PSG win at Barcelona (without Dembélé, Doué, Neves, Kvara & Marquinhos) 💪💪💪 Marseille crush Ajax 🔥🔥 Monaco hold Man City 👍 Farmers League just keeps on ploughing through Europe 😜

Aubameyang puts Marseille 4-0 up over Ajax after another lightning counter. Paixao gets an assist to add to his two goals. Vermeeren - a surprise starter - impressive in midfield. De Zerbi’s side starting to look like a serious team

Time to get your passport & hop ‘Across the Channel’. Our latest episode is out and it’s a good’un! @tomwfootball.bsky.social & Andy Scott join me to chat all things #Ligue1 😍 🎧 Listen to here 👉 Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a... Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/1IXa...

Lacklustre Nice compound Ratcliffe’s misery' 😬 ❌ Poor results ❌ Incoherent recruitment ❌ Homophobic chants ❌ Disillusioned fans Manchester United aren’t the only club struggling under INEOS ownership… #OGCN #MUFC 📩 Free weekly Ligue 1 newsletter + podcast: open.substack.com/pub/mattspir...

All French journalism schools unite to ask for the liberation of football journalist Christophe Gleizes, who has now been imprisoned for three months by the Algerian authorities, who accuse him of "glorifying terrorism" among other trumped-up charges. #FreeGleizes

Is this referee a fucking towel monitor too?!

Vitinha subbed seemingly as a precaution vs Auxerre. But Kvaratskhelia has picked up a thigh problem at end of first half. PSG 1-0 up, but their injury list is starting to look like a Ballon d’Or vote: Dembele, Doue, Neves, Marquinhos, Kvara (Barcola fit enough for bench tonight) #PSG #ligue1

Does Jim Ratcliffe still prefer watching United to Nice? (Nice are also pretty shambolic, so im assuming he does)

Here’s the Ballon d’Or vote from Scotland’s representative John Greechan. Got to admire the patriotism (if nothing else!) 1. McTominay 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 2. Hakimi 🇲🇦 3. Salah 🇪🇬 4. Yamal 🇪🇸 5. Dumfries 🇳🇱 6. MacAllister 🇦🇷 (Ps hoping he didn’t vote Dumfries as it’s a Scottish town, and McAllister a Scottish name)

🚨 This week's podcast is out 🚨 We talk Ballon d'Or, le roi Ousmane, Marseille's big win, Thauvin magic & Strasbourg win in silence 🤫 Join me, @jonlegossip.bsky.social & George Boxall 😍 Across the Channel Ep06 🎙️ Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/5Ih8... Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a...

🚨This week's Across the Channel podcast is out🚨 We talk Ballon d'Or, le roi Ousmane, Marseille's big win, Thauvin magic & Strasbourg win in silence 🤫 Join me, @jonlegossip.bsky.social & George Boxall 😍 Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/5Ih8... Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a...

Not a good result for #Arsenal but that’s a massive goal. Two defeats so early would’ve put a lot of pressure on the Gunners. Great pass from Eze and a top class finish from Martinelli, who’s had a good week. Work in progress but so important not to have lost that #ARSMCI

Really think Marseille/PSG should be played tomorrow weather permitting. That’s the rule and it shouldn’t change because of a Ballon d’Or ceremony (that Dembele can attend anyway as he’s injured). Ligue 1 needs to stop pandering to PSG.

Marseille/PSG postponed due to storms. Which is especially annoying to find out when you’re on train to Marseille 😫 The rules state the game should take place tomorrow evening. But… that would mean playing at same time as Ballon d’Or ceremony, which heavily involves PSG 🤔

Barcola ruled out of tonight’s Classique, joining Dembélé and Doué on the sidelines. Injuries starting to take their toll as PSG’s relentless schedule catches up with them. Marseille might not get a better chance to beat their rivals #OMPSG

Who was it that decided that Petrovic wasn't Chelsea's best goalkeeper and should be sold to Bournemouth? He was so impressive at Strasbourg last season #CFC

There’s something so beautifully brutal about Kvaratskhelia when he decides he really wants to hurt the opposition. That goal was savage #PSGATA

My goodness, this is total bloody football from PSG. Defenders popping up in attack, midfielders interchanging constantly. 1/0, should be 4. Ten minutes gone. Atalanta heads spinning #PSGATA

So, Luis Enrique really isn't a fan of Gonçalo Ramos... Dembélé missing, but instead of the Portuguese striker, it's teenage midfielder Senny Mayulu who leads the PSG attack tonight - flanked by Barcola & Kvaratskhelia - against Atalanta #PSGATA

Apparently Medina’s hand wasn’t in a natural position when he slid in & won ball cleanly off Vinicius. The question is: what is a natural position for a defender doing a sliding tackle? Ridiculous decision. Madrid deserve to win but shame this terrific game to be decided by that #RMAOM

A masterclass in play-acting from Geronimo Rulli ensures Carvajal is sent off. The Marseille goalkeeper went down like he’d been shot after Carvajal’s head brushed his face. Real Madrid down to ten men for last 20 minutes. Still 1-1. What a chance this is for Marseille to get a result #RMAOM

This game is mad. Aubameyang misses a one-on-one. Then Rulli makes his ninth (!!) save of the evening to deny Mbappe. 40 minutes gone. 1-1. Could easily be 3-3 #RMAOM

Good goal from Marseille!! Greenwood takes advantage of a mistake by Guler, surges forward, times pass to Weah perfectly, and Weah finishes superbly. 0-1 #RMAOM

Absolutely hapless start this from Marseille. Real Madrid could have been four up inside ten minutes

Very enjoyable chat with @tomwfootball.bsky.social & @andpscott.bsky.social for Across the Channel podcast 👍👍 We talk Marseille's Bernabeu challenge, PSG's injuries, French refs 🤨, Strasbourg's Emegha protests, Ethan Mbappé, Tyler Morton and much more 😍 open.spotify.com/episode/1Jbd...

Emegha’s Chelsea transfer sparks Strasbourg fan revolt substack.com/@mattspiro/n...

Tyler Morton nominated for @Ligue1_ENG player of the month for August alongside Joao Neves (PSG) and Ilan Kebbal (Paris FC) 👏👏 Deserved accolade for the England U21 midfielder who has been superb since joining Lyon from Liverpool #LFC #OL

Mitigating circumstances I know (change of coach, tough opponent etc) but I find it amazing that a club can spend €237m on new players and still produce as little as Nottingham Forest have today #ARSNFO

This may be the worst time to play Forest. The players will be desperate to make a good impression in Ange’s first game… and Ange hasn’t yet had time to implement his suicidal approach, so they’ll still be largely a well-organised Nuno team #ARSNFO

Gaël Clichy believes Ryan Cherki can have a similar impact to Kevin De Bruyne at #MCFC: ‘If Pep can improve his play without the ball, he could have stats like De Bruyne. I’ve never seen a player like him, so easy with the ball,’ Clichy, who coached Cherki at France U21s, told RMC

Another great Across The Channel episode in the books - shorturl.at/VhGtN - I joined host @mattspiro.bsky.social & special guest Ricardo Faty to chat about Les Bleus. We also touched on Olise, Kone & Clairefontaine, debated peak Henry, Benzema & Mbappe’s merits & more 🇫🇷

Latest 'Across the Channel' podcast is out 🎙️ We're joined by ex-Strasbourg, Nantes & Roma midfielder Ricardo Faty to talk all things #LesBleus. Some fascinating insight on life at Clairefontaine, dual nationality, Manu Koné & Michael Olisé 🤩 Apple: shorturl.at/XUiA4 Spotify: shorturl.at/TLNN9

Scenes at the Parc des Princes! Iceland make it 2-2 in last minute!! Kids with Iceland facepaint celebrate wildly in stands… this is the greatest night of their young lives!!!! Then VAR decides otherwise, chalks goal off for an iffy/minor (non existent?) foul. As you were #FRAICE

Manu Koné looking the part again for France tonight. A proper modern-day midfielder: quick, strong, technical, wins everything, breaks lines with incisive passes or surging forward with ball. Roma paid €20m for him last summer. They’ll get 3 or 4 times that if and when he moves on #FRAICE #ASRoma

France-Iceland kick-off delayed by 3 minutes... because French TV want to talk more about the fact the country has a new Prime Minister. Is this really a valid reason? They change PM more often than a Dembélé injury

Interesting to note that Kylian Mbappé equalled Thierry Henry’s 🇫🇷 tally of 51 international goals at the age of 26 & 259 days. That’s more than 5 years younger than Titi, and nearly 10 younger than Giroud. Only 4 players reached the mark at a younger age: 🇧🇷 Pele 🇧🇷 Neymar 🇧🇪 Lukaku 🇩🇪 Gerd Muller

PSG are blaming France. France insist they’ve done nothing wrong. It’s been a stormy few days in the world of French football. Yet the reality here is that the blame for Ousmane Dembélé and Désiré Doué’s injuries lie elsewhere… substack.com/@mattspiro/not…

Ekitiké on #LFC switch: 'My life has changed, I'm watched 1000 times more than before, but I take that positively. I have to keep showing I'm worth my place. It's a place I like and I want to keep it. Competition (with Isak) will be tough - I'll do my best to play well so it's the coach's problem'

PSG furious with France for playing Dembele last night despite hamstring concern. Fair enough. But why did PSG rush Dembele back from injury to play in Club World Cup? Sadly, nothing more predictable than this Dembele injury. Everyone looks after own interests, not the players’ #PSG

Michael Olise makes football look easy sometimes. Just rolls a shot into the bottom corner from Barcola’s low cross to put France ahead early against Ukraine in Poland. His third goal for Les Bleus #UKRFRA

Chilwell to Strasbourg is interesting but spare a thought for Ishé Samuels-Smith. England U19 left-back joined Strasbourg from Chelsea for €7.5m a month ago. Didn't play. Yesterday re-signed for #CFC & was loaned to... Swansea 😕 Club statement: 'Everyone at Racing thanks Ishé for his commitment'👍

Marseille literally went out and bought a new defence on deadline day… Pavard, Aguerd & Emerson all in. Overreaction to two early defeats? Skipper Balerdi to be dropped? Egan-Riley to disappear? More questions than answers here…

‘Across the Channel’ episode 3 is available. Latest Ligue 1 chat with me & @lukeentwistle.bsky.social. 39 goals in 9 games, Neves madness, Balogun-Biereth, Iga-nominy for Lorient, we try to make sense of it 🔥🔥 Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/2Bm3... Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/e...

My latest from France on the brilliance of Joao Neves, Esteban Lepaul's amazing journey, Akliouche shining, Lyon piling misery on Marseille, & Lille hitting Lorient for 7 🔥🔥🔥#Ligue1 #PSG #SRFC #LOSC #OL Have a read and SIGN UP! SIGN UP! It's all free😍😍 mattspiro.substack.com/p/neves-hat-...

Nottingham Forest are getting a superb player in Dilane Bakwa. Skilful right winger who can beat players and has a superb delivery with left foot. At 23, he's still getting better too. The €35m fee, now agreed with Strasbourg, is a bargain #NFFC #RCSA

Very occasionally you get to see something truly special in a football stadium. Those overhead kick goals from Joao Neves - two, near identical efforts within 7 minutes of each other - was one such occasion😳😳 Incredible. Beautiful. What a footballer 👏👏👏 #TFCPSG

Lille follow win over Monaco with a 7-1 win at Lorient (w/o injured Giroud) to go top. This is a club that lost Jonathan David, Chevalier, Diakité, Angel Gomes, Cabella, Ismaily, Gudmundsson in summer. Net spend: -€74m Seriously impressive from recruitment team and Bruno Genesio #LOSC

Is Andrey Santos really going to sit on the Chelsea bench in a World Cup season? Such a good player #CFC

Crystal Palace paying €27m for Jaydee Canvot - who’s made just 14 Ligue 1 starts - shows how Premier League clubs are living in another world. Good luck to the 19-year-old… strong, quick but still raw centre-back. Toulouse will feel like they’ve won the lottery #CPFC #TFC

This week's 'Across the Channel' is now available 😍 Check it out as @jonlegossip.bsky.social & Baptiste Reynaud join me to discuss the big talking points in Ligue 1... from Marseille's Rabiot conundrum to Donnarumma's tears to Pep Genesio's masterclass in Lille 🔥🔥 open.spotify.com/episode/6g1y...