become one of the best.”
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Canal + last night, Dutch international and former PSG man Gregory van der Wiel discussed previous teammate Serge Aurier.
“I think he has the quality to become one of the best. But it is not only about talent, you have to have the luck, the mindset, to be willing to work to become the best in your position. He has the physique, he is strong, he is technical, he can cross. So he is a complete defender but that is not enough.”
That contract is bonkers.Augustin (Adidas) joins the Messi Team
@Downcast great job keeping this thread and the Ligue 1 thread alive. I say that sincerely.
Pretty crazy stuff.The other offers were not so bad
