Great goal from Mbappe.
Ligue 1 2023/24
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik (@Rood) and Imran (@Annihilate Now!) are here to discuss United's last 3 games - two much-needed wins vs. Burnley in the Premier League and Palace in the League Cup, as well as a the 4-3 loss away at Bayern. They discuss the defence, new options in midfield with Hannibal and Amrabat now in contention and look forward to games vs. Palace (again!) and Galatasary.
Great finish. Kolo Muani should relegate Ramos to the bench, perfect foil for Mbappe
Dembélé finishing is huh something else if I believe what I read.
Can beat anyone on his wing but after that the end product is random.
We'll see if Nasser stays as patient as promised. This is a slow start of the season for PSG.
Can beat anyone on his wing but after that the end product is random.
We'll see if Nasser stays as patient as promised. This is a slow start of the season for PSG.
Funnily enough, reading PSG fans the issues are not unlike... Man Utd
Too weak in midfield, CBs left stranded to plug holes on lost possession, finishing issues : Mbappé scored 7 of the 10 Goals For in less than 4 full apps...
Too weak in midfield, CBs left stranded to plug holes on lost possession, finishing issues : Mbappé scored 7 of the 10 Goals For in less than 4 full apps...
It also feels like they did a Chelsea with signing all these forwards without a good plan of how to integrate them.
So Nice beat PSG in their own stadium. What a lovely metaphor that is. 
Nice also currently 2nd so it can’t all be bad! ( holy moly, how are OL bottom?)
Nice also currently 2nd so it can’t all be bad! ( holy moly, how are OL bottom?)
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To be fair, only 3 players scored, Mbappé (7) Asensio (2) and Hakimi (1).
Likely will not be bottom for too long.
OL changed owners, sold a bunch of the good young players while the old leaders (Lovren, Lacazette...) have been injured or less available. New recruits haven't gelled in yet. Textor didn't sack Blanc in the off season for some reason and the Stirrer Chewer was completely checked out until being fired after the last game.So Nice beat PSG in their own stadium. What a lovely metaphor that is.
Nice also currently 2nd so it can’t all be bad! ( holy moly, how are OL bottom?)
Likely will not be bottom for too long.
Good game plan by Nice, they defended in a very narrow formation but at the same time happily let Soler, Vitinha and Zaire-Emery pretty free from pressure while the main focus was Dembele/Mbappe cutting inside.
This PSG side is still a work in progress, but not having a creative CM might be a weakness they can't overcome.
This PSG side is still a work in progress, but not having a creative CM might be a weakness they can't overcome.
And some United fans wanted Dembele.. He's just not a world class player, and at his age, will probably never become one. I agree that he can beat any defender, but he also needs space to do it. He's struggling to do it in the box or near it, or in general in tight areas, where there is less space and a higher density of players due to his technical limitations. His end product is bad also because even though he's two footed, none of his feet are good. Therefore his shots are often off-target or not powerful enough and his crosses lacking in accuracy.
It's so strange how everytime Neymar leaves a club, Dembele takes his place, even though he's three levels below him. It happened at Barcelona before and now at PSG. It went well for Barca. Dembele is a huge step down from someone like Di Maria, let alone Neymar.
PSG are in a rebuilding phase, they need to give Luis Enrique the time that he needs to implement his playing style. Short-term results should not be the priority. They have more than enough to win the league but they're lacking in quality to be considered serious CL contenders in my eyes.
Dembele can't finish, that's for sure. But saying he can't cross and operate in crowded space is taking it too far. His assists with Barca speak for themselves.
That being said, something is off with him this season, he seems afraid of getting injured again. I heard him say a few years ago that he learned to run at 80% max pace to avoid injuries, it seems that now he's doing it at 60%. He seems notably slower on his first steps.
He definitely doesn't have good shooting and crossing technique. He did give a decent amount of assists at Barca but stats don't tell the whole story. Also I'm not saying he can't beat a man in tight spaces at all, only that he's nothing special in these situations, especially compared to the differences he makes when he has space.
From the games I've seen, he's as fast as he's ever been. He made some impressive runs against Lyon and Lens.
Marseille doesn't do anything quiet and the manager, Marcelino, is most probably leaving after 7 games.
OM missed their C1 playoffs but is sitting third with 2 victories and 3 draws... Play on the pitch though wasn't going anywhere and the ultras groups were very vocal.
Marcelino was a choice and a friend of the president, Longoria, I'm reading the latter is maybe trying to buy brownie points by conceding so easily on the matter.
Edit : Longoria, the president, might also be on sack watch after all.
Edit : The interim manager expected is Jean-Pierre Papin which is... not the best choice.
OM missed their C1 playoffs but is sitting third with 2 victories and 3 draws... Play on the pitch though wasn't going anywhere and the ultras groups were very vocal.
Marcelino was a choice and a friend of the president, Longoria, I'm reading the latter is maybe trying to buy brownie points by conceding so easily on the matter.
Edit : Longoria, the president, might also be on sack watch after all.
Edit : The interim manager expected is Jean-Pierre Papin which is... not the best choice.
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So I'm not a planet Mars expert but from what I gather about OM suddenly being in crisis mode :
There was a meeting planned (well in advance) with ultras groups.
Just on the heels of OM doing nil-nil at home against Toulouse. The club also failed their C1 playoff against Pana.
The ultras (Notably South Winners) fired all of their criticisms, reportedly being quite abrupt and saying management should consider "quickly resigning" with death threats thrown in (some sources say). Didn't ask for Marcelino's head but that's maybe Longoria trying to sacrifice a scapegoat to save himself.
I want to say that Amazon Prime making a broadcast of the Lyon ultras chastising the players maybe didn't help but it's not exactly new that Ultras associations in Marseille are a powerful player.
Apparently while a lot of the criticism is on the disappointing pitch production, the real nerve is all the gossip and rumors that the president Longoria (owner : F.McCourt) is lining up the pockets of his friends that are player agents. He was formerly specialised in recruitment -and he's quite decent at it-.
Not exactly a new thing in Marseille, see Tapie or Pape Diouf a former agent (who was allegedly getting a commission on transfer profits to sweeten the deal of not doing his agent business, wiped out the debt of some supporters groups buying a lot of good will in the stands...).
But the actual cause of the discord is fairly obscure. It's Marseille ! *sigh* Some think it's 4D chess by management. Or just of the internecine struggles mixing local politics and sometimes organized crime.
McCourt is calling an emergency crisis to convince Longoria to stay. Marcelino has not resigned yet but latest news is that he linked his fate to Longoria.
All amidst fantasies / rumors of Saudi capital buying the club.
Sport wise, honestly OM has been doing fairly good for a number of seasons, shrewd on the market, the stadium is full and Longoria is very far from being the worst president they had in living memory.
There was a meeting planned (well in advance) with ultras groups.
Just on the heels of OM doing nil-nil at home against Toulouse. The club also failed their C1 playoff against Pana.
The ultras (Notably South Winners) fired all of their criticisms, reportedly being quite abrupt and saying management should consider "quickly resigning" with death threats thrown in (some sources say). Didn't ask for Marcelino's head but that's maybe Longoria trying to sacrifice a scapegoat to save himself.
I want to say that Amazon Prime making a broadcast of the Lyon ultras chastising the players maybe didn't help but it's not exactly new that Ultras associations in Marseille are a powerful player.
Apparently while a lot of the criticism is on the disappointing pitch production, the real nerve is all the gossip and rumors that the president Longoria (owner : F.McCourt) is lining up the pockets of his friends that are player agents. He was formerly specialised in recruitment -and he's quite decent at it-.
Not exactly a new thing in Marseille, see Tapie or Pape Diouf a former agent (who was allegedly getting a commission on transfer profits to sweeten the deal of not doing his agent business, wiped out the debt of some supporters groups buying a lot of good will in the stands...).
But the actual cause of the discord is fairly obscure. It's Marseille ! *sigh* Some think it's 4D chess by management. Or just of the internecine struggles mixing local politics and sometimes organized crime.
McCourt is calling an emergency crisis to convince Longoria to stay. Marcelino has not resigned yet but latest news is that he linked his fate to Longoria.
All amidst fantasies / rumors of Saudi capital buying the club.
Sport wise, honestly OM has been doing fairly good for a number of seasons, shrewd on the market, the stadium is full and Longoria is very far from being the worst president they had in living memory.
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Speaking of Marseille, looks like they'll be in for Muniain in January. I'd take him here. I know his age but he's still as press resistant as they come.
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Pablo Longoria and 3 other executives said they are using their "right to retreat".
It's so bizarre, even for Marseille. There's been way worse things happening there (targeted home burglaries to push players out, one coach that was either/or threatened at gunpoint on front of his family / had his wife abducted and brought to a cliff with a clear message) but sports wise nothing really justify the ultras to moan yet.
Some ultra groups are apparently getting a cut of club finances, they're the authorized dealers for yearly passes to their curves, are historically tied with drug trafficking...
It's so bizarre, even for Marseille. There's been way worse things happening there (targeted home burglaries to push players out, one coach that was either/or threatened at gunpoint on front of his family / had his wife abducted and brought to a cliff with a clear message) but sports wise nothing really justify the ultras to moan yet.
Some ultra groups are apparently getting a cut of club finances, they're the authorized dealers for yearly passes to their curves, are historically tied with drug trafficking...
What a goal from Boga to win it for Nice in the derby. Stunning stuff, another away scalp for Nice
And Nice go top, win over Monaco to follow up their win over PSG last week.
Some grit shown there though Balogun with couple of awful penalties did help their cause
Some grit shown there though Balogun with couple of awful penalties did help their cause
OM being OM I expect they may have a surprise performance against Paris despite the political crisis they're in.
Most of their fans think they'll get a spanking if they play with the same plan than against Ajax (interim coach apparently went with all offence no defense).
Most of their fans think they'll get a spanking if they play with the same plan than against Ajax (interim coach apparently went with all offence no defense).
I had to double back to read some of this stuff twice. I know Marseille is known for having a lot of crime for Western European standards but to read that Ultras wield so much power is quite the eye opener.
It's been supposedly watered down since the Deruda / Anigo days (at least the overt presence of organised crime and the drug selling in the curves) but a lot of people think Longoria probably was too assertive in cutting some ties and that's probably why he is getting blowback.
The Ultras specifically mentioned the Academy as a point of criticism and it's notoriously very unproductive in Marseille. Rumors of academy members being signed to pro contracts but paying back a share of those to intermediaries and the place being milked dry for non-footballing reasons. Longoria nominated a very serious person at the head of it and it's probably conflicting with this sharing economy model...
To note it's mostly the South Winners group that is very active/at the forefront in this crisis. And to nuance brutal home burglaries of footballers is not a purely Marseille trope, neither is shady money movements. There's no doubt Ultras are very powerful there compared to everywhere else in Europe though, local politicians, some in town hall, do absolutely pander to them. Just recently I saw a tweet of the South Winners coordinating work for the Pope's visit and I'm sure they're also helping pasting posters for elections and such.
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To be fair Monaco really swallowed the game sheet on that one, missing two penalties and not scoring on a few good situations I gather.
Still an excellent start of the season for OGCN against a team that was also strong so far.
If PSG needs some time to tune (I'm sure they'll get there eventually, the roster is just too good) it will maybe be a competitive year in L1.
Still an excellent start of the season for OGCN against a team that was also strong so far.
If PSG needs some time to tune (I'm sure they'll get there eventually, the roster is just too good) it will maybe be a competitive year in L1.
Not surprised that Marcelino is gone. Terrible manager. Whoever got the idea to hire him needs to be fired asap. If OM had given the job to Marcelo Gallardo as it was rumoured then the situation now would have been very different..but it is what it is..
PSG up 2 to nothing at home against OM (free kick by Hakimi plus RKM) as half time looms but Mbappé out on injury, replaced by Ramos. 80% possession and over 4 times more passes, the Luis Enrique way 
Pretty comfortable for PSG in that half. Apart from that one chance on the break for Vitinha, nothing from OM going forward.
It's less funny now than it would have been in 2005 but PSG and OM both having a different Vitinha is a curious wrinkle.
Wished it was a different Cana back then
G.Ramos scored his first goal, PSG now up 3. Nice header from a Dembélé center.
Lots of players finally opening their accounts.
Wished it was a different Cana back then
G.Ramos scored his first goal, PSG now up 3. Nice header from a Dembélé center.
Lots of players finally opening their accounts.
Ramos with a double on a lighting counter by Kolo-Muani to cap off a 4-nil.
Barcola was very good, it seems. I was doubtful because he was signed on the back of 6 good months at Lyon but so far he's taking the pressure well.
With all the off pitch antics at OM (see above...) hard to gauge PSG off that (likewise the big win against OL) but Luis Enrique work really seems to be trending to the right direction.
Speaking of OL, another difficult game, lost 0-1 at Brest, which is a surprise leader of the table.
Barcola was very good, it seems. I was doubtful because he was signed on the back of 6 good months at Lyon but so far he's taking the pressure well.
With all the off pitch antics at OM (see above...) hard to gauge PSG off that (likewise the big win against OL) but Luis Enrique work really seems to be trending to the right direction.
Speaking of OL, another difficult game, lost 0-1 at Brest, which is a surprise leader of the table.
PSG looking like a team. That feels... weird. Still, how lack of talent in the midfield will be hard to overcome against top teams.
Manuel Ugarte is an absolute beast though, I thought he was an overpriced purchase but he's worth every penny so far, Kante like kind of defender that can play as a number 6.
Manuel Ugarte is an absolute beast though, I thought he was an overpriced purchase but he's worth every penny so far, Kante like kind of defender that can play as a number 6.
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Olympique de Marseille went and appointed Gattuso as manager.
Such a typical Marseilles appointment. Famous, foreign, with an explosive personality, we already know he'll be gone by next summer at most no matter what the results are.
I saw someone joke Kita would totally be the type to hire Materazzi to complete the 2006 Italia winners triplet with Grosso at Lyon and Gattuso at OM
But yeah he's totally the sort of coach-cojones you'd expect for the commando mission of a season that is already a bit of a transition one.
Though in reality the most knowledgeable feedback I read was "play a very by the book 4-3-3 where creativity has to be created individually, still a green coach."
There was talk of Galtier too but I think he's still a little too spicy with the whole racially insensitive emails case not being totally closed. Just was at PSG which maybe wouldn't have helped. Not exciting but very proven at the L1 level.
From the outside Marseille is a weird case because Sampaoli then Tudor, in very different styles, both gave satisfactory results but the club/locker room apparently gave up late season for both ? And despite the manic turnover of players and coaches, they make it work and always play the top table (at least 6-8 last years).
I think Materazzi stopped coaching a while ago but it wouldnt matter to Kita since he's a big name. People on this board complains about the Glazers, they have no idea what a bad owner really isI saw someone joke Kita would totally be the type to hire Materazzi to complete the 2006 Italia winners triplet with Grosso at Lyon and Gattuso at OM
But yeah he's totally the sort of coach-cojones you'd expect for the commando mission of a season that is already a bit of a transition one.
Though in reality the most knowledgeable feedback I read was "play a very by the book 4-3-3 where creativity has to be created individually, still a green coach."
There was talk of Galtier too but I think he's still a little too spicy with the whole racially insensitive emails case not being totally closed. Just was at PSG which maybe wouldn't have helped. Not exciting but very proven at the L1 level.
From the outside Marseille is a weird case because Sampaoli then Tudor, in very different styles, both gave satisfactory results but the club/locker room apparently gave up late season for both ? And despite the manic turnover of players and coaches, they make it work and always play the top table (at least 6-8 last years).
I think Galtier was smart to turn down the job right after being sacked from PSG, he'll be coaching Marseille in the next few years but it was not the moment. Sampaoli never stayed more than 2 years at the same job, so it was not really surprising when he decided to quit, the problem was the timing and the bullshit reasons he gave. I think Tudor is a very good coach and had very good results, but he didnt seem like he wanted to deal with the constant drama that surrounds the club.
Most importantly Marseille needs to get rid of its fans problem and the handle they have on the club. It's the only club I know where supporter groups make money off the club.
The results weren’t there yet with Marcelino but they were actually playing but had a run of bad luck (all those VAR decisions against them in Ligue 1 and UCL qualification were incredible).
But they’ve managed to create a feeling of instability within the club, and remove any confidence the players previously had.
You could see it against PSG, players looked completely lost, devoid of confidence
Marseille fans really sabotaged OM’s season, and they can only blame themselves for that.
I don’t know what Gattuso will be able to bring. Quite liked him as a player but he looks an average coach at the very best
But they’ve managed to create a feeling of instability within the club, and remove any confidence the players previously had.
You could see it against PSG, players looked completely lost, devoid of confidence
Marseille fans really sabotaged OM’s season, and they can only blame themselves for that.
I don’t know what Gattuso will be able to bring. Quite liked him as a player but he looks an average coach at the very best
Gattuso also branded by some as a Trojan horse for Mendes...
Kita is dreadful. There was talks he wanted to fire the coach despite FCNA having an OK start of the season because... reasons and not a big enough name ?
Kita is dreadful. There was talks he wanted to fire the coach despite FCNA having an OK start of the season because... reasons and not a big enough name ?
Kita is the worst owner in world's football but nobody is aware of it because we're a small club internationally.
Aristouy was hired as an emergency stopgap at the end of last season when Kombouaré left/was fired.
It was clear that Kita wanted to hire a more experienced and famous coach during the summer but no one really wanted the job so he kept Aristouy by default, but we (Nantes fans) all knew he'd fire him at the first opportunity and that noise became even louder after we lost our first 2 games. But we just won our last couple games while playing good football so he can't fire him at the moment.
Personally, and from what I've seen online and within my friends group, fans really like Aristouy. First he's a Nantes academy product, and while he was not good enough to play for us, that gives him some credit. We all know that the fact that he sucked as a player dont mean anything for his coaching career so there was already some excitement when he got hired. And he's trying to play some positive football, something we havent seen at La Beaujoire in the past 20 years. I dont know if it'll work long term or if he'll revert to the more classical Ligue 1 defensive style because of pragmatism, but so far I like what I see. I hope he get to stay for a while, even if we go through bad periods, but I know with Kita he'll get fired when we string 3 losses in a row.
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