Dwight Schrute

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.

All things being equal, Lucas Moura reminds me of Cristiano when he arrived in Man U. Always trying to make the most beautiful dribbling, not the most efficient. Always trying to score the goal of the century as soon as he as the ball, always shoting as soon as he can. Once he sees he has 10 teammates around him, he will be a very good player. It's not that simple IMO. It is not about knowing which league is the best one (EPL of course). Since I watch both leagues ( I understand why you don't, being French is the only thing that can make you watch this league ), there is basically one fundamental difference between the Ligue 1 and the EPL when it comes to tactics: in France, the aim is to conceid one less goal than the other team, in England, the aim is to score one more goal. I am not saying that Lucas and Lavezzi are better, but in Ligue 1, scoring is not that easy since: 1) Most of the time, your coach's priority is a clean-sheet, not scoring (which is not the case in Paris) 2) Most of the time, the other team's priority is a clean sheet, not scoring Ok, you hate us, you find us miserable, Ligue 1 is the worst competition in the world, ... We get it. What's the point of being that aggressive? Should I be a moron, I would say that you look like you forget that your home league is Liga I, not Premier league, that your biggest clubs are Steaua and Rapid Bucharest, not Man U, Liverpool or Chelsea. But, as I am not a moron, I won't.

I do not think that comparing PSG's perfomances and statistics in Ligue 1 and Chelsea's in EPL is that relevant. PSG are playing in a league where they have no competitors (IMO Monaco, even if Paris did not beat them, are not a competitor yet). From August, they have known that they have a 90% chance of winning the league. PSG is too big for Ligue 1, and most of the teams are too weak to play againts PSG. I have watched all of their matches so far and a lot of times, they score the first goal, the second one, and then, they just try to save energy ... And, I do not want to offense those teams, but playing in Montpellier or Ajaccio, in half-empty stadiums, is not very motivating for players such as Ibrahimovic or Thiago Silva. PSG players are rarely 100% in Ligue 1, I do not blame them, it's human. On the other hand, this season, Chelsea are playing against three competitors + Man U, Tottenham, Everton, ... They are always under pressure, obligated to be 100%. Even if you think of smaller clubs, don't you think that playing in St James Park in front of 50 000 spectators is more motivating than playing in Montpellier or Nice? I don't criticize my country, it's just that playing in a country where football is almost a religion is very different than playing in a country where it is a just a sport that most of people don't like. I hope I made my point and you may not agree with me but, should Chelsea play in Ligue 1, I am not sure they would have better statistics. I am pretty sure they would be in the same situation: title won in August, no competitor and no pressure (ok there can be some counter-examples, e.g. Bayern) Past results in European matches are a much more better comparison. And Chelsea has much more experience (Terry and Lampard with Chelsea, Mourinho with all his teams, Eto'o with Barcelona and Inter, ...). So Chelsea are (slightly) favorites.

Any news about Eto'o? Will he miss the first leg? And Hazard looked like he was a little bit injured at the end of the match ... Regarding Thiago Silva, he should be fine for the first leg ( but as Chelsea Legend said, he will probably wear a mask) Thanks! Actually I am about to spend one year in the US for work, so English is a very serious issue for me ! Do you plan on changing your photo? Makélélé in on Paris' side now

Hi Blues friends, Just another PSG supporter coming to talk about the match. Sorry for the French invasion since yesterday To be honnest, the draw could have been worse ... and better. To me, it's 55-45 for Chelsea (maybe 60-40 after watching Chelsea-Arsenal ) My main fears are Mourinho's ability to win this kind of matches and the duel Ibrahimovic vs Terry (he's never been in a great shape in his previous big European matches), not to mention I am also very scared Van der Wiel might not be able to contain Hazard. The second leg in London is clearly an advantage for Chelsea. But as Paris have almost won their league, they can afford to miss their match sandwiched between the two legs, which Chelsea cannot for the moment ... sometimes playing in a bad league is an advantage ! Anyway, a clean-sheet in Paris would be great. PS: sorry for my English