Tutti gli articoli WhoScored.com di Andy Brassell RSS

Half Time Switch Fixes France But For How Long?

by
Half Time Switch Fixes France But For How Long? All of a sudden, a huge weight has lifted from France. “Libérés” – freed – was the simple headline on the cover of Monday’s L’Equipe with, tellingly, the photo below of Antoine Griezmann and Olivier Giroud celebrating the former’s equaliser. Th...

Support for star midfielders will decide how far Croatia can go

by
Support for star midfielders will decide how far Croatia can go All the talk is of their midfield, and why wouldn’t it be? Having the magnificence of Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic at their disposal means most conversations around Croatia are centred around the Real Madrid and Barcelona pair, but that’s fair enough – especially after Modric&rsquo...

Wilmots Needs to Find Right Attacking Blend for Belgium

by
Wilmots Needs to Find Right Attacking Blend for Belgium Ahead of Monday night’s Euro 2016 opener with Italy in Lyon, the two ends of the pitch contrast like night and day for Belgium. Even if Marc Wilmots has the best centre-back partnership in England at his disposal in the shape of Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen - should he use them as a ce...

Ligue 1 2015/16 Round-up - Can Anyone Compete With PSG?

by
Ligue 1 2015/16 Round-up - Can Anyone Compete With PSG? How do Paris Saint-Germain move on from Zlatan Ibrahimovic?He arrived with a bang, and left with one. Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s final game at the Parc des Princes on Saturday was spectacular, with the game stopped for an ovation in the 10th minute before he scored twice against Nantes to help take ...

Jardim’s Monaco Plan Falls Apart in Champions League Chase

by
Jardim’s Monaco Plan Falls Apart in Champions League Chase Jérémy Toulalan will never be one of French football’s most prolific talkers so when he does open up, it’s worth listening. The words of the Monaco midfield stalwart are like his game, straightforward and decisive. “There are no excuses,” he said after his curre...

Brilliant Boudebouz Seals Montpellier Safety

by
Brilliant Boudebouz Seals Montpellier Safety “We’re the first team in history to stay up after taking one point from the first seven games. That’s going to shut certain people up.” After Montpellier all but sealed Ligue 1 safety last week by demolishing already-relegated Troyes, midfielder Ryad Boudebouz can’t hav...

Revived Toulouse Down But Not Out

by
Revived Toulouse Down But Not Out It was a beginning in keeping with Toulouse’s sorry season. When Pascal Dupraz was appointed as coach to replace Dominique Arribagé, it seemed like president Olivier Sadran was already planning for life in Ligue 2. Arribagé’s side had just been beaten at home in the worst p...

Resurgent Lille Go from Cellar Dwellers to Champions League Chasers

by
Resurgent Lille Go from Cellar Dwellers to Champions League Chasers If any team epitomises the haywire nature of this Ligue 1 campaign outside the bubble of Paris Saint Germain’s supremacy, then it is surely Lille. At the start of February, Les Dogues were three points above the drop zone, and had managed a miserable tally of 18 goals in 23 games. After winnin...

Marvellous Maxwell Compromising Fekir and Valbuena Euro Chances

by
Marvellous Maxwell Compromising Fekir and Valbuena Euro Chances “It was, without a doubt, one of my most difficult weeks in terms of choice.” Bruno Genesio thought long and hard before finalising his Lyon team for Friday night’s trip to Montpellier. The coach’s decision revolved around one position in particular. Maxwell Cornet had been r...

Bordeaux Chipping Away to Safety Under Club Legend Ramé

by
Bordeaux Chipping Away to Safety Under Club Legend Ramé “Is there a Ramé effect? The future will confirm that - or not.” It’s early days for Ulrich Ramé as Bordeaux coach, but it already seems as if he’s as steady a personality as a boss as he was as the goalkeeper that served Les Girondins for the best part of 15 ye...