Alright, let me try and make a runthrough of the squad. I'll try and be objective and leave my personal opinion out of it Goalkeepers: Coupet: as weird as it is to see him playing for us, you have to admit he's a good goalie, and most of all, he's as professional as you can get and he wants this last challenge in his career. He's here for a season or two, since the club is willing to count on Edel, and of course, in the long run, on Areola, our young wonderkid, but that's still too far away to be sure on. Edel: he came as the reserves keeper, has climbed the ladder, made a few apparitions, which is hard to do with a player like Landreau that never injures himself (until he left us this summer, ). Not much can be said about him, except that nobody knows if he's fat or simply big-boned. Grondin: hired for the CFA (reserve), he's... well, good for the reserve team. Defenders: Camara: Poor Zoumana, out with injury for 3 months. It's a blow as he's supposed, for the stature he has, for the money we paid, and the money we pay him, to be a starter, and yet he sure leaves us quite frustrated with his gaffes. You would think that after all the years he and Landreau played together, they'll learn to communicate well on the field, and yet even up to the last stages of the last season, he still managed to make gags. We might be overreacting and only nitpick, but he expect better from him. Sammy Traore: L'ami Sammy. He's big, slow, can't use his feet, and yet he has a great spirit and is a capable backup. Bourillon: a sad story. He used to be a promising player, but a horrible injury stopped his progression. That was in Rennes. PLG had hopes for him, unfortunately when we bought him, he hadn't completely recovered physically, and even when he did, the mental scars were still there. Camara's injury is his second chance to get a shot at first team football and prove he can make it. Sakho: He's been a comet through our youth ranks, I still remember his first professional game against AEK in the UEFA cup when he was just 17. He made his mark last season, and this year he is a sure starter, and is among the most sought-after kids in today's football. I would love to see him make the French national team for the world cup. Armand: to me, among our best players in the last few seasons, and the only one to consistently play at his best. The truth is that he's had some downs, but ultimately, is always consistent and someone you can rely on. Also rarely injured. We were afraid when we thought we lost him for 2 months, but he was up and running in less than 4 weeks, he's a machine. People would complain about his "loser attitude", but I say that's nonsense. Ceara: he had trouble adjusting during his first year. However last season he continuously performed well, despite our absence of a backup when fatigue started kicking in in the last few weeks. He had problems coming back to defend, but that's where he changed for the better. He has some dribbling abilities, but nothing special. Jallet: a new signing, to provide Ceara the option to take a break from time to time. His strongpoints include the capacity to play in different positions, and a good strike. Makonda: another youngster from our academy, he played some matches last season when Armand was injured or to replace Rothen, and he did a great job. We hope to see more of him this season. A good player for the future.
Midfielders: Makelele: Obviously a year older. As planned, he will play less matches. He isn't the same Claude as 5 years ago, however he's still the boss around other players when he's on the field. Clement: High endurance levels, you'll see him run for miles throughout the game. However as a defensive midfielder, he lacks this bit of naughtiness that makes sure others don't walk over you. Don't expect him to make a forward pass. Chantome: as a product of the academy, he's always highly appreciated, and 2 years ago he was a pivotal player in our escape from the relegation zone. Has some skills, can read the game, but he still lacks that certain something to change him from a sub to a sure starter. Would be nice to see him bulk up too, after the last blank season, due to an injury back in the summer. With less competion from Make', he'll have a new shot. A positive point from all the time he spent on the bench is that he's been working on his free-kicks. For a club like ours that's been lacking a good free-kick taker for a long time, it is a refreshing change. He hits them well and has already had a few assists last season, including one last week in a friendly, with people like Hoarau and Sammy, there are heads to target now. Rothen: he's a psg fan at heart, and in 2004, after the CL final with Monaco when he had the world at his feet and the chance to join the greatest clubs, he only wanted to come to us. Had injury problems then, but came back to form. Unfortunately, he peaked and last season was a complete disaster. His crosses aren't there no more, his free-kicks are horrible, he has become slow, and we have nobody to replace him. We desperately need someone to take over his spot. But it doesn't seem like it will happen. We all love him, but we don't want to see him on the field no more. Sessegnon: our only real creative element in the team. Great dribbling ability. Reminds people of Okocha, except that he can't really shoot. The only one capable of making a move to unblock a situation, and is an indispensable part of the team. I don't think we managed to win a single game last season when he was not playing. However he still has some kinks to solve. You would wish some more consistency and determination from time to time, but most of all, to calm down in sticky situation. He had some trouble and since he is a prime target for opposition defenders, he'll become angry at the ref not defending him from bitchy kicks and just take justice in his own hands. Nonetheless, you can expect him to humiliate some more defenders. I remember against Lens in a League cup game, he was cornered by two Lensois, did a Blanco by jumping with the ball and leaving them wondering what the heck just happened. If only he could finally learn to shoot on target and score more than his measly 3 or 4 goals per season, he could be truly immense. Sankhare, Ngoyi, Baning, Partouche, etc.: all those young players who we loan out in hopes they'll pick up form elsewhere. Sankhare' might have a chance. Baning is to be sold. Partouche is still too frail to last a whole game. Strikers: Hoarau: Just wow. He came in, took the number 9 shirt, and just as people started remembering Pauleta, he made them forget everybody else. He's 24-25, his career took a while to take off, however he became the best L2 striker with Le Havre, when we snatched him for like 500k, and became 2nd best striker in the L1. He is a complete striker, great targetman, he is more than capable of coming back to defend when needed. He scores with the left, with the right, with the head (1m92 tall after all), a constant danger, and a generous humble teammate always the first to help. Now that defenses have learned his name, it will be interesting to see if he will continue scoring goals. A spot in the national team is just waiting for him, because France doesn't have a player of his caliber. It is easy to know when the team is having trouble during a game: that's when they will just start kicking long balls ahead and hope Hoarau's head is around to pass to Giuly. Luyindula: our little Miss Pigguy. Highly inconsistent. He is a great player when the team works well, but if the team doesn't click, he won't be the one to get it back up. He had a great first half of season, then became the old Pegguy. Had some problems in the past with some depressing moments, however he is a professional and is not the type to look for trouble. Giuly: He scored some valuable goals last season. It's obvious he can't make the same efforts anymore. It's been announced that he will rather play as a right midfielder, however everyone doubts if he'll truly be capable of fitting in that role. Erding: our main signing of the summer. He is to play the role PLG wanted Briand to do. Amazingly strong player, you won't see him knocked over often. Has speed, some skills, his feet know where the net is, and will replace Giuly as Hoarau's partner up front. Kezman: Complete Useless Waste. Can't shoot. Can't pass. Can't run. Can't control a ball. Can't position himself on the field. Can't score. Bad Attitude. Dangerous act that have more than once injured opponents. To put it simply: Unwanted. Boli, Arnaud, Maurice, etc.: backup plans, they'll probably be played around on the field as wingers, wherever need be. Not much is expected from them. Anyway, that's it. I'm no tactical genius, so I tried to keep clear from getting too much in details and talk out of my ass, and keep it a simple quickly done overview. I think I got them all.
I never thought I'd see Coupet play for another French team. Then again, he did leave St. Etienne for Lyon. He's a good buy for you guys.
I too am new to this blog and am wanting to get info concerning the schedule of PSG. I noticed on their site that the home game with Lens is listed for December 10th, but when I click on tickets it says that the reserve is for October 28th. I am going to be in Paris on December 10th with 4 guys and want to go to that game, but I can't find anywhere to get tickets and am confused as to why the game is listed for October 28th too. Can anyone help me sort this out and find 4 good tickets to the game in Paris on December 10th? Thanks for any help you can give.
I'm not sure what the scheduling thing is about, but when I went to Paris in March 08 I just went to the PSG Shop on Champs Elysee and was able to purchase tickets for the game (it was either the day-of or the day before). Then just take the Metro out to Parc des Princes. The game wasn't even close to being sold out when I went. Someone who's gone more recently can speak to that, though.
PSG-Lens will take place on December 10th, the game was moved because of the qualifying world cup games of our national team. As it was said, you can buy your tickets at PSG shop on Champs Elysées, or at the Parc des Princes. But I advise you not to wait the match day to buy it.
So what do you recommend on getting 4 good tickets to that game? I am not going to be in Paris until the morning of December 9th. What are good seats? Are tickets ever sold on Ebay? Would it be best to just reserve the tickets online and pick them up at the Stadium?
I think it's the best option It depends. What you want ? A good seat and a large view of the pitch or experience fan's atmosphere ?
I think that you must buy your tickets in the Parc des Princes with an identity card if you want to go in Boulogne
Un choc grippé ? wow psg is done our season is done can someone help us!!!! Le choc au sommet de la 10e journée de L1, entre Marseille et le PSG, est-il menacé? Selon nos confrères de RTL, plusieurs joueurs parisiens, dont Ludovic Giuly, sont souffrants et le staff du club de la capitale craint qu'il ne s'agisse de la Grippe A. Auquel cas le match pourrait être reporté. On a d'abord cru à une angine. C'était en tout cas la version initialement donnée par le staff médical parisien pour expliquer l'absence à l'entrainement de Ludovic Giuly ce jeudi. Vendredi, l'état du milieu offensif ne s'était guère amélioré et ce sont maintenant quatre joueurs de l'effectif parisien qui sont malades, présentant des symptômes viraux: Giuly donc, mais aussi Claude Makelele, Jeremy Clément et Mamadou Sakho. Une information révélée vendredi soir par nos confrères de RTL et qui a été confirmée par le club de la capitale. Cette contagion fait évidemment craindre qu'il ne s'agisse de la grippe H1N1. Des examens complémentaires ont été pratiqués et les résultats devraient être connus dans la journée de samedi. Rien n'indique pour le moment que les joueurs cités souffrent de la grippe A, mais si tel devait être le cas, la question du report de la rencontre qui doit opposer dimanche soir l'Olympique de Marseille au PSG serait inévitablement posée. Frédéric Thiriez, le président de la LFP, a rappelé que, selon le règlement, en pareil cas, il faut que trois joueurs au moins doivent être touchés par le virus pour envisager un report du match. Vendredi soir, les présidents des deux clubs se sont entretenus par téléphone, Robin Leproux ayant mis au courant son homologue marseillais Jean-Claude Dassier de la situation. Sur RMC, le patron de l'OM s'est voulu rassurant. "Le report du match n'est pas encore envisagé", a-t-il déclaré. On devrait donc en savoir davantage samedi. Toujours selon RTL, une source interne au club aurait confié que d'autres joueurs seraient eux aussi malades. Ce serait le premier cas de report d'un match de football de haut niveau en France pour cause de grippe A. En rugby, deux rencontres du Top 14 avaient dû être reportées au début du mois de septembre, lorsque plusieurs joueurs du Castres Olympique avaient été touchés.
Why are we always unlucky ? I hope the game will be moved, otherwise I'm affraid of the score sunday.
The LFP decided to go ahead with this match, so yikes for PSG. They're already missing several players as it is.
The Dream Team should be like this: Bernard Lama (goalkeeper), Bruno N'Gotty, Alain Roche, Ricardo, Luis Fernández (defenders), Raí, Safet Sušić, Ronaldinho (midfielders), David Ginola, Pauleta, George Weah (forwards).
I had no idea Sahko was a Paris FC youth player first. Also I didnt know Maurice came from UJA Alfortville.