Tag Archives: marquinhos

PSG in the relegation zone as they search for first win of the season against Metz

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Look at the Ligue 1 table, you may have to take a double look or even a triple look before you believe your eyes and see that PSG are in 17th place.

The champions have lost their first two games of the season for the first time in 42 years. Defeats against Lens 1-0 on the opening weekend of the season and then a 1-0 loss to Marseille in Paris last weekend means that they come into this game on zero points with zero goals.

Metz who are expected to struggle this season are on the same page as PSG, how rare is that? The club have also lost their opening two games, but that was expected, PSG’s wasn’t.

Of course the champions begun the season depleted with up to 7 players affected with the Coronavirus after the club allowed the team to go on holiday to Ibiza a week after they lost the Champions League final to Bayern Munich. There was still some quality in the PSG team that faced Lens though, but they were still defeated.

Against Marseille, some came back including Neymar and PSG played some good football but it was their rivals that scored the only goal of the game and then the melee at the end saw 5 players sent off, including Neymar which rules him out of this game.

PSG will be the huge odds on favourites to get it right against Metz though and the game is in Paris, this should be the match to break the duck for the club, if it isn’t there will be serious questions launched at them even if they have had some problems in preparing for the new league season.

Thomas Tuchel the PSG coach will be under pressure when the game takes place tonight and he had this to say, “Everyone thinks there is a results crisis, and in fact that’s the case. We have lost three in a row [counting the Champions League final, against Bayern Munich] and we’re not used to that. But we’ve had some good matches and I was surprised to see how we played against OM. We controlled the match. There were one or two classes of difference between the two teams. Complete domination, but you can lose a match like that.”

As for Metz they will try and go for the win playing the counter attack and will hope to score a goal at least and give PSG a game. Players such as Marquinhos and Mauro Icardi will be back for the champions, but Kylian Mbappe is still missing.

 

Neymar, Mbappe and 5 other PSG players have Coronavirus as league campaign due to start in chaos

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Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. PSG have confirmed at least 6 of their players have the Coronavirus ahead of the new season, and largely it is the clubs fault.

Most of the players involved were authorised to go on a special holiday to Ibiza, even during a pandemic after the disappointment of losing the Champions League final against Bayern Munich. Because of course when you lose, you go and on holiday and have a great time. But the risks have been very clear in the past few months, and photos of the players relaxing showed them arm in arm.

Indeed let’s go back to the medal presentation at the final itself where UEFA staff including the president Aleksander Ceferin freely shook all of the players hands, and of course no masks were involved. Time and again it seems mistakes have been made and now PSG are paying for this.

The club have not confirmed all the players that have tested positive, but L’equipe, France’s main sports paper, says that Marquinhos and Neymar are amongst the players affected. Both have been omitted from PSG’s first game of the season against Lens tomorrow. Kylian Mbappe was exposed as another who tested positive much to the anger of the club, with that news getting out. However what difference does it make?

This is a bad moment for PSG who will be weakened by this news for at least the first 2 games of the new season. They have already started 2 games behind the other clubs, although they will be heavy favourites to win the league once again.

The story exposes just how bad certain things have been planned between players and safety and of course it would be wrong to point the finger solely at PSG, Montpellier and Rennes have been hit too and in France the cases are increasing especially around the Paris area.

But maybe to have star players who have fallen ill to the virus will be a slight embarrassment to the club just as role models, and it is evident that they haven’t been following strict protocol. The news now of course is to wish every player the best with their health and see them on the pitch once again. And it goes to show just how easy it is to get the virus.

Lens who have been newly promoted this season will be boosted not by the virus of course but by some key players being left out of the game tomorrow, and they will feel they have a real chance to get some points in that game.

 

 

PSG’s new maturity fires them to their first ever Champions League final

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It’s finally happened after 8 years of trying PSG have reached their first ever Champions League final after they beat RB Leipzig 3-0.

PSG were beginning to be known as the team who kept bottling it when it really mattered. Over the years the French champions had been dumped out of the competition by the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona, two teams that they want to aspire to be like. There was the infamous Barcelona defeat where they were 4-1 up from the 1st leg and still got knocked out.

But the dream has been set in stone now. The team have had to beat Borussia Dortmund, Atalanta and RB Leipzig to reach the final and some cynical eyes will look at that and say that they haven’t really been tested. And yet with the changing shift of European football they have.

Dortmund remained a threat in the German Bunsdesliga to Bayern Munich for much of the season, it was only Bayern’s superb form since the restart that gave Dortmund little chance in the end.

Atalanta have had their best season in a generation, even at one time making a challenge for Serie A. They didn’t quite have enough in the tanks but the club have been very good now for the past 2 seasons and their attacking force at times this season has been superb. The Italians also took the lead over PSG before a stunning last minute comeback by the Ligue 1 side.

Finally RB Leipzig have really grown into a quality side and their future looks bright. Never to be taken lightly although their semi final game with PSG just looked like it came too early for them, they were caught out and then add to that the quality within the PSG team and it was lights out. Sadly for Leipzig it was a game to forget and it ended up passing them by.

But there is a new found maturity for this PSG side who have often been called out for being too individualistic. Yes the quality of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe is there to be seen- but at the end of the day these players have not exactly dominated the knockout games of their Champions League encounters. Instead others have risen up like Marquinhos and Angel Di Maria who is arguably the most consistent signing that PSG have ever made.

Win or lose in the final this has to be seen as a building block for the club for bigger things. It is interesting that it took Chelsea about 8 years to win the competition after they were taken over and injected with money. For Manchester City they seem to be behind schedule in that respect.

Have PSG arrived at their destination? We will know soon enough when the Champions League final takes place on August 23rd.

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PSG win 7 goal thriller as Rennes move closer to Marseille

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If there is one thing that seems to be certain with PSG it is entertainment and following their 4-4 draw at Amiens last weekend the club scored another 4 goals, except they won this time beating Bordeaux 4-3.

No one really expected such a fight from Bordeaux who showed a lot of character in not just coming to Paris in order to defend. PSG had gone a goal down but veteran striker Edinson Cavani soon equalised. The star of the team this past weekend though was Marquinhos who can sometimes be seen as the forgotten man, but he scored two goals and Kylian Mbappe got the winner in a fantastic energised game.

But there would still be a negative to take from the match as Neymar received two yellow cards and was sent off in the very final moments of the game and now he will miss the trip to Dijon. However PSG have pulled clear at the top by 13 points, and that was helped as Marseille lost 3-1 at home to Nantes. It was the clubs first defeat in over 15 games and it wasn’t a good performance which was capped off by Alvaro scoring an own goal.

Marseille losing meant that Rennes took full advantage and their 2-1 home win over Nimes took them to within 8 points of 2nd place. M’Baye Niang scored both of Rennes’ goals as his good form continues. Rennes needed to win because Lille also picked up 3 points in 4th place with their victory over Toulouse. Toulouse who are rock bottom were never given a chance and this was a match where Lille ran out comfortable 3-0 winners. Loic Remy scored a brace and the club have won 4 from their last five games, as they chase down 3rd position.

Monaco’s winning run came to an end but at least they didn’t lose and instead they drew 1-1 away to Dijon. Lyon won their first game in almost a month by beating Metz away 2-0 and that was seen as a very good result for the club as Metz had picked up in form lately even in the bottom half of the table. But the club are still behind Strasbourg who were involved a dour 0-0 draw against Amiens- the same Amiens who had put four goals past PSG, but that is football.

Reims have lost just one match in their past five and they got a decent 1-1 draw away to Saint Etienne and are in 8th place. They were losing 1-0 and heading for defeat until they were rewarded a penalty in the final minute which Boulaye Dia scored for the away side.

Reims European hopes are still alive even though they are drawing too many games and the reason for that is how close the league still is with only 12 games left to play. The club are in 8th and yet are only seven points behind 3rd place, so there really is all to play for.

Prove you have what it takes to challenge the best French Fantasy Football managers here www.fantasyligue1.com 

 

Top Ligue 1 Defenders in 2018/19: Marquinhos

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Marquinhos is going to go down as a legend with PSG no matter how his career ends with the current Ligue 1 champions. It feels like he has been at the club forever commanding the back four. The truth is he is still only 25 and has seen players come and go including one of the very first stars for PSG- Zlatan Ibrahimovic and yet here he is having enjoyed his 6th season with the club.

In the European Fantasy League rankings for Ligue 1 defenders Marquinhos finished in joint 2nd place with Malang Sarr of Lille and got 70 points from his value of 7.5m. He played 30 games and so is still seen as an integral part of the team and he was able to help with 13 clean sheets as PSG conceded 24 goals for the whole season in Ligue 1.

Marquinhos in true Brazilian style for a defender even contributed to some goals. He scored 3 this season and assisted in another two. He received 2 yellow cards and 1 sending off for the season.

His final ranking was such that he finished in 20th place for defenders in all the major European leagues.

The Brazilian started the season off in solid fashion earning 5 points as PSG kept a clean sheet in their 3-0 win against Caen. However in the next five games Marquinhos went through a rough period, where PSG were winning but conceding goals which was hitting him as a defender and in those five games he earned no points. Indeed because two goals were conceded against Nimes, even though PSG won that game 4-2 he ended up with -1 point for that period of time.

However after those games Marquinhos picked up a huge 21 points in his next 3 matches including scoring 9 points when PSG beat Amiens 5-0. He kept a clean sheet and also scored a goal, this is the most points that he would earn in a single game all season.

Towards the end of the season there was another bout of non consistency as PSG ran away with the league and when it was confirmed the club struggled to stay focused especially when they exited the Champions League to Manchester United. It meant that in Marquinhos’ last five games he ended up with a total score of -4 points, as PSG kept conceding silly goals and were losing almost on a weekly basis.

For Marquinhos the job was done though and yet another Ligue 1 title came his way. It was also an improvement on the previous seasons score when he managed 52 points, and surely he would have earned more points had PSG remained on their game until the end of the season.

Marquinhos remains an important player for PSG and even more than that since he gets on with his job and isn’t looking for a move away he is very respected at the club.

Prove you have what it takes to challenge the best French Fantasy Football managers here fantasyligue1.com

 

 

Ligue 1- Week 31- 11 Player Picks for the Weekend

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Ligue 1 returns again at the weekend and we will look into the fixtures and try to predict which players will be worth purchasing for your fantasy team at the weekend, based on the fixtures. Formation to be used is 4-4-2.

Goalkeeper: Anthony Lopes- Lyon

Anthony Lopes does not top the points in the fantasy league for goal keepers but the Lyon stopper is all set to face Dijon who are bottom of the league and he has every chance to keep a clean sheet at the weekend. And he did so in his last game when Lyon beat Rennes 1-0. He can be bought for 10m.

Defender: Jose Fonte- Lille

Lille are away at the weekend to Reims but Reims have just lost 4-0 at Strasbourg and 2nd placed Lille will be the favourites to win this game and possibly keep a clean sheet. Plus Fonte has put in some sterling performances over the past few weeks and can be brought in for 7.5m.

Defender: Pierre- Yves Polomat – Saint Etienne

True Polomat has played just 7 games for Saint Etienne this season but the most important factor is that he is playing now. Saint Etienne are in very good form and they will play an average side in Amiens. Polomat is great value to take into your team and is only 3m.

Defender: Jeremy Sorbon – Guingamp

Pitting a defender who plays for Guingamp may not look like a great deal but Sorbon has had some solid displays over the last few months. This has included being part of a team that has kept 3 clean sheets in their last five games, no mean feat. Guingamp will play fellow strugglers Monaco and we could see a low scoring game. Sorbon is valued at 7m.

Defender: Marquinhos- PSG

PSG will be playing Strasbourg in Paris and Marquinhos who has been in great form at the back for the club is only 7.5m which seems like a bargain for a PSG player. PSG have been able to keep 3 clean sheets in the past month and he is worth keeping an eye out for.

Midfielder: Nabil Fekir- Lyon

It’s true that Fekir will set you back 10m but at the weekend if you have the extra funds the talented midfielder could be worth it. Fekir likes to assist and score goals he has 9 so far and has set up a further 5 and Lyon are playing the bottom team in Dijon.

Midfielder: Wylan Cyprien- Nice

Cyprien is a fine midfielder who can score goals and his game usually rises to the occasion of the bigger matches. For Nice playing Montpellier in a battle of the south is a big game. Cyprien is outstanding value and can be bought for just 5m.

Midfielder: Jordan Ferri- Nimes

Jordan Ferri is probably the best midfielder Nimes have overall and the club will be playing Caen at home in 18th place. This gives Nimes a chance to get all three points and they could get a few goals. Ferri could be at the centre piece of that and can be brought in for just 3m.

Midfielder: Thomas Mangani- Angers

Mangani had a terrific week against Marseille as the midfielder got both goals and it may be worth sticking with the player once again for this weekend as Angers will be at home and will take on Rennes. Mangani is good value too and can be brought in for 7m.

Striker: Andy Delort- Montpellier

Delort has been on fine form scoring at the weekend and Montpellier have scored 10 goals in their last 5 games he can be bought for just 7m and is on fire, form wise. Montpellier will be playing Nice away at the weekend.

Striker: Memphis Depay- Lyon

Lyon are in hot pursuit of 2nd place and Memphis Depay will be hoping to fire his side to some wins starting at the weekend against bottom club Dijon. Lyon will be at home and they will be favourites not to just win the game but to score a few goals too and Depay could easily be on the score sheet. He can be brought in for 10.5m, but could be worth it even for a week.

Prove you have what it takes to challenge the best French Fantasy Football managers here www.fantasyligue1.com 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ligue 1: Player of the Week: Angel Di Maria

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There were several players that performed well this past weekend in Ligue 1 including Marquinhos for PSG, Moussa Dembele for Lyon and Ludovic Ajorque for Strasbourg. But our pick goes to Angel Di Maria for league leaders PSG who put in a terrific display ahead of what has been a difficult couple of weeks for the Paris club following their Champions League exit at the hands of Manchester United.

Di Maria picked up the joint most points for the week with 8 after his performance against Dijon which saw the champions increase their lead at the top to 17 points over 2nd placed Lille.

So how did Di Maria pick up his points for the week? It was a match that PSG ended up winning 4-0 away from home against relegation threatened Dijon and it only took 7 minutes for PSG to take the lead. It was Di Maria’s perfect cross which set up Marquinhos to open the scoring for the away side.

Soon after Kylian Mbappe arguably the best centre forward in Europe right now doubled the lead for the club, so PSG had gone in at 2-0 for half time. The 3rd goal followed five minutes into the second period and it was a goal to finish the game off and secure the win for PSG and it came from Di Maria. The Argentinian had now scored a goal and set one up for an all round fantastic display.

Overall this season Di Maria has scored 7 goals and assisted 9 times which is the best assist record in Ligue 1 this season. He’s currently in 5th position in Fantasy Ligue 1 standings, with all positions considered which is a remarkable statistic and he is 40 points behind his team mate in 1st place Kylian Mbappe who has of course picked up most of his points through virtue of being the league’s top goal scorer.

As midfielders go Di Maria sits in 2nd place and is 7 points behind Marseille’s Florian Thauvin. Whilst Thauvin has scored 6 more goals than Di Maria this season he has assisted in three less goals than him.

Apart from the goals and natural skill of Di Maria, the Argentina international has really curbed his temper and it has stood out and served PSG well. For example since the beginning of the season Di Maria has been booked just once, which is another remarkable statistic. It has meant that he hasn’t had to miss a run of games through disciplinary problems and has always been available for the club unless of an injury.

In the Ligue 1 Fantasy standings his showing over the week has risen by 2.19% and he can be brought into your team for 9m. This looks like a good deal given how many points he can pick up with assists and given the fact that he rarely drops points with a near clean record of yellow cards. You can add Di Maria to your team by going to the link below. Get playing!

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Thomas Meunièr: PSG’s marauding right-back

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iThe footballing world is like a maze which keeps throwing new dimensions and nuances for all those who love the game with all their heart. Just when you believe that you finally know it all and have mastered the game, there is something which the game throws up at you leaving you in a state of daze and confusion.

How many of you are familiar with the fact that one of the greatest legends of the game- Ian Wright almost opted to give up on the game at one stage in favour of a regular profession? That’s certainly accurate although it seems unbelievable in nature. Wright almost decided to become a plasterer at one stage before his heart reigned supreme over the min gifting the footballing world an absolute genius.

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Edinson Cavani- PSG’s Silent Guardian

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edinson-cavani-julien-cetout-nancy-paris-sg-ligue-1-15102016_pbiajfj0ae0b1uq9idydk0c53Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis was in a state of deep despair at the end of the 2009-10 season following the side’s dismal show in the Serie-A. Napoli finished 6th on the league table with just 59 points, trailing league champions Inter Milan by 23 points despite investing a record sum for the services of talented striker Fabio Quagliarella. The local lad failed to make his presence felt racking a tally of just 11 league goals at the end of the season.

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Is Adrien Rabiot the real thing?

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960Hardly a couple of weeks have passed since the summer transfer window slammed shut with the world-record transfer of Spanish goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga to Chelsea hailed as the pick of the signings. Surprisingly, the footballing world is abuzz with concrete news reports linking the likes of Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Barcelona and Juventus with a possible move for a PSG-based player. However, what makes it all the more interesting is the fact that these reports do not involve high-profile players like Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Marco Verrati for once. The player being referred to is none other than French midfielder Adrien Rabiot who only has a year left on his existing club contract.

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