Football Further

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“To suggest that Celtic could carry on regardless without their old rivals is like claiming that Othello would be the same play if Iago or Othello were abruptly scratched from the script. Both teams define themselves by their opposition to the other. It can, on occasion, spill over into repellent sectarianism, but the great rivalries — be it Ali and Frazier, Prost and Senna or Nadal and Federer — are what enable sport to transcend the perfunctory accumulation of points, wins and trophies that it might otherwise be. John McEnroe and Björn Borg played out one of tennis’ great rivalries but after three years of fierce contests, the Swede retired in 1981 and McEnroe admitted that his career was never the same again.”

My latest Pitchside Europe column for Eurosport, which contemplates how Rangers’ sudden descent into administration could affect their hated rivals Celtic, can be read here.

“PARIS — Montpellier proved their Ligue 1 title credentials by holding league leaders Paris Saint-Germain to a 2-2 draw in the top-of-the-table clash at Parc des Princes on Sunday.”

My AFP match report on Montpellier’s impressive draw at PSG, which contains a round-up of all the Ligue 1 headlines from the weekend, can be read here.

“LYON, France — Lyon secured a slender advantage in their Champions League last 16 tie with APOEL FC by beating the Cypriot underdogs 1-0 in the first leg at Stade Gerland on Tuesday.”

My AFP match report on Lyon’s 1-0 victory over APOEL on Tuesday can be read here.

“On Thursday, Ajax announced that their five-man supervisory board would step down after club icon Johan Cruyff succeeded in a legal battle to prevent the four other members of the board — of which he is a member — from appointing former coach Louis van Gaal as chief executive. Van Gaal’s nomination had been announced in November, prompting Cruyff to proclaim that his fellow board members had “gone mad” after they convened to finalise van Gaal’s appointment while Cruyff was away in Barcelona.”

This week’s Pitchside Europe blog for Eurosport, on the back-stage turmoil at Ajax that has plunged Manchester United’s Europa League opponents into civil war, can be read here.

“PARIS — Paris Saint-Germain inched a point clear in Ligue 1 on Sunday following a 0-0 draw at Nice, after Ludovic Obraniak had netted a 93rd-minute winner for Bordeaux in an extraordinary 5-4 win at his former club Lille.”

My AFP round-up of the weekend’s matches in Ligue 1, including an astonishing nine-goal game at Lille and another match-changing performance by Olivier Giroud, can be read here.

“PARIS — Holders Lille reluctantly relinquished their grip on the Coupe de France after going down 2-1 at local rivals Valenciennes in the last 16 at a wintry Stade du Hainaut on Wednesday.”

My AFP round-up of Wednesday’s Coupe de France matches, including a shock defeat for Lille and a hard-fought win for Lyon, can be read here.

“Boasting the third-largest budget in La Liga this season (€150 million), the Andalucian club were tipped to become credible rivals to Barcelona and Real Madrid but despite briefly topping the table at the beginning of October, they have failed to put any pressure on the top two. A six-game winless run either side of Christmas saw Manuel Pellegrini’s side slip to 10th in La Liga and although they went into Monday’s trip to neighbours Granada only four points outside the Champions League places, they were only six points above the relegation zone as well.”

This week’s Pitchside Europe blog, on Málaga’s stuttering challenge for Champions League qualification, can be read here.

The clue was in the number. “A press conference will take place on Wednesday 1 February at 15:30 at Parc des Princes to present Thiago Motta, who will wear the number 28,” read the brief statement released by Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday. Motta is a European champion and an Italy international, who cost the not insignificant sum of €10 million, but he was not the star signing that PSG had been hoping to announce on the final day of the transfer window. To paraphrase Garry Cook’s famous remark about Richard Dunne, he doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue in Beijing.

There are vacant numbers in the current PSG squad list that could have adorned replica shirts liable to be torn off the rails in the club shop. Alexandre Pato might have chosen the number 11 shirt that he wore at Internacional and has sported at times for Brazil. The number eight that Kaká wears for Real Madrid is also unattributed. With Jérémy Ménez in possession of the number seven shirt and Mohamed Sissoko the number 23, David Beckham had been lined up for the number 32 jersey. After the Englishman’s abrupt volte-face, that shirt was earmarked for Carlos Tevez. But neither he, nor Beckham, nor Kaká, nor Pato will be seen in PSG’s iconic strip this season.

PSG made four signings in January – with Motta following Maxwell, Alex and new fourth-choice goalkeeper Ronan Le Crom through the door – but none of them were the marquee names that had held the local media in a state of permanent breathless excitement since the transfer window loomed onto the horizon in mid-December. Although Motta was relinquished reluctantly by Internazionale, Chelsea were quite happy to cede Alex and Maxwell left Barcelona with little fanfare.

There are few more glamorous locations than Paris and few clubs in the world capable of matching PSG’s huge spending power, but Ligue 1′s low international profile – coupled with the absence of European football at Parc des Princes in the second half of the season – has frustrated the club’s efforts to attract the kind of players who generate global interest.

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“Benfica fans had two reasons to cheer about Porto’s unexpected 3-1 loss to Gil Vicente in Barcelos on Sunday evening. Firstly, and most importantly, it gave their side a five-point lead at the top of the Portuguese Liga and put them in an advantageous position to win what be only their third league title in the last 18 years. Secondly, but perhaps even more deliciously, it stopped Porto one game short of equalling Benfica’s 1978 record of 56 unbeaten matches in the Portuguese top flight.”

This week’s Pitchside Europe column, on how the balance of power in the Portuguese title race has shifted in Benfica’s favour, can be read here.

“PARIS — Marseille dug deep to come from behind and win 2-1 at Rennes on Sunday, extending their winning run to seven games in all competitions and returning to within two points of the Champions League positions in Ligue 1.”

My AFP round-up of the weekend’s Ligue 1 matches, featuring a brace for Lille debutant Nolan Roux and a last-minute winner by Montpellier’s Olivier Giroud, can be found here.