Paris Saint-Germain ~ General Chat

Oscar Cardozo · 09-09-2007, 06:50 PM

Paris St Germain defender Bernard Mendy is convinced his team can recover from a poor start to the campaign.
PSG have won only one of their seven Ligue 1 matches so far and continue to struggle in Paul Le Guen's first full season in charge.
Mendy told the club's official website: "We have to build on the good work we have done recently and try and get as many points at home as we can.
"The team has potential and we have to show it on the field."

Oscar Cardozo · 09-09-2007, 06:51 PM

Bolton's Anelka keen on PSG return

Only days after signing a new four-year contract with Bolton Wanderers, Nicolas Anelka admitted he would welcome a return to Paris Saint German.

He told Aujourd'hui en France: "I don't think it will happen before the end of my contract. But why not?

"I said that I would not return to L1, but PSG is different. It is true, I would like to return to PSG."

Oscar Cardozo · 09-09-2007, 06:51 PM

Alain Cayzac, pictured here on the left, has high hopes for embattled Paris Saint-Germain.

He took over as president last year, watching as his side narrowly avoided relegation. This year, they're not doing much better, with just a solitary win so far, but he prefers to take the long view at the Parc des Princes.

Cayzac admits, though, that the current campaign is disappointing.

"It's a bit of a let-down in a number of ways," he said. "But there is hope: even though we drew 0-0 at Lens on Matchday 3, we played excellent football.

"But at home, we're still not looking good.

"[Our 1-1 home draw with Marseille] was a bit better. We showed character against adversity, and played without fear."

Nonetheless, PSG still have problems, and sit firmly in the bottom half. But the president said that this is a rebuilding exercise - and one that began with trimming the squad down to a managable size.

He said that fixing the wage bill was a top priority, and has cut the squad down from a bloated thirty-five to "one of not more than twenty-three" senior players.

And he insists that the transfer market this summer helped him complete this overhaul - and that he'll now look to climb up the table, with coach Paul le Guen still at the helm.

The club held on to Sylvain Armand and Jerome Rothen, the president saying he did "everything" to affect this coup, but still has room for improvement.

Indeed, he said that his failure to land Yoan Gouffran from Caen in the summer may be a mere temporary glitch.

"I don't want to badger the club, as Caen made it clear that they want to keep the player," he began.

"Nonetheless, Gouffran still wants to come to Paris, and one can imagine that, one way or the other, we'll make a deal."

As for immediate goals, they were as expected.

"[Our goal] is to climb above last year's finish of 15th place," he said. "That's our minimum target.

"If possible, we want to get closer to the European places, and into Europe if at all possible. Everything, indeed, is still possible.

"We shouldn't get too arrogant, though, if we jump from 15th to 10th, only to find the difference to be a mere couple of points.

"And we can never announce that we'll settle for second or third. We'll always aim for the top."

PSG last won the title in 1994.

Oscar Cardozo · 09-09-2007, 06:51 PM

Marseille coach Albert Emon was under no illusions after his side went ahead at Parc des Princes, only to draw 1-1 with hated rivals Paris Saint-Germain, spurning the chance to add to their single victory of the campaig.

"We had courage, aggressiveness and, of course, the will to win. We didn't give anything away, but I have to say that we were not good enough and did not play a good match.

"In general, these matches are close affairs, and that was the case this evening. We did well in the aerial duels, but then couldn't make our possession count as we lacked clarity.

"But my players showed a great deal of courage, and that is very encouraging," he said.

Opposite number Paul le Guen (pictured) was slightly more positive, despite, like Marseille, his side's continued failure to add to their solitary win so far this season.

Le Guen said, "I think we made some good play here. We deserved the equaliser after that bad start.

"We submitted, conceded too many free kicks, and we lost a goal from one of them. But we made the effort to recover and imposed ourselves gradually on the game.

"We created chances and, logically, we equalised. And the remainder of the match was balanced.

"It still isn't a great state of affairs, but we have improved from a few weeks ago. We need to be patient and support the players. They must be encouarged to continue their efforts."

After the international break, PSG travel to Monaco on Sunday 16th September, while Marseille welcome Toulouse the day before.

Oscar Cardozo · 09-14-2007, 11:13 PM

Monaco ? - ? Paris S.G.

Oscar Cardozo · 09-16-2007, 03:17 PM

A win for PSG

FT		Monaco [1 - 2] Paris S.G.

38'	[0 - 1]		S. Armand

52'	[0 - 2]		A. Diane

84'	[1 - 2]	J. Menez

Oscar Cardozo · 09-23-2007, 08:31 PM

FT		Paris S.G. [0 - 2] Bordeaux

9'	[0 - 1]		J. Micoud

46'	[0 - 2]		D. Bellion

53'			M. Chalme

70'		P. Pauleta

85'		J. Rothen

Oscar Cardozo · 09-23-2007, 08:32 PM

Paris St Germain's miserable start to the Ligue 1 campaign continued as they fell to a 2-0 home defeat to Bordeaux, while Lyon were held at home by Lille.

Former Sunderland and Manchester United striker David Bellion opened the scoring for Les Girondins with Johan Micoud also hitting the net.

The result lifted Bordeaux up to second, while PSG remain in the bottom half.

Sidney Govou's strike just before the hour mark pulled champions Lyon level after Michel Bastos had given the visitors the lead.

Alain Perrin's side could not find the winner, the closest they came was when Milan Baros' effort was ruled out for offside.

Finally, former Tottenham winger Stephane Dalmat netted for Sochaux as they won 2-0. Mikael Isabey also got on the scoresheet.

Oscar Cardozo · 09-23-2007, 08:32 PM

Johan Micoud and David Bellion scored a goal each Sunday to help Bordeaux beat host Paris Saint-Germain 2-0 in the French league.

PSG failed to clear a corner in the 10th minute and midfielder Alou Diarra flicked the ball back over the defense to Micoud, who beat the offside trap and calmly slotted the ball past goalkeeper Mickael Landreau.

Bordeaux scored again in the 48th when Jussie sprinted down the right and passed to give Bellion an easy tap-in, improving the former Manchester United player to six league goals this season.

Oscar Cardozo · 09-23-2007, 08:33 PM

Bordeaux brush PSG aside
PSG fall to their second defeat of the season with a 2-0 reverse to Bordeaux, Johan Micoud and David Bellion scoring the goals for les Girondins.

Ligue 1, Matchday 9 Sunday, September 23, 2007 Parc des Princes PSG 0 Bordeaux 2 Micoud 11, Bellion 46 Match Stats Bordeaux made it two wins in four days with a 2-0 victory away at PSG following Thursday's 3-2 UEFA Cup win over Tampere. Johan Micoud and David Bellion grabbed the goals as les Girondins handed the capital club a first home defeat of the season and their seventh without a win. PSG failed to begin the match in control and paid a heavy price after 11 minutes when Micoud cleverly beat the offside trap and finished calmly past Mickael Landreau. Jerome Rothen could have equalised for the home side just six minutes later after an initial Amara Diané shot came back off the Bordeaux 'keeper and captain Ulrich Ramé but his shot sailed high over the bar. The chance spurred PSG on and again, in the last minute of the half, they came close to equalising only to be denied, once more, by Ramé. However, all hope evaporated a minute into the second period when Bellion slotted past Landreau and into an empty net after being played in perfectly by Jussie. The goal knocked the stuffing out of PSG and for the next quarter of an hour, as Bordeaux poured forward, Jussie and Bellion missing chances to go three up. Micoud nearly scored his second before a late rally from PSG saw Pauleta hit the crossbar but it was too little too late from Paul Le Guen's men. The win sees Bordeaux climb into second, one point behind league leaders Nancy while for PSG, their see-saw season continues.

Oscar Cardozo · 09-23-2007, 08:33 PM

Sunday 23 September (all times local)
18:00 Paris Saint-Germain 0 - 2 Bordeaux
18:00 Rennes 0 - 2 Sochaux
21:00 Lyon 1 - 1 Lille
Saturday 22 September
17:10 Auxerre 2 - 0 Marseille
20:00 Caen 1 - 2 Metz
20:00 Nancy 2 - 0 Lorient
20:00 Nice 3 - 0 Saint-Etienne
20:00 Strasbourg 0 - 1 Le Mans
20:00 Toulouse 1 - 1 Lens
20:00 Valenciennes 1 - 0 Monaco

Paris Saint-Germain slipped back into their old ways with a lacklustre performance at home to a Bordeaux side that appears to be back on form.

The Bordelais took a tenth-minute lead through Micoud, who got on the end of a long ball to leave international 'keeper Landreau utterly helpless.

PSG tried to get back into it, mostly through distant efforts from the likes of Diane, but Bordeaux were the equal of their attacks, although they'd begun to slow down a bit themselves heading into half time.

That all changed just after the interval as Bellion doubled the advantage 47 minutes in. Jussie launched an excellent counterattack after Camara lost the ball, eventually teeing up the forward to stroke home into an empty net.

That about killed the Parisien challenge, the introductions of Pauleta and N'Gog failing to spur too many chances, and the Girondins returned home with a deserved three points.

Sochaux, a team none-too acquainted with victory, caused an arguably greater upset at Rennes as they, too, won by two goals to nil.

It was a relatively close first half, Rennes holding most of the possession, but the Lionceaux showed most of the cutting edge, not least when Dalmat opened the scoring 37 minutes into the encounter.

The 28 year old midfielder, who has played for both PSG and Bordeaux, pounced on a poor clearance from Mensah after Isabey's cross from the left to make it 1-0.

Isabey himself made it 2-0, once again capitalising on a defensive error. This time it was Mathis who showed quick thinking to tee up the captain for a well-earned goal.

And that was enough to give the Montbeliard side its first win of the season, lifting them out of the relegation zone in doing so.

Finally, Lyon missed the chance to go top as an intelligent Lille side went 1-0 up and then held the home team at the Stade Gerland, although Les Gones two efforts disallowed in the process.

The LOSC contained their opponents nicely early on before taking a sweet lead in the 17th minute. Michel Bastos got on the end of a cut-back corner to rifle home an unstoppable shot from 25 yards.

Lyon, with the weight of the fans' expectations weighing heavily, gamely tried to fight back, only to find a Lille shirt wherever they went.

Sidney Govou, who was to have an excellent game, came close with a decent long-range attempt not long before the interval, but Les Dogues were comfortably in control going into half time.

Alain Perrin's half time team talk perhaps did the trick as Lyon improved a bit in the second period, Govou himself grabbing the equaliser on the hour mark.

Keita's cross from the right round Govou, who evaded Lille captain Tafforeau to fire past Sylva at the near post.

It was a deserved goal after a period of pressure. Indeed, just two minutes prior former Lille man Bodmer had dribbled nicely past ex-comrade Beria, only for his finish to let him down.

Both teams made changes, Lyon's being more drastic: on came Baros for Bodmer to really press the issue, with Ben Afra replacing the impressive Keita soon after.

An ovation followed as Govou jogged off in place of Kallstrom, but Lille were standing their ground nicely, Lyon perhaps beginning to sense towards the end that a draw was the likeliest outcome.

That seemed to be the case as Clerc's 'goal' was disallowed for an infraction and, indeed, another disallowed goal seemed to confirm the draw, a late Baros strike being - correctly it seems - ruled out for offside.

Lille will be happy with a draw at a tough arena, but more importantly can be pleased with an effective containing game, and an excellent goal that on another night might have resulted in the three points.

Les Gones thus move onto 16 points, fourth on goal difference, with a game in hand over both Bordeaux and Valenciennes.

Leaders Nancy, however, have played the same number of games as Lyon, meaning that their top spot is safe - for now. What will the situation be by the time the pair meet on December 22nd in Round 19?

Oscar Cardozo · 09-23-2007, 08:36 PM

Finally I see Pauleta's name somewhere.

Oscar Cardozo · 09-23-2007, 08:38 PM

Personal information
Mickaël Landreau

Full name	Mickaël Landreau
Date of birth	May 14, 1979 (1979-05-14) (age 28)
Place of birth	Machecoul, France
Height	1.84 m (6 ft +¹⁄₂ in)
Playing position	Goalkeeper
Club information
Current club	Paris Saint-Germain
Number	1
Senior clubs¹
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
1996-2006 2006-	Nantes Paris Saint-Germain	335 (0) 38 (0)
National team²
2001-	France	8 (0)

Oscar Cardozo · 09-23-2007, 08:39 PM

Personal information
Ceará
Full name	Marcos Venâncio de Albuquerque
Date of birth	June 16, 1980(1980-06-16)
Place of birth	Quixeramobim, Brazil
Height	175cm
Playing position	right-wingback / right-midfielder
Club information
Current club	Paris Saint-Germain FC
Number	2
Youth clubs
1997-1998	Santos
Senior clubs¹
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007	Santos Santos Santa Cruz Coritiba Coritiba São Caetano São Caetano Internacional Internacional	4 (0) - (-) 17 (0) 6 (0) 26 (1) 27 (1) - (-) 30 (3) 22 (3)

Oscar Cardozo · 09-23-2007, 08:39 PM

Personal information
Mamadou Sakho
Full name	Mamadou Sakho
Date of birth	February 12, 1990 (1990-02-12) (age 17)
Place of birth	Paris, France
Height	1.87 m (6 ft 1+¹⁄₂ in)
Playing position	Defender
Club information
Current club	Paris Saint Germain
Number	3
Youth clubs
	Paris Saint Germain
Senior clubs¹
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
2007-present	Paris Saint Germain	1 (0)

Oscar Cardozo · 09-23-2007, 08:39 PM

Personal information
Bernard Mendy
Full name	Bernard Mendy
Date of birth	20 August 1981 (1981-08-20) (age 26)
Place of birth	Évreux, France
Height	180 cm
Playing position	Defender
Club information
Current club	PSG
Number	5
Senior clubs¹
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
1998-2000 2000- 2002-2003	Caen PSG → Bolton Wanderers (loan)	34 (2) 166 (1) 21 (0)
National team²
2004-	France	3 (0)

Oscar Cardozo · 09-23-2007, 08:39 PM

Personal information
Mario Yepes
Full name	Mario Alberto Yepes Díaz
Date of birth	January 13, 1976 (1976-01-13) (age 31)
Place of birth	Cali, Colombia
Height	(1.86m) 83 kg
Playing position	Defender
Club information
Current club	Paris St-Germain
Senior clubs¹
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
1995-1997 1997-1999 1999-2002 2002-2004 2004-present	Cortuluá Deportivo Cali River Plate FC Nantes Paris Saint-Germain	59 (4) 61 (7) 79 (7) 73 (2) 88 (8)
National team
1999-	Colombia	35 (1)

Oscar Cardozo · 09-23-2007, 08:39 PM

Personal information
Péguy Luyindula
Full name	Péguy Makanda Luyindula
Date of birth	May 25, 1979 (1979-05-25) (age 28)
Place of birth	Kinshasa, Congo DR
Height	178 cm : 72 kg
Playing position	Striker
Club information
Current club	Paris Saint-Germain
Senior clubs¹
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
1997–1998 1998–2002 2002–2004 2004–2007 2005–2006 2006–2007 2007–	Niort Strasbourg Lyon Marseille →Auxerre (loan) →Levante (loan) Paris Saint-Germain	27 (8) 85 (19) 91 (33) 37 (10) 33 (10) 11 (0) 19 (4)
National team²
2004	France	4 (1)

Oscar Cardozo · 09-23-2007, 08:40 PM

Personal information
Didier Digard
Date of birth	July 12, 1986 (1986-07-12) (age 21)
Place of birth	Gisors, France
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.84 m)
Playing position	Midfielder
Club information
Current club	Paris Saint-Germain
Number	8
Youth clubs
	Le Havre
Senior clubs¹
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
1999–2007 2007–	Le Havre Paris Saint-Germain	72 (3) 01 (0)
National team
2001–2002 2002–2003 2003–2004 2004–2005 2005–2006 2007–	France U15 France U16 France U17 France U18 France U20 France U21	09 (0) 14 (0) 12 (0) 17 (1) 01 (0) 04 (0)

Oscar Cardozo · 09-23-2007, 08:40 PM

Personal information
Marcelo Gallardo
Full name	Marcelo Daniel Gallardo
Date of birth	January 18, 1976 (1976-01-18) (age 31)
Place of birth	Merlo, Argentina
Height	1.69 m (5 ft 6+¹⁄₂ in)
Playing position	Attacking midfielder
Club information
Current club	Paris Saint-Germain
Number	10
Senior clubs¹
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
1992-1999 1999-2003 2003-2006 2007-	River Plate Monaco River Plate Paris Saint-Germain	109 (17) 102 (18) 077 (25) 0013 (2)
National team
1994-	Argentina	044 (14)

Oscar Cardozo · 09-23-2007, 08:40 PM

Personal information
Amara Diané
Full name	Amara Diané
Date of birth	19 August 1982 (1982-08-19) (age 25)
Place of birth	Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire
Height	181 cm
Playing position	forward
Club information
Current club	Paris Saint-Germain
Youth clubs
	ASEC Abidjan FC Mantes
Senior clubs¹
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
2000 - 2003 2003 - 2005 2005 - 2006 2006 -	US Roye Reims Strasbourg Paris Saint-Germain	34 (26) 69 (27) 34 (9) 39 (6)
National team²
2006 -	Cote d'Ivoire	1 (1)

Oscar Cardozo · 09-23-2007, 08:41 PM

Personal information
Pierre-Alain Frau
Full name	Pierre-Alain Frau
Date of birth	15 April 1980(1980-04-15)
Place of birth	Montbéliard, France
Height	175 cm
Playing position	Striker, Winger
Club information
Current club	PSG
Number	13
Senior clubs¹
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
1997-2004 2004-2006 2005-2006 2006-	Sochaux Lyon → Lens (loan) PSG	174 (59) 36 (7) 20 (5) 25 (3)

Oscar Cardozo · 09-23-2007, 08:41 PM

Personal information
David N'Gog
Full name	David N'Gog
Date of birth	1 April 1989 (1989-04-01) (age 18)
Place of birth	Gennevilliers, France
Height	190 cm
Playing position	Striker
Club information
Current club	PSG
Number	14
Senior clubs¹
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
2006-	PSG	4 (0)

Oscar Cardozo · 09-23-2007, 08:42 PM

Personal information
Zoumana Camara
Full name	Zoumana Camara
Date of birth	April 3, 1979 (1979-04-03) (age 28)
Place of birth	Colombes, France
Height	1.82 m (5 ft 11+¹⁄₂ in)
Playing position	Central Defender
Club information
Current club	PSG
Senior clubs¹
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
1996-1998 1998-2000 1999 1999-2000 2000-2001 2002-2004 2003-2004 2004-2007 2007-	Saint-Étienne Inter Milan → Empoli (loan) → Bastia (loan) Marseille Lens → Leeds United (loan) Saint-Étienne Paris SG	32 (1) 0 (0) 12 (0) 27 (1) 42 (1) 14 (0) 13 (1) 94 (0) 0 (0)
National team
2000-2007 2001	France B France	2 (0) 1 (0)

09-23-2007, 08:33 PM	#11 (permalink)
Oscar Cardozo Soccer Forums Rookie Offline Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: California Posts: 54,038 vCash: 294 Rep Points: 985	Sunday 23 September (all times local) Sunday 23 September (all times local) 18:00 Paris Saint-Germain 0 - 2 Bordeaux 18:00 Rennes 0 - 2 Sochaux 21:00 Lyon 1 - 1 Lille Saturday 22 September 17:10 Auxerre 2 - 0 Marseille 20:00 Caen 1 - 2 Metz 20:00 Nancy 2 - 0 Lorient 20:00 Nice 3 - 0 Saint-Etienne 20:00 Strasbourg 0 - 1 Le Mans 20:00 Toulouse 1 - 1 Lens 20:00 Valenciennes 1 - 0 Monaco Paris Saint-Germain slipped back into their old ways with a lacklustre performance at home to a Bordeaux side that appears to be back on form. The Bordelais took a tenth-minute lead through Micoud, who got on the end of a long ball to leave international 'keeper Landreau utterly helpless. PSG tried to get back into it, mostly through distant efforts from the likes of Diane, but Bordeaux were the equal of their attacks, although they'd begun to slow down a bit themselves heading into half time. That all changed just after the interval as Bellion doubled the advantage 47 minutes in. Jussie launched an excellent counterattack after Camara lost the ball, eventually teeing up the forward to stroke home into an empty net. That about killed the Parisien challenge, the introductions of Pauleta and N'Gog failing to spur too many chances, and the Girondins returned home with a deserved three points. Sochaux, a team none-too acquainted with victory, caused an arguably greater upset at Rennes as they, too, won by two goals to nil. It was a relatively close first half, Rennes holding most of the possession, but the Lionceaux showed most of the cutting edge, not least when Dalmat opened the scoring 37 minutes into the encounter. The 28 year old midfielder, who has played for both PSG and Bordeaux, pounced on a poor clearance from Mensah after Isabey's cross from the left to make it 1-0. Isabey himself made it 2-0, once again capitalising on a defensive error. This time it was Mathis who showed quick thinking to tee up the captain for a well-earned goal. And that was enough to give the Montbeliard side its first win of the season, lifting them out of the relegation zone in doing so. Finally, Lyon missed the chance to go top as an intelligent Lille side went 1-0 up and then held the home team at the Stade Gerland, although Les Gones two efforts disallowed in the process. The LOSC contained their opponents nicely early on before taking a sweet lead in the 17th minute. Michel Bastos got on the end of a cut-back corner to rifle home an unstoppable shot from 25 yards. Lyon, with the weight of the fans' expectations weighing heavily, gamely tried to fight back, only to find a Lille shirt wherever they went. Sidney Govou, who was to have an excellent game, came close with a decent long-range attempt not long before the interval, but Les Dogues were comfortably in control going into half time. Alain Perrin's half time team talk perhaps did the trick as Lyon improved a bit in the second period, Govou himself grabbing the equaliser on the hour mark. Keita's cross from the right round Govou, who evaded Lille captain Tafforeau to fire past Sylva at the near post. It was a deserved goal after a period of pressure. Indeed, just two minutes prior former Lille man Bodmer had dribbled nicely past ex-comrade Beria, only for his finish to let him down. Both teams made changes, Lyon's being more drastic: on came Baros for Bodmer to really press the issue, with Ben Afra replacing the impressive Keita soon after. An ovation followed as Govou jogged off in place of Kallstrom, but Lille were standing their ground nicely, Lyon perhaps beginning to sense towards the end that a draw was the likeliest outcome. That seemed to be the case as Clerc's 'goal' was disallowed for an infraction and, indeed, another disallowed goal seemed to confirm the draw, a late Baros strike being - correctly it seems - ruled out for offside. Lille will be happy with a draw at a tough arena, but more importantly can be pleased with an effective containing game, and an excellent goal that on another night might have resulted in the three points. Les Gones thus move onto 16 points, fourth on goal difference, with a game in hand over both Bordeaux and Valenciennes. Leaders Nancy, however, have played the same number of games as Lyon, meaning that their top spot is safe - for now. What will the situation be by the time the pair meet on December 22nd in Round 19?

09-09-2007, 06:51 PM	#2 (permalink)
Oscar Cardozo Soccer Forums Rookie Offline Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: California Posts: 54,038 vCash: 294 Rep Points: 985	Bolton's Anelka keen on PSG return Only days after signing a new four-year contract with Bolton Wanderers, Nicolas Anelka admitted he would welcome a return to Paris Saint German. He told Aujourd'hui en France: "I don't think it will happen before the end of my contract. But why not? "I said that I would not return to L1, but PSG is different. It is true, I would like to return to PSG."

09-09-2007, 06:51 PM	#3 (permalink)
Oscar Cardozo Soccer Forums Rookie Offline Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: California Posts: 54,038 vCash: 294 Rep Points: 985	Alain Cayzac, pictured here on the left, has high hopes for embattled Paris Saint-Germain. He took over as president last year, watching as his side narrowly avoided relegation. This year, they're not doing much better, with just a solitary win so far, but he prefers to take the long view at the Parc des Princes. Cayzac admits, though, that the current campaign is disappointing. "It's a bit of a let-down in a number of ways," he said. "But there is hope: even though we drew 0-0 at Lens on Matchday 3, we played excellent football. "But at home, we're still not looking good. "[Our 1-1 home draw with Marseille] was a bit better. We showed character against adversity, and played without fear." Nonetheless, PSG still have problems, and sit firmly in the bottom half. But the president said that this is a rebuilding exercise - and one that began with trimming the squad down to a managable size. He said that fixing the wage bill was a top priority, and has cut the squad down from a bloated thirty-five to "one of not more than twenty-three" senior players. And he insists that the transfer market this summer helped him complete this overhaul - and that he'll now look to climb up the table, with coach Paul le Guen still at the helm. The club held on to Sylvain Armand and Jerome Rothen, the president saying he did "everything" to affect this coup, but still has room for improvement. Indeed, he said that his failure to land Yoan Gouffran from Caen in the summer may be a mere temporary glitch. "I don't want to badger the club, as Caen made it clear that they want to keep the player," he began. "Nonetheless, Gouffran still wants to come to Paris, and one can imagine that, one way or the other, we'll make a deal." As for immediate goals, they were as expected. "[Our goal] is to climb above last year's finish of 15th place," he said. "That's our minimum target. "If possible, we want to get closer to the European places, and into Europe if at all possible. Everything, indeed, is still possible. "We shouldn't get too arrogant, though, if we jump from 15th to 10th, only to find the difference to be a mere couple of points. "And we can never announce that we'll settle for second or third. We'll always aim for the top." PSG last won the title in 1994.

09-09-2007, 06:51 PM	#4 (permalink)
Oscar Cardozo Soccer Forums Rookie Offline Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: California Posts: 54,038 vCash: 294 Rep Points: 985	Marseille coach Albert Emon was under no illusions after his side went ahead at Parc des Princes, only to draw 1-1 with hated rivals Paris Saint-Germain, spurning the chance to add to their single victory of the campaig. "We had courage, aggressiveness and, of course, the will to win. We didn't give anything away, but I have to say that we were not good enough and did not play a good match. "In general, these matches are close affairs, and that was the case this evening. We did well in the aerial duels, but then couldn't make our possession count as we lacked clarity. "But my players showed a great deal of courage, and that is very encouraging," he said. Opposite number Paul le Guen (pictured) was slightly more positive, despite, like Marseille, his side's continued failure to add to their solitary win so far this season. Le Guen said, "I think we made some good play here. We deserved the equaliser after that bad start. "We submitted, conceded too many free kicks, and we lost a goal from one of them. But we made the effort to recover and imposed ourselves gradually on the game. "We created chances and, logically, we equalised. And the remainder of the match was balanced. "It still isn't a great state of affairs, but we have improved from a few weeks ago. We need to be patient and support the players. They must be encouarged to continue their efforts." After the international break, PSG travel to Monaco on Sunday 16th September, while Marseille welcome Toulouse the day before.

09-14-2007, 11:13 PM	#5 (permalink)
Oscar Cardozo Soccer Forums Rookie Offline Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: California Posts: 54,038 vCash: 294 Rep Points: 985	Monaco ? - ? Paris S.G.

09-23-2007, 08:32 PM	#8 (permalink)
Oscar Cardozo Soccer Forums Rookie Offline Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: California Posts: 54,038 vCash: 294 Rep Points: 985	Paris St Germain's miserable start to the Ligue 1 campaign continued as they fell to a 2-0 home defeat to Bordeaux, while Lyon were held at home by Lille. Former Sunderland and Manchester United striker David Bellion opened the scoring for Les Girondins with Johan Micoud also hitting the net. The result lifted Bordeaux up to second, while PSG remain in the bottom half. Sidney Govou's strike just before the hour mark pulled champions Lyon level after Michel Bastos had given the visitors the lead. Alain Perrin's side could not find the winner, the closest they came was when Milan Baros' effort was ruled out for offside. Finally, former Tottenham winger Stephane Dalmat netted for Sochaux as they won 2-0. Mikael Isabey also got on the scoresheet.

09-23-2007, 08:32 PM	#9 (permalink)
Oscar Cardozo Soccer Forums Rookie Offline Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: California Posts: 54,038 vCash: 294 Rep Points: 985	Johan Micoud and David Bellion scored a goal each Sunday to help Bordeaux beat host Paris Saint-Germain 2-0 in the French league. PSG failed to clear a corner in the 10th minute and midfielder Alou Diarra flicked the ball back over the defense to Micoud, who beat the offside trap and calmly slotted the ball past goalkeeper Mickael Landreau. Bordeaux scored again in the 48th when Jussie sprinted down the right and passed to give Bellion an easy tap-in, improving the former Manchester United player to six league goals this season.

09-23-2007, 08:36 PM	#12 (permalink)
Oscar Cardozo Soccer Forums Rookie Offline Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: California Posts: 54,038 vCash: 294 Rep Points: 985	Finally I see Pauleta's name somewhere.