Parisian Internationals

By: Thomas | October 14th, 2009

Just for fun, watch Les Bleus beat Austria.

Every International break I am reminded how few of our players represent their countries. In fact, often those playing at an Under 21 level are the standout performers.

Malta U-21 0-2 France U-21
Both Mamadou Sakho and Younousse Sankhare started the match, Sakho wearing the captains armband and Sankhare the number ten shirt. Sankhare was replaced in the 58th minute by Steven Nzonzi.

Belgium U-21 0-0 France U-21
Sakho and Sankhare again started and in the same fashion, but although Sakho helped preserve the clean sheet, Sankhare’s best efforts could not provide the spark for a goal.

Benin 1-0 Ghana
Stephane Sessegnon’s Benin side beat a heavily favored Ghana in Group D after an 89th minute strike from Mohamed Aoudou. This win does little but salvage some pride for Benin as they are effectively out of contention for World Cup 2010 qualification. Sessegnon played the full match for his 23rd senior cap.

The Latest Products of the Rumor Mill:

The management wants David Trezeguet. Good luck with that guys. Why would we need him anyway? A Trezeguet-Hoarau partnership would fail, they each need to play alongside a creative striker.
Roma defensive midfielder Ricardo Faty ‘dreams of playing for the club’. That’s nice Ricardo. Makelele replacement?
Jerome Alonzo wants to come back to PSG. Somehow I don’t see this one happening, unless he pays the club and Willy Grondin (the latter just so he’ll leave).

In terms of interviews, Stephane Sessegnon talks to the press about his temper…

Stéphane, do you think you should perhaps take a little tranquiliser before you play to help you calm down on the pitch?
“(Smiles) I don’t need any medication! I’ve always given it everything when I play football. The only thing is… it’s that you have to use that energy intelligently, control it and also control my attitude.”

Guillaume (Hoarau) recently suggested installing a punching ball in the changing rooms…
“I really hate losing and I hate injustice. That goes for on and off the football pitch, by the way. To feel good within myself, I have to reach my goals. Otherwise I really struggle to contain my frustration. Guillaume might be right, I need to take it out on something when things don’t work out because in the end, I just penalise myself and the whole team.”

Is it only football that’s gets you so excited?
“I’m like that in everything I do. When I do something, I don’t ever want to have regrets so I give it 100 per cent. However, if I’m not good at something, then I can accept it. But I always want to give it my best, because that’s how I was brought up. Obviously it’s most noticeable for me, when I’m on the football pitch. You can’t give me a nasty reputation though or start calling me a nasty player. I have character, but I cop more knocks than I deal out.”
Do you think your opponents are trying to provoke you a little more this season?
“I’ve got a reputation for being a bit of a hot head and obviously they try and exploit my weaknesses. I lot try and get me to explode and I can feel it. Sometimes it’s insults, repetitive fouls, leaving the studs in a challenge, without the referee picking up on it. It’s unfair, but I just have to learn to channel my energy to rise above it.”
You still have a one-match ban hanging over your head with another yellow card in your next ten games. Be careful not to miss out on the Olympique de Marseille match!
“I don’t even want to think about it. You can get a yellow card for next to nothing so I’m not going to start worrying about. And if I start picking and choosing my matches, then that won’t help anything either and I’ll start playing worse. Every Ligue 1 match is important, whether it be Marseille or anyone else, a win is a win and it’s worth three points.”

And another ‘We’re getting stronger’ interview from Kombou.

Other Random Tidbits:

“The conseil national de l’Ethique ruled that Antoine Kombouaré and Christian Gourcuff were to “ participate in a ‘educational role with children to promote the values of football, most importantly respect amongst the participants.’ The participation will take place in the respective club’s local league.” This is about the whole Maka argument–it’s their punishment.
PSG have their traditional luncheon with the mayor of Paris. Go here if you’re interested in pictures. I feel like they do a lot of these meetings with the mayor. Didn’t he visit training a couple weeks back?
Injured players include Traore (hamstring), Hoarau (hamstring), Bourillon (lombago), Camara (deep vein thrombosis), and Erding (shoulder)