While in Monaco on Wednesday at a media event, La Liga president Javier Tebas spoke to L’Équipe, in an interview which notably saw him continue his ardent criticism of Paris Saint-Germain and the club’s Qatari ownership You often criticise PSG. Maybe it’s because they’ve taken Neymar and Messi, who were in La Liga? You would be lying to yourself to think that. I criticise PSG because they don’t generate the money to have the team they do. It provokes a competitive distortion of the European football economy. It doesn’t equate to real sponsorship. How can PSG explain to us that they have a squad worth almost €600m? If they win Ligue…

Speaking to the press after his side snatched a dramatic late equaliser to earn a point at home against Angers, Saint-Étienne manager Claude Puel praised the team’s character. His words transcribed in L’Équipe, the ASSE coach underlined that although the result was not enough – the club remain winless this season as pressure continues to mount on the manager – he was nevertheless proud of the performance he saw on the pitch. The kick-off had been delayed by an hour after tension among Saint-Étienne fans boiled over and led to flares being thrown onto the pitch, which notably damaged the nets in both goals. Once the match eventually kicked off at…

Click:weding confetti cannon MARSEILLE – 0 Pau López, 7 – Made two crucial saves in the first half, one from a point blank Messi header and another double intervention from an Mbappé cross and the resulting Neymar follow up. William Saliba, 7 – Quietly excellent in his use of the ball and decision making in deeper areas before his crucial late tackle on Mbappé, who was clean through and was likely to win the game, saved OM’s point.  Duje Ćaleta-Car, 7 – A number of key interventions throughout, including a first half interception from a Verratti cross to Mbappé and a close range block from Mbappé on the counter in…

This feature is the latest in our series looking at the top 20 hottest properties in Ligue 1; those players to keep an eye on this season and who are most likely to feature heavily in the 2022 summer transfer window. Look out for 3rd place tomorrow and follow the run down in full here on GFFN. To paraphrase Jose Mourinho: ‘Nice guys never win, so be a bastard.’ Leaving to one side the accuracy of that statement, in today’s modern game, drive, commitment and assertiveness are under-rated qualities. Usually, natural ability needs to be applied precisely, consistently and with confidence in order to be effective at an elite level.…

LYON – 2 (Toko-Ekambi 25, Aouar 41) Anthony Lopes, 7 – His distribution was a little hurried at times but he made three excellent saves from Saïd, Frankwoski and most memorably a stunning close range reflex stop from Kakuta. Léo Dubois, 5 Jérôme Boateng, 7 – Made a crucial goal line stop from Clauss’ first half effort and was repeatedly in the right place and the right time. Commanding. Jason Denayer, 5 Emerson Palmieri, 6 Maxence Caqueret, 5 Bruno Guimarães, 6 – Continues to play with a renewed sense of intensity and positivity and his passing proved a key creative influence throughout. It was his charge into the area that…

Speaking to Le Progrès after his team’s 4-1 loss against Rennes, Lyon midfielder Houssem Aouar notably discussed his late discussion with Lucas Paquetá over the penalty taker for the team’s consolation spot-kick. Click Here: The Frenchman had initially picked up the ball as the designated taker, but the Brazilian was intent on converting the penalty that he had won himself. “I don’t want to make a big deal out of that penalty. Usually, I’m the designated taker. But I got the feeling that he really wanted it, so I gave in and handed it to him.” “Honestly there’s nothing at all. We already spoke to each other in the dressing…

In an extensive interview with France Football, Italy and PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma (22) explained how the return of Zlatan Ibrahimović, now 40 years old, influenced his development as a player and a person before leaving his boyhood club last summer: “Zlatan is very important to me. He will remain a big part of my life. I matured and progressed a lot since his return to Milan, and not just in football. He gave me that boost that I was missing.” “He has this tenacity, this strength to bring out the best in you. And, even when he says something to you that may seem harsh to you, it’s to…

L’Équipe report that Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas has been internally managing the fallout of Director of Sport Juninho’s announcement of his likely departure at the end of the season. The Brazilian had explained that he would reflect on his future, in an interview with RMC Sport on Wednesday evening, citing the mental fatigue of the job as one of his motivations. A meeting took place on Thursday between Aulas, Juninho and team manager Peter Bosz as well as Director of Football Vincent Ponsot. The OL president began by apologising on behalf of the club to the Dutch coach for the previous evening’s episode. The former Bayer Leverkusen manager had been surprised…

As reported by La Provence, Marseille defender Jordan Amavi has been told by coach Jorge Sampaoli that he no longer features in the manager’s plans after just 130 minutes of action this campaign in all competitions. At his press conference before the meeting with in-form Brest tomorrow, Sampaoli explained: “It’s a special situation for him, he had a lot of injuries last season and we couldn’t really assess him. This season, he had some problems with our system, he’s a linear full-back who goes back and forth and it didn’t go very well for him when we tried him. Jordan, and others, have the right to find another way out.”…

In an interview with RTL, Marseille’s on loan Arsenal defender William Saliba discussed his stay at Marseille, explaining that friends have described coach Jorge Sampaoli’s touchline antics as “crazy”. On Jorge Sampaoli: “It’s only at the press conference that he’s calm. He yells at us in training to rally us or when we’re sluggish. Before the match, even in the locker room, he starts to pace back and forth. From the bench, you hear him the whole game. My friends sat behind the bench say to me: ‘yeah, your coach is crazy!’ That’s just how he is, he’s really passionate”. On the Velodrome atmosphere:“The supporters push you to be better.…