Paris St Germain captain Sylvain Armand is confident the club can recover from their disappointing start to the campaign and avoid a repeat of last season's "hell" in Ligue 1.
The capital club have lost three of their last four games and find themselves just two points above the relegation zone after 12 matches played.
The start brings back memories of last term, when Paul Le Guen's men only just avoided relegation after a dreadful first half of the season.
Armand, dropped by Le Guen for the last couple of matches, admits it is a "delicate situation" but is not too concerned just yet.
"I don't think anyone expected this," said the left-back.
"We all had the intention of doing something big this season and, moreover, we had some encouraging results in friendly matches. Unfortunately we aren't managing to win at the Parc des Princes. And if you don't win, doubts creep in, you miss out on points and you get in this situation. But there is a calmness that we didn't have last year, when we had to handle tricky situations and conflicts. Today, the atmosphere is more calm and everyone knows what we have to do. Last season was such hell that we don't want to relive that again. Our situation is still delicate. So we will have to grit our teeth if we are going to get out of it. We must pick up some points because we are not far from 10th. The season is well under way but we are not imagining the club completely sinking," he added in French daily L'Equipe.
PSG are yet to win at home this season, having drawn three and lost four of their seven matches at the Parc so far.
Their latest defeat came at the hands of champions Lyon 3-2 on Sunday, but they have the chance to make immediate amends when they play Ligue 2 side Montpellier at home in the last 16 of the Coupe de la Ligue on Wednesday.
24 October 2007
Barcelona striker Thierry Henry believes Rangers will go through to the knockout stages of the Champions League after they held the Spanish side to a goalless draw on Tuesday night.
As a result, Barcelona and Rangers top Group E at the half way stage, with seven points each.
The Scottish side were expected to struggle in the group that also includes German champions Stuttgart and French champions Lyon.
However, following wins in each of their first two games, and a draw against Barca, Rangers are in a strong position to qualify from the group.
It's an opinion shared by Thierry Henry.
"Why not?" said the Frenchman. "I don't know how the game is going to be at our place but I think Rangers have what it takes to also win in Stuttgart and the decisive game could be here against Lyon."
If Rangers beat Stuttgart later this month, they're likely to only need a draw from their home game with Lyon to advance to the knockout stage.
Henry explained: "If it goes like it is right now, Lyon would have to come here and win with a big scoreline. To be honest, although I am French, I don't see that happening here. You have to give Rangers credit. They fought very hard, they are top of the group with ourselves and they deserve to be where they are."
24 October 2007
Didier Drogba's agent has hinted his client is unsettled at Chelsea and would consider a move to Italy or Spain.
Speculation over the future of Drogba is refusing to go away following the departure of Jose Mourinho and now the player's agent has added fuel to the fire by saying a move away could happen.
Lyon are keen to take him back to France but it seems as though the striker would only consider a move to Italy or Spain if he was to leave Stamford Bridge.
Drogba's agent, Etienne Mendy, told Sky Italia: "It's no secret that Didier likes Milan a lot as he jets off there whenever he gets some time off, but we can't discount the other big Italian side Juventus. It's clear that his relationship at Chelsea isn't as good as it was when Jose Mourinho was there, but he is a professional and knows that you can't be attached to a coach. But if he is to leave Chelsea it will only be for La Liga or Serie A."
23 October 2007
Rangers boss Walter Smith believes that if his side go into tonight's Champions league tie against Barcelona looking for a draw, they'll lose.
Rangers have enjoyed a bountiful return to the Champions League, getting maximum points from their first two games against Lyon and Stuttgart.
Scottish football and groups of death seem so intrinsically linked of late that it's little wonder that Barcelona completes the Group E line-up.
In form Rangers now face the Spanish giants at Ibrox, and although a draw would inch Walter Smith's side closer to qualification to the knockout stages, he feels that looking for a draw would be the wrong option.
"We don't go into it looking for a draw, I think that would be a dangerous thing with Barcelona," Smith told Sky Sports.
"It would imply that, in many ways, that you would have to do the majority of the defending and hope you get the draw. I don't think that should be the case against them because if we do that we will lose the game."
If Rangers are to do the unexpected, they'll have to do it Jean-Claude Darcheville and Brahim Hemdani for the fixture, and Smith accepts the duo will be missed.
The Gers boss added: "Both players have acquitted themselves really well in the games they've played so far in the Champions League. So it's a little blow that we've lost them as one or two of the players we are bringing in don't have that range of experience."
23 October 2007
Lyon midfielder Jeremy Toulalan has been ruled out of Tuesday's Champions League match at Stuttgart.
Toulalan, 24, has pulled a knee ligament and is due to undergo a scan on Wednesday.
Doctors estimate that he could be sidelined for around two weeks.
22 October 2007
Italy are dominating the Golden Ball list of 50 candidates with eight players, while Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona each contributed seven names on the list.
- Golden Ball 2007 nominees:
Éric Abidal (Olympique Lyon, FC Barcelona)
Daniel Alves (FC Sevilla)
David Beckham (Real Madrid, Los Angeles Galaxy)
Dimitar Berbatov (Tottenham)
Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus Turin)
Fabio Cannavaro (Real Madrid)
Iker Casillas (Real Madrid)
Petr Cech (Chelsea)
Rogerio Ceni (Sao Paulo)
Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
Deco (FC Barcelona)
Mahamadou Diarra (Real Madrid)
Diego (Werder Bremen)
Didier Drogba (Chelsea)
Michael Essien (Chelsea)
Samuel Eto'o (FC Barcelona)
Francesc Fabregas (Arsenal)
Gennaro Gattuso (Milan)
Steven Gerrard (Liverpool)
Ryan Giggs (Manchester United)
Thierry Henry (Arsenal, FC Barcelona)
Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Inter)
Filippo Inzaghi (Milan)
Kaka (Milan)
Frederic Kanoute (FC Sevilla)
Miroslav Klose (Werder Bremen, Bayern Munchen)
Younis Mahmoud (Algharafa)
Paolo Maldini (Milan)
Florent Malouda (Olympique Lyon, Chelsea)
Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona)
Shunsuke Nakamura (Celtic Glasgow)
Guillermo Ochoa (America Mexico)
Andrea Pirlo (Milan),
Ricardo Quaresma (FC Porto),
Raul (Real Madrid)
Franck Ribery (Olympique Marseille, Bayern Munchen),
Juan Roman Riquelme (Boca Juniors, Villarreal)
Robinho (Real Madrid)
Ronaldinho (FC Barcelona)
Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)
Paul Scholes (Manchester United)
Clarence Seedorf (Milan)
Carlos Tevez (West Ham, Manchester United)
Luca Toni (Fiorentina, Bayern Munchen)
Kolo Toure (Arsenal)
Jose Fernando Torres (Atletico Madrid, Liverpool)
Francesco Totti (AS Roma)
Ruud van Nistelrooy (Real Madrid)
Robin van Persie (Arsenal)
David Villa (Valencia)
22 October 2007
Barcelona are facing an injury crisis and defender Eric Abidal admits they will need to somehow find a way to cope with the "physical" challenge posed by Rangers.
But Abidal insists the answer is not for manager Frank Rijkaard to push him forward to bulk up the midfield.
Left-back Abidal is fearing another costly defeat, having already been beaten twice on international duty by Scotland in the past 13 months.
"I have played against Scotland for France and we have lost twice," said the 28-year-old former Lyon player.
"They play very aggressive football, it is much more physical."
Barcelona have ruled playmaker Deco out for five weeks, striker Samuel Eto'o is still sidelined, and Yaya Toure, Gianluca Zambrotta, Edmilson and Rafael Marquez will also miss Tuesday's Champions League Group E clash.
They could be light in midfield, in terms of a ball-winner, but Abidal said: "I am a defender, not a midfielder. I am not used to playing in midfield. To be honest, it's not a position I fancy very much. There are players that can cover that area and it is up to the boss to decide which of us will have to do that."
Deco admits Barcelona's players, who visited Scotland on a pre-season tour and played matches against Dundee United and Hearts, may have pushed themselves too hard and paid the price.
He said on www.fcbarcelona.com: "I am no doctor but when we put in a lot of effort and play lots of games you reach the point where your body has hit its limit and that's when injuries occur."
22 October 2007
Lyon stopper Sebastien Squillaci is eager to atone for consecutive 3-0 Champions League defeats at the hands of first Barcelona and then Rangers.
The 27 year old told UEFA.com, "We know that if we want to qualify then we need to win both matches against Stuttgart. We knew this group would be difficult from the outset and already we've made it very difficult for ourselves, so it's up to us to make up for what we couldn't manage previously."
Indeed, the 3-0 loss at Barcelona wasn't much of a surprise, but being buried at home 3-0 by Rangers came as a massive shock.
Squillaci maintains that the result did not adequately reflect the balance of play.
"Rangers hadn't even had a shot on goal when they won that corner, and our poor marking gave them a goal," he wailed.
"We were 1-0 down against a team that defended in numbers. We couldn't find a way back and ended up being punished for needless errors. At this level of football, everyone knows that you can't get away with mistakes, and Rangers proved it."
Many feel that Lyon are weaker than in seasons past, with this being to blame for their poor start to the Ligue 1 campaign and continued European difficulties.
"True enough, we've lost some players of real pedigree, which has made things more difficult," agreed the ex-Monaco man.
"We've got some great players still, but they need time. For an old example, there's [Florent] Malouda. When he arrived here he needed time to settle but, when he did, he had some amazing seasons, so perhaps we just need patience. We need to play together to gel and find our rhythm, so we need time. But with a club like Lyon, you don't have six months to find your feet!"
Squillaci signed on at the Stade Gerland from the Monegasques in 2006, having previously served Ajaccio and Toulon.
18 October 2007
Newcastle target Edmilson admits he will not be signing a new contract at Barcelona.
The Brazilian international moved to Camp Nou in 2004 and helped them to UEFA Champions League glory in 2006.
However, his time with the Catalan giants has been dogged by injury, including two serious knee ligament problems - one which ruled him out of the 2006 World Cup finals.
He is currently recovering from a summer operation on his knee and is not expected to return to fitness until January.
The 31-year-old was targeted by both AC Milan and Newcastle in the summer and English sources continue to suggest that he could move to Tyneside as early as January.
But the player himself seems set on regaining his fitness first.
"I am training hard to get physically fit and will be until the end of my contract," he told the media in Brazil.
"Personally I know that this is my last season at Barcelona. I want to be able to play again without feeling pain. I couldn't show the best of me last year but now I am a little bit better. Unfortunately I haven't been able to repeat yet at Barcelona the good performance that I had at Lyon."
Edmilson confirmed that he was close to joining Milan in the summer.
"Before the season began, I was approached by the people from Milan - there was a possibility but my knee was not good," he admitted.
Meanwhile, Barca striker Samuel Eto'o has been granted a Spanish passport.
La Liga rules state that clubs can only have three non-EU players in their squads.
Barca now only have one non-EU player in their squad, Yaya Toure, as both Ronaldinho and Giovani dos Santos were also granted Spanish citizenship earlier this year.
15 October 2007
Reports suggest that Fiorentina's striking star Adrian Mutu is on Real Madrid's radar, but the Romanian insists that he is happy in Florence.
After a tough chapter in his career, Mutu has reinvented himself at the Stadio Artemio Franchi and has become one of Serie A's most reliable hitmen.
Having hit 16 goals last term, the 28-year-old already has five to his name in the current campaign.
According to Spanish website Sport.es, La Liga champions Real Madrid are ready to offer around £12m for Mutu and would double his wage bill, but claims he is immovable.
'In Florence, just as in the national side, I have found a family where I feel at home,' the ex-Chelsea man told the Press.
'I get on very well with the players and the atmosphere of the city really suits me. At the moment I'm happy and I'm going nowhere.'
Madrid isn't the only destination to be suggested in recent weeks. Manchester City, Lyon and Dynamo Moscow have all been linked with unlikely swoops.
It is also believed that Milan are keeping a close eye on Mutu, as key striker Ronaldo's future remains uncertain.
