PSG Ligue 1 Champions...3 questions for how they defend title next season

PSG capture the Ligue 1 title, something that was expected after the club made some major moves last season. It was not without some difficulty. After winning the crown, PSG will be expected to defend their title...potentially begin a run of form similar to Lyon's run from a few seasons back. PSG have the resources and already the talent to defend their title. There are three main questions that will linger with the club:

• The main question - who will be managing the club? With Ancelotti all but heading off to Real Madrid it is clear that PSG will have a new manager for next season. The rumor mill was ripe with stories from North London that Wenger would make the move across the channel, but those have recently simmered down. What about Rafa from

  

  We hardly knew ya!

  Chelsea? Ugh. Please no. Although PSG might have a decent shot at a cup with the Spaniard at the helm. Mourinho was spoken of as well, but all signs indicate he will head back to his stomping grounds a the end of King's Road in London. Of course two Italians could have outside shots at getting the gig - Mancini who was just let go at Manchester City and Allegri from Milan. Both dark horse outsiders. What about Pellegrini from Malaga? He seems destined for City, but you never know. I think an outsider to keep an eye on is Laurent Blanc. Who has been out of work since France crashed out of the Euros. The former French national team manager would be a good fit - he knows Ligue 1 from his time managing Bordeaux. Blanc might see this as a chance to take over a club with the resources and ambitions to allow him the environment to succeed. And would thrust him right back into the lime light.
• Whoever is the manager will have to find someone to help shoulder the scoring load of Ibra...that is if the temperamental Swede remains at PSG! The Swede led Ligue 1 with 29 goals. The next highest goal scorer for PSG - Gameiro - had...6 goals. Yikes, talk about over-reliance on one player. Assuming Ibra stays, that might be a big assumption, PSG will need to find someone not named Ibra to score more than 6 goals. The Napoli striker - Cavani - is highly rumored to be heading to Paris. As well as a rumor of Rooney being in the sites of the Parisian club. Of course there is the outlandish rumor that PSG see themselves as serious contenders for Ronaldo...not sure that is going to happen. I think the Portuguese superstar might get overwhelmed by the financial offer from Paris, but I just do not see him wanting to go the Ligue 1 over a return to the EPL. I think PSG will hold on to Ibra, at least for one more season, and add the likes of Cavani to try to spread the scoring burden.
• Can PSG develop or acquire the necessary depth to be serious players for both

  

  Get this man some help!

  Ligue 1 and Champions League glory? Other than Ibra, PSG became overly reliant on the likes of Matuidi, Alex and others. In order for the club to be more of a player on multiple fronts they need to add some more depth. More importantly the talent they already have must step up their game. The likes of Pastore, Menez, Lucas, Lavezzi to name a few need to contribute more when it comes to PSG's game. Adding some depth in the midfield to take away some of the pressure on Matuidi would be helpful. This transfer season will be telling for what PSG can expect next season.

Great to see PSG getting their hands back on the Ligue 1 title. But the hard work has only begun.

PSG will defend Ligue 1 title with an interesting kit

So the leaked photos of the new PSG kit are making their way online. Not quite sure I am a fan on a somewhat radical departure from the traditional PSG kit.

Maybe it will grow on me. It will be nice to have a Ligue 1 championship patch on it however! Now a small issue of figuring out who will be managing the club as well as what the transfer season will bring for the club...

Deschamps' list - in with the new and the old

Deschamps announced the list of players he will be taking with him to South America for two friendlies - Uruguay and Brazil. This might be one time I agree with all the naysayers when it comes to international friendlies - two games, far far away from home after long domestic seasons for the players - seems like a little too much. However, I will say that having one of the games against Brazil might be a good tool to motivate some of these players - the World Cup next year will be in Brazil.

The list -

Landreau, Lloris, Mandanda
Clichy, Debuchy, Koscielny, Mangala, Mathieu, Rami, Sagna, Sakho
Cabaye, Capoue, Gourcuff, Guilavogui, Matuidi, Nasri
Benzema, Giroud, Gomis, Ménez, Payet, Valbuena

Some interesting newbies: Guilavogui and Mangala. Both have been promising youngsters, the former playing for St Eteinne seen as the next Matuidi and the latter plying his trade in Portugal for Porto. Mangala has played at the youth level for France with Sakho, so could we see this pairing at

First call up for Porto central defender

the senior level? Guilavogui is another player in the long list of strong defensive minded midfielders France have at their disposal. It will be interesting to see if either of these players sees the pitch or if Deschamps is using this call up as a motivator for both.

Of course there are some old names back in the fold - Mathieu, Gourcuff and Nasri. Calling up the Valancia left back, Mathieu, coupled with no Evra (more on that later) would give the impression that Clichy and Mathieu are the ones competing for the starting role once qualifiers start up again in September. The interesting angle that Mathieu brings is his ability to also slot as a left midfielder. The return of the golden boy - Gourcuff - is not entirely unexpected. As the OL man has finally started to regain his form at the club level. The question remains - where does he fit with France? Deschamps seems to have given the keys to creativity to Valbuena, so where would Gourcuff slot in? On the right side? As a second playmaker? It will be interesting to see how he is leveraged. Finally, speaking of creative midfielder, the return of Nasri was not entirely unexpected. The Manchester City man has been playing well for club and warranted the call back. Could this be his last chance with France? Maybe. Question for Sami is the same as with Gourcuff, where will he feature? Could he be looked to fill the void on the left with Ribery left at home? How about on the right? It will be interesting to see how the Citizen is used during these matches.

The players that were left off a list are usually spoken of as much as those on the list! The likes of Varane and Pogba are being left off so that they may play in the U20 World Cup in Turkey.   That is a wise move. They will get much better experience in that tournament than they would playing Uruguay and Brazil. Ribery is also off the list due to Bayern Munich playing the Champions League final and then the German Cup Final over the next few weeks. The reasons are not as rosy for the likes of Evra, Gonalons, Mavuba, Jallet and Gignac. Evra in particular. As the Mancheter United captain is getting up there in age as well as having some competition at his position. Could he not be

Never to be seen in Blue again?

on Deschamps' mind for going to Brazil (if France qualify). Gonalons and Mavuba both seem to have fallen victim to the depth France has at his position. Pogba appears to have made himself a serious contendor to hold down one of the defensive midfield roles moving forward. As has Matuidi..which does not leave much room when the likes of Capoue, Cabaye, Sissoko (not called up due to injury) are already entrenched. As well as the possibility of M'Vila one day reappearing in Blue. Jallet sees the return of Sagna, not a good sign for the PSG right back. Debuchy should be expected to see himself as the starting right back, question becomes who is second in line. Could Jallet's mistake against Spain create a little doubt in Deschamps' mind? Finally, Gignac, who appears to be back on form in France was thought to have an outside shot at the team. But once again left off.

Of course this list will most likely change, we all know that at least one player will have to drop out. It will be interesting to see who Deschamps calls up when this happens.

Allez les Bleus!

A legend retires - Sir Alex Ferguson calls it quits for Manchester United.

After a decade of rumors, SAF finally decides that he has had enough and announced that he will be retiring after this season. The 71 year old, at times cranky old man, legendary manager will not longer be patrolling the side lines at Old Trafford, harassing every official in the EPL and finding ways to always get an extra 5 minutes of injury time when his side needed a goal. His legacy speaks for itself:

• 26 years in charge of the club - he has been at Manchester United longer than most of his current squad has been alive! (average age of ManU is 27.2 years old, that includes grandpas like Giggs and Scholes)
• 38 trophies. No qualifier needed on that statistic.
• 2 European Champions league titles.
• 13 League titles.

All amazing numbers. But two things stand out for me and SAF:

• What he did before Manchester United. Before he became a legend at Old Trafford, he had

  

  The beginning of the legacy

  worked miracles in his native Scotland with Aberdeen. Winning the league title, something that is nothing short of amazing considering how strong a grip Celtic and Rangers have on that title. More impressive was finding European glory by defeating Real Madrid for the 1983 Cup winners Cup title. Winning with the resources that Manchester United bring could be devalued, but bringing in titles with a side like Aberdeen would almost be like a AA baseball team in the United States winning the World Series.
• His longevity. 26 years. That is beyond impressive. And I highly doubt we will ever see another manager reach that longevity...If a manager can survive and do well for a decade that is already impressive. But over a quarter century??? He is also leaving (by all indications) on his own accord. I am sure he could have added a few more years to this run had he decided to. Impressive.

So we will say good bye to a legendary manager. One, the likes, will never be seen again. Good luck Sir Alex. I never really liked you, I had to respect you but I am glad you are leaving.

Wenger to PSG? Good move for all parties?

The rumors have been kicked around for a year now, that PSG will be looking for someone to replace Ancelotti. Let's face it, the Italian manager never seemed 100% committed to the Parisian side and with the potential lure of Real Madrid there clearly seems to be an escape path for Carlo. The new "leader" for the potential opening in Paris - Arsene Wenger.

Wenger has always had close ties to PSG and the management at the club, so a move back across the channel is not so far fetched. In addition, Wenger has to be feeling his back end getting a little warm in North London as the title-less run for the Gunners is getting a little absurd - no silverware since 2005. Throw in the possibility of the "Special One" coming back to Chelsea and Wenger might be looking to take on a new challenge...away from London. So will Arsene be tempted back to France? In a word...Yes. Here is why the move would make sense for all parties:

• PSG would get one of the best brand names in management. Clearly Ancelotti was not 100% into managing the Ligue 1 leaders. From day one there were always rumors circulating about his long term commitment to the club. For PSG being able to land one of the most successful French managers would be a coup. PSG would get one of the better known managers in the game. Granted, one who's star might have lost a little luster - he is behind the likes of SAF, Mourinho or Guardiola when it comes to the superstar managers. However, Wenger's style could be perfect for PSG. His eye for developing talent would be allowed to flourish as he would have free reign in Ligue 1 and more importantly access in his own backyard to the entire Paris region. PSG's resources would ensure that they would have access to the likes of Ibra and Beckham to keep the veteran level on the roster. PSG's owners would have the brand name manager, who could find them the next super stars and would instantly be the biggest name in Ligue 1.
• For Wenger the change of scenery would do him good. Other than Ferguson, Wenger has been the longest tenured manager in the EPL. Unlike Ferguson, Wenger has decided that winning silverware is no longer important...okay that was a little mean. But since 2005, when Arsenal defeated Manchester United for the FA Cup, Arsenal have won nothing and Manchester United have won - the league 5 times, 3 Carling Cups, the Champions League and the Club World Cup (oh and 4 Charity Shields). Managers like Ferguson are a rarity when it comes to tenure. Even the likes of Guardiola with Barcelona, Mourinho with Real Madrid run their courses with a club and have to move on. Wenger needs to change his surroundings to recapture some of his

  

  Seems so long ago!

  mojo. Going to PSG would allow him to continue to search for and uncover youth. He would be king of Ligue 1 and challenge for the league title every season without breaking much of a sweat. More importantly, should always qualify for Champions League football. Wenger would be able to tinker with the right combination of youth and experience on his roster. Have enough depth for Ligue 1 and more importantly, an easier path for his roster to then focus his attentions on winning the title he most wants - the Champions League. The one piece of hardware that missing from his trophy case is the trophy with the big ears. Ferguson, Guardiola, Mourinho, Ancelotti even Benitez all have a Champions League trophy on their resume...Wenger needs one.
• Arsenal need a change in direction. 2005...the last time the Gunners put anything into their trophy case. Pat Vieira was still their captain! In that time span, the Gunners have watched the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City, Liverpool, Manchester United, Portsmouth, Birmingham City and even Swansea win some form of domestic silverware. That is unacceptable for a club of the stature of Arsenal. Has Wenger lost the plot? To some degree it appears that way. As he has allowed the likes of Nasri, Cesc and Van Persie walk out the door during that same time frame. Questions remain about whether or not this was because of Wenger being cheap or the board tying his hands behind his back. But you cannot fire ownership and you cannot fire an entire time. So that leaves the manager. The Gunners might also need to look to bring in a director of football, one who carries enough weight with the board to spend money and make bold decisions for the direction of the club. David Dein acted in this light during his tenure, his partnership with Wenger is a primary reason why the Gunners were so successful during that run. It is up to the club to try and recapture that magic. Potentially look for an up and coming manager coupled with a heavy weight director of football to guide the club. What Arsenal need now is some aggressive recruitment and player acquisition in order to keep up with the likes of Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea. Wenger is not willing or not allowed to do so. With new blood running the Gunners we will soon find out which it was for Wenger.

The move to PSG would be good for Wenger and all parties involved. Granted all this noise might also be a negotiation tactic from the wily Arsene, looking for the Arsenal board to give him a larger war chest for summer transfers...which he would use to purchase a bunch of unknown youth players that would pan out in 4 years and then promptly go to Barcelona or Manchester United.

Boston will emerge stonger.

As some of you may know I live in Boston. Fortunately I was not at the marathon this past Monday. I have been to many marathons in the past and have walked down Boylston St more times than I can count. My thoughts and prayers go out to all the victims. But knowing my adopted city as well as I do, we will emerge from this stronger and more unified.

I took this picture years ago, for those that are not familiar with Boston geography, the rainbow is over the area where the two bombs went off.

We will get through this.

Hug your loved ones.

Les Bleus fall to Espana...but not all is lost

A loss is a loss, whether done with fighting with honor or by just giving up. France did the latter when they lost to Spain in the Euros 2-0, they did so with the former on Tuesday. Unfortunately in both cases, France lost. At least in this situation not all is over for Les Bleus.

The Good:

• France fought hard and created some chances that they could have done better with.  I realize that this and $4 gets you a venti coffee at Starbucks. But I am focused on the good aspect, France showed some fight. France didn't just sit back and let the Spanish attack. They took chances when it made sense and had some legitimate opportunities.
• Valbuena has become the new "patron" for the French offense. The OM midfielder proved once again that he is the lynchpin of the attack. Right from the get go he demonstrated his willingness to take offensive chances: attempting an audacious bicycle kick from 20 meters out. Le Petit Velo was all over the pitch, not really holding his right side, but created havoc whenever he could. It was his cheeky long ball that sprung Ribery for a 1v1 against Valdes that the Barcelona keeper did well to keep out of his goal. Les Bleus have been struggling to find who could assume the role of the

  

  Outplayed his counterpart - Alonso

  #10...it would appear that Valbuena might be that player.
• The youngsters - Varane and Pogba. I realize the Juventus midfielder picked up 2 yellow cards within minutes of one another for a subsequent red. That not withstanding, it appeared that both were not overwhelmed by the moment. Varane played a solid game and almost had the equalizer late. While Pogba was an absolute beast. He was strong in his tackles, even allowed himself to take the ball past three Spanish players in the first half. Dare I say he looked like Pat Vieira on that play? Yes the second booking was harsh and maybe he should have been more aware of the situation. But he (hopefully) will learn from this experience as will Varane. The future for these two youngsters is bright, France might have some solid options right down the spine. Hey when M'Vila comes back (assuming he is still on form!) France could have a powerful midfield duo of Pogba and M'Vila.

The Bad:

• French finishing...again. France didn't score because they didn't create chances...it was because they could not FINISH. Jallet made a fabulous run, from a Valbuena feed, in the first half. The PSG back laid off a perfect pass to an on rushing Benzema, who had position on his defender. Rather than taking a touch, one timed it...into Row ZZ. Ribery, on another wonderful Valbuena pass, finds himself 1v1, his first touch alludes him and rather than finishing what he would do 9 out of 10 times, he sees Valdes save his attempt. Matuidi had a clean look from within the 18 and tried to guide it into the net. Evra gets on the end of a free kick but cannot put pace on it. Varane has the 1-1 ball drop to his feet but cannot get his shot off fast enough. Les Bleus needed

  

  A bit harsh...good example of Spanish diving as well

  to finish one of these chances...
• Pogba's red card. The second yellow card, in my mind, was harsh. I think that Xavi "sold" the severity of the foul. I guess that if you really scrutinize the play, Pogba did go in studs "high." But it felt like a harsh call by the official. Of course Pogba needs to also be aware that he was on a yellow card...be more savvier with your challenges.
• Jallet's defensive error. I would give the PSG right back a decent rating for the game. He defended well overall and was very active pushing up the pitch to support the attack. Something he had to do to ensure the right flank wasn't ignored - because no surprise, Valbuena roamed freely away from the right. However, on the goal it was Jallet's poor angle that allowed the play to break down. Rather than play the space he attempted to play the ball which was played just over the top, this mistake forced Varane to come over and shut down Monreal who was able to cross and find Pedro streaking in. Had Jallet taken a better route, he could have checked Monreal's run and who knows...

The Ugly:

• What is wrong with Benzema?? His goalless streak for France is getting slightly ridiculous. He worked hard during the match, had some nice actions but he clearly is pressing. The "one timer" he launched from a tasty pass from Jallet exemplified this...an in form Benzema might have taken a touch and opened up his angles. France need to get their striker in form and soon. Otherwise this will get super ugly.
• Deschamps' substitution...or lack thereof. The first substitution made sense and was aggressive - bringing on Menez for Cabaye, adding some width and offensive punch. But after that...what was DD doing? I realize his substitution strategy was thrown off with Pogba's red card. But you are down a goal!! Taking off Benzema for Sissoko? Your striker for a defensive minded midfielder? When you had the likes of Remy, Giroud and Gomis on your bench! Finally...Giroud finally comes on with...injury time left. What??? Difficult to comprehend when France was chasing the equalizer. 
• Spanish flopping, diving and embellishing....Okay I realize that I might be bitter and annoyed. But watching the likes of Xavi, Pedro et al flop all over the place is getting tired. Even Cesc gets into the game and starts with the antics. So annoying.

So France drop to second place in the group, 1 point behind La Roja. With 3 games to go, France are close to guaranteed to qualify for the home/away playoff...likely opponents could be - Croatia, Bulgaria, Hungary or Albania. All sides that France should be able to handle, although I would not be happy to have to face Croatia in a home and away series. Of course if Spain drop any points, France could sneak back into first place. But this is unlikely, Les Bleus have two road matches and finish at home against Finland. While Spain will be at home for 2 of their last 3 matches. The likely hood that France win their last three games and Spain draws one of their last three is unlikely.

Team	MP	W	D	L	GF	GA	Pts
Spain	5	3	2	0	8	2	11
France	5	3	1	1	8	4	10
Georgia	5	1	1	3	3	7	4
Belarus	4	1	0	3	3	8	3
Finland	3	0	2	1	2	3	2

 
Yet going into these qualifiers, most pundits expected France to finish second. The fact that Les Bleus have the possibility of finishing first in this group, this late, is a positive.

Les Bleus need to focus on their next game. Find victories. Hope that some how Spain slips.

Allez les Bleus.

Last minute surprise: 4-3-3 with the youngsters and Kos!

Back in the starting line up...youth is served

Just when it seemed we knew how Deschamps would roll out his squad on Tuesday we get what appears to be a last minute change with one surprise - Koscielny to start in central defense.

The supposed line up:

Le onze probable :
Lloris (cap) - Jallet, Koscielny, Varane, Evra - Cabaye, Pogba, Matuidi - Valbuena, Benzema, Ribéry.


Interesting to see Deschamps go with a 4-3-3 which in a way is another way of positioning the Christmas tree! Since I see the wide players: Valbuena and Ribery, dropping deeper to recover the ball while Benzema will (hopefully) sit on the last defender and force Spain to defend deeper. Therefore eliminating some of the space La Roja need to control possession. The other surprise is to see Kos in the starting line up and the PSG defender Sakho on the bench. Seems out of the blue, in particular because during his tenure, Deschamps seemed to lean on Sakho as one of his core players. The last change is Evra in for Clichy. I am not surprised, since the Manchester City back is more offensive while the Manchester United back is stronger defensively. Makes sense when you look at who they are facing.

Overall I like the line up. Clearly Deschamps is going to look and win or at worst create a stalemate in the midfield. Then counter with the pace he has available on the wings. I think we will see Jallet look to assume a greater burden in animating the right flank - with Valbuena roaming the field. The left side will clearly be the responsibility of Ribery. So do not look for Evra to need to push as high up the pitch.

I am not sure how I see this game turning out...but I will be realist and say we get another 1-1 draw between the two sides.

Allez les bleus.