NEWSLETTER Week 37 LIGUE 1 CONFORAMA Week 36 review: Monaco bounce back, Metz first to drop Monaco had Moussa Sylla's brace on debut to thank for the win over SM Caen that kept them in the race for second as OL and OM both won; Metz punched their ticket for a Ligue 2 return after losing 2-1 at home to now-safe Angers. Monaco hadn't managed a win in three outings coming into Sunday's trip to Normandy to face SM Caen, but Leonardo Jardim's men managed to halt their skid and reassert their claim on a Champions League finish - thanks to an extremely memorable debut from youth academy product Moussa Sylla, whose brace was enough to cancel out Ivan Santini's spectacular touch and shot. "We needed points to be able to keep working towards our objective. Today, it's a double win," said Jardim, who had fielded a number of youth-team names in the injury absences of the likes of Radamel Falcao and Stevan Jovetic. "A win that gives us three points and a win for the youth of Monaco who, at 17 or 18 years old and with five or six of them, showed the maturity that - in the present and future - will stay in the squad and do Monaco proud." The welcome win left Monaco third, a point shy of Lyon and a point clear of Marseille as both of the Olympiques continued strong runs of form. OL have had Memphis Depay's hot streak in front of goal - seven strikes in as many matches, with five assists to boot - recently, but on Sunday it was Bertrand Traoré who took centre stage. The Burkina Faso forward found the target for a fifth match in a row, contributing a double as OL ran out 3-0 winners at home to all-but relegated ESTAC Troyes. "This season will have been magnificent if it finishes like we hope, which is with us on the podium at the end of the league season," said OL boss Bruno Genesio, whose side have now won eight in a row and are looking the favourites to stay in second and punch a ticket for the Champions League group stage. "We're the masters of our own destiny, but we can't afford to slacken off, because we have two tough league games to come." Indeed, slacking off is not an option, especially considering that UEFA Europa League finalists Olympique de Marseille are also in red-hot form, with just one league defeat - to Lyon in Week 30 - since the beginning of March and a never-say-die attitude exemplified by skipper Dimitri Payet's performance to clinch a crucial 2-1 come-from-behind derby win over European hopefuls OGC Nice. "Payet is the Dimitri we recruited and he makes the difference. He's always willing to take on his responsibilities and he lifts the team. He has the will to win and talent," said OM boss Rudi Garcia. "This was en excellent win because we were up against a very good side who took the lead early. Also, we were playing three days on from a European semi-final that went to extra time and cost us a lot of energy." Meanwhile champions Paris Saint-Germain were out to prepare well for Tuesday's Coupe de France final against third-division Les Herbiers - the capital club's chance to complete a domestic quadruple after stitching up the Trophée des Champions, the Coupe de la Ligue and Ligue 1 Conforama titles - but had to make do with a 2-2 draw with Amiens as Ivorian Moussa Konaté hit a double and cancelled out efforts from Edinson Cavani and Christopher Nkunku. "The players have astounded us again. Every time the level goes up a notch, they find a way of responding to it. Even against Paris, we didn't renounce our game plan," said Amiens boss Christophe Pélissier after the result that secured his club's top-flight survival. "This was a great evening, and it has been a great season! My staff and I are proud to have put together a team from this group of players. We are almost disappointed that it is ending in two weeks." Rennes took the upper hand in the race for fifth and a place in the UEFA Europa League with a 2-1 win over Strasbourg, Adrien Hunou's screamer 05/11/2018 Ligue de Football Professionnel - 2017/2018 - Ligue1.com 1
leaving the promoted side just a point clear of the relegation play-off spot. Saint-Etienne, whose 13-match unbeaten had them in fifth place coming into Week 36, came unstuck at home to Bordeaux. Gustavo Poyet's men showed their desire to end the season on a high - and maybe even sneak into Europe - with a 3-1 defeat of Les Verts, Brazilian star Malcom rounding out the scoring with a fine effort from distance. Eighth-placed Montpellier spent some time in fifth place earlier in the season, and on Sunday Michael Der Zakarian's men showed the kind of form that got them there, handing Claudio Ranieri's Nantes side a 2-0 beating with goals right out of the top drawer. Fresh from holding champions PSG to a 2-2 draw, feisty Guingamp got a taste of their own medicine as South Korea star Changhoon Kwon got his fourth in six matches to kick-start what turned into an impressive 3-1 win for the Burgundy side, who are now 12th, just a point shy of their opponents on the night. Meanwhile the battle to beat the drop intensified for some while it ended out right for FC Metz, whose 2-1 reverse at home to Angers left them eight points shy of the relegation play-off place with two matches left to play. The win saw Angers mathematically secure their survival just as LOSC took a huge step towards doing the same. The troubled side from the north of France were all business faced with direct rivals Toulouse, and although it was locked at 2-2 with ten minutes to go, Nicolas Pépé pounced on a mistake from Toulouse 'keeper Alban Lafont to bag his 12th of the season - his ninth in 2018 - and take his side out of the bottom three for the first time since early January. "I may fall asleep and dream that the championship is over, but there are two games left and nothing is done. A key victory? This is an important win, but the next two matches will be just as important," said dogged LOSC boss Christophe Galtier. "We won at the right time, but it's not enough yet. We're still in the fight. I might look back on this game if we survive, but for the moment there is still work to be done." Week 36 reactions Leonardo Jardim hailed the strength of AS Monaco's youth academy as his fresh-faced squad secured a potentially decisive win against SM Caen. All the Week 36 reactions here. Sunday, May 6, 2018 Olympique de Marseille 2-1 OGC Nice Rudi Garcia (Marseille coach): "This was a very good win because we were up against a very good side who led in the game and we were playing three days on from a European semi-final that went to extra-time and cost us a lot of energy. It's admirable what the lads did and the win is for the squad. Payet is the Dimitri we recruited and he makes the difference. He's always willing to take on his responsibilities and he lifts the team. He has the will to win and talent." Lucien Favre (Nice coach): "We expected them to give everything in the first half and then for them to run out of steam a bit and that's what happened. I regret the goal we conceded for 2-1 as they scored a bit against the run of play. In the first half we were in trouble but in the second half we were much better. That's football. We have two matches to play and we can still qualify for the Europa League. We have to do everything we can for that to happen." SM Caen 1-2 AS Monaco Patrice Garande (Caen coach): "I don't see what I could reproach my players for. I think we played very very well, but we lost. So we'll have to fight to the end. If we had played them all like we played that one, we wouldn't be in this position. Having said that, there's no reason to get carried away. There are still some things to do, still some possibilities. There are teams that are behind us, but it's tough to take today for the players." Leonardo Jardim (Monaco coach): "We needed points to be able to keep working towards our objective. Today, it's a double win. A win that gives us 05/11/2018 Ligue de Football Professionnel - 2017/2018 - Ligue1.com 2
three points and a win for the youth of Monaco who, at 17 or 18 years old and with five or six of them, showed the maturity that - in the present and future - will stay in the squad and validate Monaco's project." AS Saint-Etienne 1-3 Girondins de Bordeaux Jean-Louis Gasset (Saint-Etienne coach): "We felt this dip in energy coming for a while. But playing at three in the afternoon in that heat didn't help us. We could have taken a point, but we defended too badly after the first goal to hope for better. You have to remember that 14 players lost the game, that's what I'll be telling all the players. Today, if we had been as good as the fans, we would have won. I'm simply disappointed because, with a little luck, we could have taken a point." Gustavo Poyet (Bordeaux coach): "We had the better chances, and could have led 3 or 4-1. Like that, the match would have been over by half-time. We knew they were in form, but we wanted to hurt them with the ball and not give in if they opened the scoring. That's what happened, but today, football was fair. It also gave Benoît Costil to do something nice by stopping a fifth penalty of the season. But the whole team worked well, and it's a game that will serve us well in the future." Olympique Lyonnais 3-0 ESTAC Troyes Bruno Genesio (Lyon coach): "This season will have been magnificent if it finishes like we hope, which is to be on the podium at the end of the league season. We're the masters of our own destiny, but we'll not have to slacken off, because we have two tough league games to come." Jean-Louis Garcia (Troyes coach): "It's a little harsh. You know you might lose when you go to Lyon. We conceded the first goal on their first chance, and we weren't attentive enough for the second that came almost immediately afterwards. We played quite deep and we troubled them. I'm disappointed with Lille's win at Toulouse, that doesn't suit us. But we set out from the start to play the play-off, and we'll have to fight to the end." Dijon FCO 3-1 EA Guingamp Olivier Dall'Oglio (Dijon coach): "At the start of the game, we fell into our bad habits with technical errors. We were rough and ready, and the two teams were surprised by the heat. Our second goal knocked out Guingamp. We were good when we went deep, we knew we could hurt them. I want to congratulate the whole team. Those who work out of the limelight enabled us to win the match." Antoine Kombouaré (Guingamp coach): "It's a fair defeat. Dijon were much better than us. We struggled a lot physically and in terms of committment. We dropped off mentally, and I'd like to congratulate Dijon, who played really well. Defensively, they broke through us quite a few times. It was a non-performance. It's not a question of motivation." FC Metz 1-2 Angers SCO Frédéric Hantz (Metz coach): "I want to think well about the match but as for what it means, we'll reflect on later. I'm disappointed and in no mood for analysis. It wasn't a great match.we scored first and we had courage. Tonight, it's very hard for everyone. This match is symbolic of the season. We're in the game but we feel that we're missing things. It all adds up to what happened today. For the whole season I've thought that FC Metz belongs in this division. We'll have to digest it. Life goes on." Stéphane Moulin (Angers coach): "It's really satisfying, a real pleasure to be mathematically safe with two games left. When we remember where we were at halfway point, we would have signed on to fight until the final day. We're very happy to achieve our goal. It was a real performance. This victory sums the mood of the group up quite well. What I liked was that after the equaliser we kept trying to score. It was the perfect match at this time of the season. It's a real achievement to be chasing a fourth Ligue 1 season in August." FC Nantes 2-0 Montpellier Hérault SC Claudio Ranieri (Nantes coach): "It should have been a draw. We had the chance to score at the end of the first half with a penalty but then we conceded two big goals in 12 minutes in the second half. Phenomenal goals. We must congratulate our opponents for that! Afterwards, it was very 05/11/2018 Ligue de Football Professionnel - 2017/2018 - Ligue1.com 3
difficult to do anything against the second best defense of the division. Now, we want a good finish in the final two games. We do the best for our club, for our supporters, who always fantastic. I think that's what the players want. I'm satisfied with them in training, and today, they didn't make a mistake, it was just two great goals. We cannot do anything about it!" Michel Der Zakarian (Montpellier coach): "They didn't have a chance apart from the penalty. We defended well. In the second half, we were much more accurate and we scored two magnificent goals. We're still in the race for Europe. It was necessary to win at all costs to have any hope of finishing fifth. The rest doesn't depend on us but we had to win. After three defeats in a row, we did it in a good way. The main thing is that we won. For a coach to go back to his old club and get such an ovation is beautiful." Stade Rennais FC 2-1 RC Strasbourg Alsace Sabri Lamouchi (Rennes coach): "Whatever happens we took fifth place tonight. The win is good for our league position. It's worthy of note that despite our worries we found the solutions to win this game. We had the right ingredients to take full advantage in the second half. My team was brave and we deserve this victory. I'm very proud of my players' attitude. To win two home games in a row, against two teams fighting for their survival is impressive. We have a good dynamic. Since I've been here we've had boys who are listening, are involved, and who work hard. My players deserve this because they've done a lot of good things." Thierry Laurey (Strasbourg coach): "We can do a lot better, of course, especially in avoiding making mistakes that allow opponents to score. During the first half Rennes made some moves but we didn't give up many chances. That means we were in the right places, even though we could have used the ball better. In the second half there were two or three situations where we failed to take advantage. We made mistakes bu I support the players. We're in a difficult cycle. We have to tackle things head on. The boys gave their best. It wasn't always pretty, but they gave their best." Toulouse FC 2-3 LOSC Mickaël Debève (Toulouse coach): "It's a disastrous scenario. We started very badly, then we came back and led at half-time. We cracked defensively and were punished by Lille, also because we were too nervous. We're in a delicate situation. My defensive tactics? The match required it. I'm the first person responsible for this defeat. Lille won here, so why wouldn't we be able to do the same against Bordeaux next time? There are six points left, and we need at least four." Christophe Galtier (LOSC coach): "I may fall asleep and dream that the championship is over, but there are two games left and nothing is done. A key victory? This is an important win, but the next two matches will be just as important. We won at the right time, but it's not enough yet. We're still in the fight. I might look back on this game if we survive, but for the moment there is still work to be done." Friday, May 4, 2018 Amiens SC 2-2 Paris Saint-Germain Christophe Pélissier (Amiens coach): "They have astounded us again. This was to some extent the confirmation of how our season has gone. Every time the level goes up a notch, they find a way of responding to it. Even against Paris, we didn't renounce our game plan. We are living through super moments. This was a great evening, and it has been a great season! My staff and I are proud to have put together a team from this group of players. We are almost disappointed that it is ending in two weeks." Unai Emery (Paris Saint-Germain coach): "Tonight the team did good things 90 percent of the time. We controlled the game well, had possession of the ball and created chances. Amiens took their chances when they came and scored two goals. We could have done better, but Amiens had a response. The Coupe de France is a great source of motivation for us now. We respect our opponents, who deserved their place in the final. We will prepare well. The players have the desire and motivation to go and win another title." 05/11/2018 Ligue de Football Professionnel - 2017/2018 - Ligue1.com 4
Summer transfer window to open on June 9! Wednesday saw the LFP confirm the opening and closing dates for the season 2018-19 summer transfer window. The summer 2018 transfer window will open on June 9 and close on August 31, 2018, for all Ligue 1 Conforama clubs. The decision was taken by the LFP's Administrative Council on Wednesday. COUPE DE FRANCE PSG clinch quadruple with Coupe de France win Paris Saint-Germain claimed an unprecedented fourth successive Coupe de France with a workmanlike 2-0 win over third-division outsiders Vendée Les Herbiers on Tuesday to complete a domestic quadruple for the third time in four seasons. Tuesday, 8 May, 2017 Coupe de France final Stade de France, Paris Vendée Les Herbiers 0-2 Paris Saint-Germain THE MATCH French president Emmanuel Macron seemed to have forgotten he was due to meet the teams before kick-off. Eventually, the head of state carried out his pre-match duties; PSG - with the convalescing Neymar Jr in the stands - were not as late in turning up to the party at the Stade de France. Giovani Lo Celso struck the outside of a post with a shot (4') before Kylian Mbappé's acrobatic volley also found the woodwork (8') - on another day, the ball would have ricocheted into the goal rather than to safety. With Les Herbiers, only the fifth side from the third division of French football or lower to reach the final, struggling to get out of their own half, PSG applied pressure incessantly. The right-hand post of Matthieu Pichot's goal was struck again by Lo Celso (20') before the young Argentine deservedly scored his first Coupe de France goal - advancing to just outside the penalty area before drilling home a left-foot shot (26'). Preferred to Thomas Meunier at right-back, Dani Alves sent a free-kick dipping just over the crossbar from 25 metres (34') as Pichot's goal led a charmed life. It held until the break, though an Mbappé header raised pulses (39') before the half-time whistle sounded with the underdogs still in the game. There was nothing fortunate about Pichot's excellent stop from Edinson Cavani just after the restart - the chance itself was quite brilliantly created by impudent flicks from the Uruguay international and Mbappé (49') - though Les Herbiers were again indebted to Lady Luck a minute later. Mbappé, who had France boss Didier Deschamps watching on, had wheeled away in delight and was celebrating with the PSG bench when referee Mikaël Lesage headed to the sidelines to re-watch the scramble that preceded the France striker's close-range strike - he spotted a handball by Marquinhos that kept the difference between the two to one goal (50'). Pichot ensured that remained the case with an instinctive block to Cavani's close-range effort (54') and then somehow found himself in the way of 05/11/2018 Ligue de Football Professionnel - 2017/2018 - Ligue1.com 5
Mbappé's shot from just two metres out to keep Les Herbiers in contention (69') - incredibly - with just over 20 minutes left. He might have pulled off another miracle after bringing down Cavani to gift PSG's all-time leading marksman a penalty. Pichot did get a hand to the former Napoli man's spot-kick, but could not prevent the powerfully struck shot finding the corner of the net (75') as Unai Emery's men completed a clean sweep of French football's trophies in 2017-18. THE PLAYER: Giovani Lo Celso The young Argentine continues to impress after finding his way into the PSG first team in the latter stages of this season. After ensuring the Ligue 1 Conforama champions did not sleepwalk into the encounter, he set them on the way to victory. Surely there is even better to come in 2018/19. THE STAT: 42 PSG have now won their last 42 domestic cup ties. They are unbeaten since 22 January 2014 having won 23 successive Coupe de France games and 18 consecutive matches in the Coupe de la Ligue. Emery: 'A great evening' Paris Saint-Germain boss Unai Emery was thrilled to have completed a domestic quadruple but also had plenty of praise for Coupe de France final opponents Les Herbiers after the 2-0 victory on Tuesday. Tuesday, 8 May, 2017 Coupe de France final Stade de France, Paris Vendée Les Herbiers 0-2 Paris Saint-Germain Sébastien Flochon (Les Herbiers captain): "We have no regrets. Congratulations to the lads. We knew PSG would be a mountain, but we gave it everything we had. The whole squad gave their all, and deserve congratulations. We're proud of ourselves; it was a huge achievement just to make it this far. If we had won the match, we would have become legends. We're just happy to have given the Vendée region something to smile about." Unai Emery (Paris Saint-Germain coach): "We're happy with this win. We knew, despite the difference between the two squads, that Les Herbiers would cause us problems. They stayed in the match for 90 minutes. We opened the scoring, but they continued playing and wanting to cause danger in front of our goal. From our side, we were able to create a lot chances without giving them many. It was a great evening for everyone, with entertainment and atmosphere. I want to congratulate Les Herbiers while also being happy to have won the Coupe de France." 05/11/2018 Ligue de Football Professionnel - 2017/2018 - Ligue1.com 6