Dwight Schrute

So some people are being paid to look for some football stats and to put them in their tweets? I missed the perfect job ...

Yes they should increase his salary, as they did with Thiago Siva and Ibrahimovic. But problem is that he is not playing in his right position on the field and I don't know if he can cope with that again for a long time. Central forward are selfish players, Cavani may have a great fighting spirit but the team's star is Ibramovich who plays as the only central forward and he must have troubles to accept that. Don't know if a pay raise will be enough. Regarding Ba, he could be a good option as a central forward subsitute and regarding Wallace, Paris has enough money not to be obligated to bet on young players I don't think they could be interested. IMO agreements like the Vitesse Arnhem-Chelsea one work because both clubs are not opponents and have different levels: Chelsea have an option to buy young talented Vitesse Arnhem players and Vitesse Arnhem has already an outlet to sell them. Such an agreement between Paris and Chelsea would be a nonsense to me: both clubs now play the same european competition and often aim at the same players.

Yes, PSG is looking for a left winger (there is no left footer offensive player in the club) and a right back (I think they'll do their best to sign Dani Alves)? But do you see a player that could interest PSG and that Chelsea would be willing to sell? I don't, maybe you have one. Mata would have just been perfect but it's too late. And if Cavani really wants to leave, I think they would try to "promote" Lucas on the right side so they are unkely to ask Chelsea to include a right winger in the deal.

He knew from the very beginning he would'nt play in the best league. But he didn't know he would play as a winger. Blanc wanted to play in a 4-4-2 (with Ibrahimovic and Cavani as centre forwards) but the team was not balanced and it did not work out. Now, the 4 4 3 is doing fine and Blanc can't move Ibrahimovic on a side. Now let's see how he will be doing during the WC (Cavani-Suarez, what a duo), but he is one of the stars of the competition, I doubt he will accept to keep play on the right.

I'm tired of this argument ... If PSG was nothing before Qatar arrived, then so was Chelsea before Abramovitch arrived. The latest few years before new owner arrived may have been better for Chelsea, but both clubs were roughly in the same situation: 2 CWP for Chelsea, 1 for Paris, 1 National league for Chelsea, 2 for Paris, 3 national cups for Chelsea, 8 for Paris. I have no problem with you telling that Chelsea is going to win easily but at least try to be honnest when talking about the past.

PSG is hard to judge when it comes to ball retrieving as they had high ball possession in almost every of their games so far ... The more you have the ball, the less you have to retrieve it. But against Monaco, best team they played against so far, it was more difficult. In the last game (in Monaco), PSG scored very early so they let Monaco play, but still, they had some troubles to retrive the ball (in my opinion). Who is the best? To me, the three (Motta, Veratti and Matuidi) are roughly equal. But they are different when it comes to offensive game. Both Veratti and Motta have a great pass quality and driblling skills (espcially Veratti) while Matuidi is great at perforing opponent's defense and has less technical skills than his teammates. Regarding the game against Chelsea, Veratti can make it if he keeps his ability to play under pressure. But he will have not to keep the ball as long as usual; he can sometimes take risks to dribble. I think Motta will be fine but I am little bit worried about Matuidi, his lack of technical skills could be a drawback. As I said before, it is just my opinion, I let other psg fans reply if they do not agree.

Just to give you an idea, "recovering-ball line" in league matches is usually around 50-55 metres, while the opponent's is aroud 30 metres. I did not find fgures for CL matches but it is probably a little less. So they play quite high on the field and at the same time, they're quite compact, as Ibrahimovic plays often as a #10, close to Verrati and Matuidi. Quid pro quo, they are sometimes in troubles with opponent's counter attacks. Regarding weaknesses, I would just add that the whole team, not only Lavezzi, can be quite inneficient by missing numerous goal opportunities (e.g. game against Nice last Friday) As Kurupt said, the most serious issue for PSG will be the right side with Jallet being responsible for containing Hazard (according to the very latest news, VDW will probably miss the game). IMO, Marquinhos would be much better given his defending qualities ... The only good news is that Cavani defends a lot.

Are you sure Lampard won't play? I understand why he is no longer playing every week-end but his experience could be a great asset in this kind of game.

Don't take it serioulsy, that was just a joke ...

One day, the French will rule the world ... But not tomorrow, we're on strike.

@Burlingtonberty: sorry I was editing my message while you were replying. And sorry for thinking you might be an Olympiakos fan

IMO, the Bosman ruling was a great change because it weakened a lot of European leagues, where local players left. And at the begininng of the 90's, English clubs were not in a great shape (because of the 5-years ban from European cups too), and Bosman ruling really improved their level (among other reasons). New foreign coaches and players put an end to the traditional British kick & rush, allowed better tactic strategies, while Italian clubs and their catenaccio wre the best in that field back then. As a Greek, you should know that Pana reached the CL semi-final in 1995 (sorry for remenbering that if you're an Olympiakos fan ). Today, having a Greek team in CL semi final is clearly impossible (because the template has changed too) But the Bosman ruling had its bad and good consequences, it's clear whan you look at French football. Early 90's: good clubs in European cups but bad national team, late 90's: bad claubs in European cups but best national team in the world, since a lot of players were allowed to play abroad for top teams, especially in Italy. And regarding English football, Greg Dykes complained about all those foreign players in England as he scares for english national team in the future.

@Zlatan_Master: I've been there for a week and don't worry, people are fine with english mistakes. The only person who replied to your message is a French speaking Belgian, most of people don't understand French in this forum and bad english is still better than French. And if you have problems, you can ask me.

And the Bosman ruling killed Ligue 1 too because players had the opportunity to play somewere else (even equal pay). I'm gonna get insulted but I think that Ligue 1 and EPL were equal in the early 90's (even if one has to take into account the 5-years ban that had just ended back then). Then, there are two different things: the league's level and its atmosphere/supporters. EPL atmosphere was as good as today, which led numerous French players to cross the Chanel. You keep comparing English league and French league because both countries have roughly the same population and the same economic power. But don't forget that football is not a part of French culture, people mostly don't like it. And generally speaking, they're not into supporting a club of any sport.

Ligue 1 was on avery good trend from late 80's until 1995. 2 CL final for Marseille (one won, one lost), 5 european-final in a row for Paris (2 CWC finals, one won), 1 CL semi-final for Monaco, 1 CL semi-final for Nantes, 1 UEFA Cup final for Bordeaux and 1 semi final for Auxerre. Better than the 20 last years. Bosman ruling killed Ligue 1, it is a fact, as it killed most of european leagues and it is reason (among others) why PL is so strong today. French clubs had not enough weapons to survive as the competition went global economically speaking.

Yesterday, you were already saying that Crystal Palace is a big team ....I feel reassured, we do not have a monopoly on trolls. I give up, you win. Congrats!

You should thank them for not enforcing FFP ten years ago. Do not forget PSG and Chelsea are nothing without their rich owner, no matter which league they're playing in.

Yes, don't worry, I just know it was a big buzz in Brazil.

Can't wait to see that game, excited and stressed at the same time. Fiannly a great opportunity for PSG to know what they are worth. Some key points: -Paris' ability to contain Hazard, as right back is the weakest position (we still don't know if Van der Wiel will be able to play) -Ibrahimovic's performance as he has always been in troubles againts big european teams Chelsea are favorites because of Mourinho, the experience and the second leg in London. Good luck, and just a picture to show that we can (and have to) be friends:

Losing in Crystal Palace when you're Chelsea is a big under-performance. I am not making fun, and to me it means nothing regarding wednesday match, but it's a fact.

Not necessarily good news. Chelsea players still have the confidence they gained after crashing the Gunners, but at the same time, they are frustrared with losing that game, which will just increase their motivation. EPL is the most difficult league in the world because of Liverpool, Man U, Man City, Chelsea, ... Not because of Crystal Palace.

Tough match yesterday in Nice. Paris missed a lot of goal opportunities and the final goal is a bit lucky. That's not an excuse but they were probably thinking of the CL match. But only the 3 points matter. Thiago Silva played with his first game with his mask, probably to feel reassured. Just a small turn-over, Veratti and Matuidi did not start the game and Alex did not play. You're absolutely right. Assuming that Arsenal would beat Nice 4-0, it makes Chelsea-Nice: 10-0, so Chelsea - PSG: 9-0. Real Madrid lost 2-1 in Sevilla. Assuming that Arsenal would beat Sevilla 3-0, it makes Arsenal-Real: 5-1 and then Chelsea-Madrid: 11-1. And Herta Berlin and Celta Vigo are weaker than Arsenal, so you should beat Bayern and Barça easily. So we should cancel CL and save time. You have already won it. QED

Two reasons: money and better level/exposure/atmosphere of english football in general. For instance, Loic Remy left Marseille (they were fighting for CL back then) to go to QPR , who were fighting not to be relegated down to Championship. He was offered a much better contract. Then, this is often (not always) a personal progression for the player, like Hazard leaving Lille for Chelsea or Nasri leaving Marseille for Arsenal. By the way, I have a funny (but useless) anecdote: a few months ago, I just realized I had attended Drogba's first professional game ( Ligue 2 game, only 8, 000 spectators) when I was a kid. I saw your king play before all of you.

Yes he should play, with a mask. Doctors said he was going to miss next league matches but apparently he will be fine. Since this kind of injury does not prevent you from playing but is related to a sensitive part of the body, he might just not 100% in some duels ... I don't have any problem with foreign people supporting english clubs. To me, you are as good as a british fan. Even a best friend of mine is a big Chelsea fan. There is nothing wrong with saying that Chelsea is above in terms of recognition and team quality. You could even say "Chelsea is gonna win 10-0", that would'nt bother me. But there is what you say and the way you say it, which is quite aggressive ... and to get back on the foreign supporters issue, I have the impression attacks against PSG and French league come from foreign supporters, which I do not understant. To me, you are as legitimate as a british fan, so no need to be more royalist than the king. Apparently you were just replying to parisian trolls, so sorry, I might have overreacted. I mentioned Romanian football (don't have any problem with Romania) because you should know that there are always structural reasons to explain some league's bad level. In Romania, it's mainly corruption. I know that France, as one of largest economy in the EU, should have a better league, but people just don't like football and tax system is a major drawback. That aside, I acknowledge that there are a lot of problems when it comes to French football mentality. And you must know that Romanian and French leagues have roughly gone throught the same story (as many other european leagues): they had good european results in the late and 80's and early 90's (Milan AC- Steaua in 1989) but both were almost "killed" by the Bosman ruling.

The most likely formation: Sirigu Van der Wiel - Alex - Thiago S - Maxwell Thiago Motta Veratti Matuidi Cavani Lavezzi Ibrahimovic Usual formation, I do not think that Blanc might change something. If some of you watched the match, Marquinhos played last friday but he is an usual substitute. As discussed before, Blanc wants Paris' game to be based on high ball possession. Sometimes (often), Ibrahimovic plays quite low on the field, as a #10. Lavezzi and Cavani may switch during the game, but obviously, as Cavani is not a real winger, his talent is quite wasted (but he remains an incredible player). As I said before, I am a little worried with Ibrahimovic since he is often in troubles during big european games. Regarding midfielders, Thiago Motta is the defensive midfielder. IMO, he is one of the most important player. He was often injured last year and he is mainly the reason why (IMO) Paris' game has improved so far. And let's be honnest, he can sometimes be a b***h on the field. Then Veratti and Matuidi are the two other central midfielders, they are in charge of "boosting" the offensive game. They are quite different, as Matuidi is not a great player technically speaking but he has a great ability to perforate the defense. Veratti has great technical skills, passing skills (like Thiago Motta) and a great ability to play under opponents' pressure, which can lead him to take a lot of risks when dribbling in his own penalty area ... He also makes a lot of faults and can get nervous quite easily. Regarding defenders, right-back is Van der Wiel. He is very attacking and defensively, he is far from being great ... Given he will be in charge of Hazard, he is the one who scares me the most. He might be the weakest point of Paris (they've been triying to hire Dani Alves for months). On the other side, Maxwell is never great, but he is never bad ... In the centre, there is nothing to say about Thiago Silva, he is great. As said before, he will wear a mask because of his face injury and I am afraid he might not be 100% in aerian duels ... And Alex is good, a little bit slow sometimes but you must know him as well as we do. Dangerous free-kicks are all shooted by Ibrahimovic. Corners on the left are mainly shooted by Lavezzi, and, as a left footer, Thiago Motta kicks those on the right. I let other Parisians add what I might have forgotten or correct me if they don't agree.