You might think Monaco have plenty to cheer about, especially after their 2-1 win at PSG, but it’s complicatedBy Get French Football NewsWhen a manager says that “no player is more important than the club”, it is usually because said player is agitating for a move. Filipe Luís was referring to Folarin Balogun, who did quite the opposite on transfer deadline day, opting to stay at Monaco rather than joining Everton, despite an agreement between the clubs.You’d think that retaining your top scorer from last season would be reason for celebration, but the fact it is not once again exposes the French football paradox. Like plenty of other clubs in Ligue 1, Monaco are torn between sporting and financial prerogatives. They ended up prioritising the former on transfer deadline day, albeit unwillingly, and even in a week when they beat PSG at the Parc des Princes to retain their 100% record, it is bittersweet. Continue reading...
The often-derided Loris Karius upstaged Manuel Neuer as Schalke held Bayern to a rare goalless draw in a tale of two goalkeepers in Gelsenkirchen If one goalkeeper was going to dominate the discussion in this game, it actually felt as if it would be the less busy one. Schalke fans do not take kindly to being dumped and even if Manuel Neuer left the club behind 15 years ago – and even if most of the world associates him with Bayern Munich rather than his home town club – he is still given a rough ride when he returns.Opposing sporting directors Max Eberl and Frank Baumann had words to say about that after Saturday evening’s latest visit, but it wasn’t Germany’s legendary goalkeeper who took the headlines – or not he alone, at least. It was always going to be a landmark afternoon with Schalke playing a first home game in the top flight since May 2023, but this was way beyond what anyone could have expected. The numbers said it all – with Bayern failing to score for the first time domestically since a goalless draw at Leverkusen more than 18 months ago, meaning they finished the weekend not on top of the table for the first time in almost two years – but told nothing of the story. Continue reading...
The Telegraph's Luke Edwards says Roberto de Zerbi's comments that "you can't just build the team with the names like in Football Manager" after his Tottenham side drew against Nottingham Forest on Saturday "ring a little bit hollow". After a goalless draw at the City Ground left Spurs still searching for a first win of the season, head coach De Zerbi also told Sky Sports Spurs "have to improve in every part of football, organisation with and without the ball".
Tap a headline to view metadata and excerpt fields in Sportra, then use the article website button to continue on the original publisher page.
