French Football Weekly

After ten games of Ligue 1 - more or less - Kris, Jez and Phil round up the weekend's action, the quality you can see even at the bottom of the table, and look forward to the international break where France will play Finland, Portugal and Sweden.

Kris and Jez are on their own this week to discuss a fairly problematic Champion's League round, as well as the Europa League, Ligue 1, and the recent announcement of the French squad for the next international break.

A newly Twitterless Kris is joined by Jez and Phil to look back at the second round of the Champions' League, the weekend's league action, contrasting fortunes in the Europa league, and how the newly announced lockdown in France will affect French football.

The Champions League started badly for the French contingent, so Kris, Jez and Phil look back over 1 point from 3 matches and some late goals that did for PSG and OM. We also look at the weekend's games, lots of goals, two teams going down to nine men, whether we need to talk about Saint-Etienne, and if Lille might make a race of this.

Kris, Jez and Phil look back over the international break, including two Nations' League games, and discuss Giroud's 100th cap, formation changes, and Kylian Mbappe's job. We also look forward to the weekend's schedule featuring several matches between closely placed teams, and give a nod to the start of European club competition.

Kris, Jez and Phil round up game 6 of Ligue 1 including PSG's 6-1 win against Angers, the FFW derby as Metz won 3-1 against Lorient, and a slightly strange Olimpico. There's also some transfer news, Stephane Moulin's bad optics, the sad death of Eddie van Halen, and teams scoring with their only shot on target. Enjoy the international break!

We missed last week because reasons, so are back to round up game 5, what Lyon and PSG are up to, the Champions League draw, French team announcement, and various discinplinary issues.

It's been a quiet week, so Kris, Jez and Phil try to think of things to talk about. This includes the card-laden stramash with occasional football that was le Classique which saw Marseille winning 1-0 at the Parc des Princes, Lyon's woes, the current location of Houssem Aouar, Montpellier's up-and-at-'em style, and Irvin Cardona putting his name in early for the Puskás Award.

After an international break that saw France beat Sweden and Croatia in the Nations League, Kris, Jez and Phil look back at les Bleus' performances, the new defensive set-up, the U21s, how many players PSG actually have available, and some mild transfer chat.

We've had Day 2 of the new season (PSG notwithstanding) and roll into the first international break this weekend as France play Sweden and Croatia, but OL have also finally put an end to last season with their win in the Women's Champions League. Kris, Jez and Phil try to work out what day it actually is.

Just an intimate twosome this week as Kris and Jez review Matchday 1 of the new Ligue 1 season, picking out all the teams who seem to be missing a goalscorer and spotting the team who have found one! We also discuss the rights and wrongs of the Lens vs PSG postponement. And we end with a look at Didier Deschamps' latest squad announcement, which includes some exciting new call-ups, some interesting recalls ... and the inevitable Boring Benzema Brigade Backlash.

In our Champions League final review special, Kris and Jeremy are joined by PSG fan (and Jeremy Menez fetishist) Matthew Gooding to look back on where the final was won and lost. We analyse the match, PSG's Champions League campaign and whether or not the future is bright for les Parisiens. We also discuss whether Ligue 1's reputation has been enhanced, and touch on whether or not PSG are unfairly treated in the media.

After the Champions League semi-finals, Kris, Jez and Phil regret Lyon's loss to Bayern and review PSG's win over Leipzig. They look forward to the final on Sunday, and try to work out when and how Ligue 1 is going to restart.

After the mildly unexpected victory of Lyon over Manchester City in the last of the Champions' League quarter-finals, Kris, Jez and Phil convene for a short bonus pod in which we all try to work out what the heck happened, who was (ir)responsible, who shone, who didn't, and what might happen as the semi-finals heave into view.

It's been a busy week as the 2019/20 season hits the business end(TM) - Kris, Jez and Phil review PSG's last-minute comeback against Atalanta, Lyon progressing against Juventus, and the Coupe de France Feminine final, where OL beat PSG on penalties after an unexpected goalless draw. In the Champions' League, Lyon will play Manchester City on Saturday, and we nervously consider how that could pan out, as well as discussing PSG's chances against their yet-to-be-confirmed opponent (Atletico Madrid or RB Leipzig). In the women's game, both OL and PSG will be off to Bilbao for the final stages of the WCL, to face Bayern Munich and Arsenal respectively.

The French football season is over, as PSG beat Lyon on penalties in the last ever Coupe de la Ligue final. Kris, Jez and Phil are here to look at that, Lyon's upcoming game against Juventus, the transfer market, COVID, and more besides.

We're back! Ligue 1 may have died a death in March, but we've just had the Coupe de France final, and are awaiting the Coupe de la Ligue Final on Friday and the Portugal-based 'lads on tour' Champions League thingy in August. Thus, Kris, Jez and Phil get the band back together to round up what the hell has been happening. Features promotions, relegations, transfers, stats, Loic Perrin and occasional friendlies.

When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro. Kris, Rich and Phil round up PSG's win over Dortmund in the Champions' League, the Ligue 1 action last weekend, the Ligue 1 action we hope will happen this weekend, and how the burgeoning global pandemic may affect football more generally. Stay safe everyone.

Kris, Jez, Phil and Rich round up PSG's 5-1 win over a ten-man Lyon, the Rhone derby, Rayan Cherki, why Rich doesn't like Mark Hughes and whether Alan Curbishley will ever manage in Ligue 1.

Kris, Rich and Phil are here to talk Lyon, after their impressive win over Juventus in the Champions League and with some tricky matches on the way. The gang also look back at the weekend's results, and some red cards that will be important in upcoming games, a brief look at the Ligue 2 standings, and what's coming up next week.

PSG have had a hell of a week, from a 6-1 hammering of Dijon in the Coupe de France, through a chaotic 4-4 draw in the Ligue to 19th placed Amiens, to a 2-1 defeat by Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League knock-out stages. Kris, Jez and Phil are here to look at what happened, how, why, by whom and wherever. They also round up the weekend's Ligue results as Saint Etienne continue to suffer and Nimes have something approaching a bounce, and look forward to a slightly underwhelming next round of fixtures.

Amidst a confusing midweek round, Kris, Jez, Rich and Phil try to keep up with what's going on after PSG won 5-0 against Montpellier, Mbappe threw a strop, Nimes are playing well, and a Depay-less Lyon have had trouble. Rich sings Camavinga's praises in our new French Football Futures section, and Jez has hope for Metz.

We're back! After an extended winter break, Kris, Phil, Rich and Jez are joined by Coupe correspondent John Mainland to look back at the post-Christmas action, including many cupsets in the Coupe de France, one of which happens as we are recording. Along with the Ligue 1 positions and Coupe de la Ligue, we will be starting our series 'French Football Future' in the coming weeks, so if there are any players you are anxious to hear about, let us know in the comments or on Twitter.

It's party time - except in Ligue 1 where there were only 15 goals in the last round of games - so Kris and Phil are here to round up all the action, the Coupe de la Ligue (ongoing), the Champion's League draw, and look particularly at Lyon and Monaco as 2019 draws to a close.

There were 35 goals over the weekend, and Kris, Jez and Phil are here to try to keep up. We've also seen a bunch of cupsets in the Coupe de France, and some serious handbags in the Champions' League.

We're ten games into Ligue 1 and three games into the European competitions, so Kris, Jez and Phil are here to cover all the action, including Garcia's awkward start at Lyon, Angel di Maria, late goals, WCL success, and more.

Kris, Jez, Phil and Rich look back on the international break which saw France beat Iceland and draw against Turkey, and an increasingly confusing set of managerial changes. Also features Kris levering mentions of Lorient in Ligue 2 and tactical choices for Arsenal.

After nine games, Ligue 1 goes on hold for an(other) international break - Kris, Rich and Phil look back over a confusing set of results, a number of managerial changes, a worrying set of fashion choices from les Bleus, and much much more. (Apologies for the abrupt cut-off at the end, slight technical issues)

Eight games in to Ligue 1 and after two games of the Champions League, Kris, Rich and Phil get together to discuss Dijon's first win, Monaco's revival, the European games, and more.

After a short international break, Kris, Phil, Jez and Rich round up what's happened in games 6 and 7, which leaves PSG and Angers equal on points at the top of the table. Saint-Etienne are in a bit of bother which leaves them in the bottom three, and Lyon are not in great shakes either.

Four games in, and Kris, Phil, Jez and Rich are here to look at the last round of games, the transfer window, the European draws, the upcoming international break and France selection, and Phil gets a bit sweary explaining why the League's move against homophobia does look to be largely like using gay people as an alibi for their ongoing oppression of football fans.

Kris, Rich and Phil are back to look back over game 3 of Ligue 1 and associated admin. Nice were bought, Monaco had a second-half collapse, PSG suffered key injuries, and Lyon lost away at Montpellier while we were recording so apologies for the squeaking in the background.

Game 2 of Ligue 1 saw some unexpected and exciting results, as PSG lost to Rennes, Lyon hit six past Angers, Metz saw off Monaco who look in a world of trouble, and Marseille continued to underwhelm with a goalless draw at Nantes. Kris, Jez, Rich and Phil round up all the results, what are the various problems for various teams, how the situation is at Nice, and what's good to watch out for at the weekend.

The 2019/20 season is upon us, and Phil, Jez and Rich are back to cover game 1, the transfer market, where exactly Neymar is right now, and many other things.

The last round of Ligue 1 matches saw Dijon take the play-off spot, with Caen going down after a 1-0 home loss to Bordeaux. Kris, Jez, Phil and Rich look back at that and pick out their team of the season. The U20 World Cup is on, and the Women's World Cup is coming up, so we will be covering both over the summer now the league is out of the way.

Most things got sorted out in the last round, as Lille hammered Angers, and OL and ASSE both won, to sew up third and fourth spots and the European places for next season. However, there's still some stuff to sort out at the other end, so Kris, Phil, Jez and Rich are here to round that up, the recent UNFP awards, and the recent France squad announcement from Didier Deschamps.

On Saturday, Rennes won the Coupe de France for the third time, their first since 1971, beating PSG on penalties after a 2-2 draw that saw them come from 2-0 down. Rich is purring as he, Kris and Phil look back at a highly enjoyable cup final, the implications for Europe, the rest of the Ligue 1 action, and PSG's continuing wibbles. Elsewhere, OL are through to the Women's Champions' League final after beating Chelsea 3-2 on aggregate, where they will face Barcelona who beat Bayern in their semi.

PSG secure the title! Because Lille had a goalless draw at Toulouse, which meant they did that before even kicking off against Monaco. So the Kylian Mbappe hat-trick at the Parc de Princes on Sunday seemed a little underwhelming. Kris, Phil and Jez try to put all this into perspective, look at the race for Europe, the relegation battle, Lyon in the WCL, and other things.

Phil, Jez and Conor have a look at PSG's increasingly desperate attempts to sew up the Ligue 1 title that has looked nailed on since August, as the Parisians draw with bogey team Strasbourg, get hammered by Lille, and lose away at Nantes. We also cover Prince Gouano's response to racist chanting away at Dijon. the race for third, the amble for fifth, and various other issues.

After the international break, Kris, Jez and Phil look back over France's comprehensive wins in their first two Euro qualifiers against Moldova and Iceland, as well as the Women's Champions League and upcoming Coupe de la Ligue final and Ligue 1 fixtures.

France are out of Europe, after PSG's capitulation against Manchester United is followed by Barcelona beating Lyon 5-1 and Arsenal overturning Rennes' first-leg lead with a 3-0 home win. The gang's all here to discuss that, and the Classique which saw PSG beating OM 3-1 in a game that saw Steve Mandanda sent off, banjaxing OM's chances. Kris, Jez, Phil and Rich cover all that, the relegation fight, various fan protests, the latest on Adrien Rabiot, and the France squad for the upcoming Euro qualifiers against Moldova and Iceland, as well as any other business.

After a week of European competition that was both the best and worst of times, Kris, Jez and Phil look back at PSG's capitulation against Manchester United, Rennes' great result against Arsenal, and the weekend's results in Ligue 1 - and also forwards to Lyon's trip to Barcelona.

European competition is back and while PSG take a 2-0 lead back to the Parc de Princes against an injury-hit Manchester United, the Europa League sees Rennes play Arsenal - this pits Kris against Rich, with Jez and Phil chipping in on the other stuff.

After some surprising results in Ligue 1, miscellaneous bitching about the January transfer window, and a French casualty in the Premier League, Kris, Jez and Phil round up all the happenings and try to remember that the Coupe de France has reached the quarter-final stage. At least no Ligue 1 goalkeepers have gone rogue since we last spoke.

After Lyon's battling goalless draw against Barcelona, Kris Jez and Phil look back at that, game 25, some catch-up games, and Rennes in the Europa League.

After a tricky week, featuring a frustrating Coupe de France game against third-tier opposition, a lengthening injury list, and being behind at the bookies, PSG still managed to dazzle at Old Trafford as they beat Manchester United 2-0 in the Champions League. Kris, Jez and Phil break down how the hell that happened, and many other things.

After a confusing round of what was mostly game 23 of Ligue 1, we also have cup games and catch-ups in the schedule that are messing with the system. Also messing with the system were Lyon, who did one of their big game performances to inflict PSG's first league loss of the season, winning 2-1.

As Ligue 1 pans through game 22, Kris, Jez and Phil round up all the action as OM struggle at home to Lille, Lille continue to be good, Monaco continue to be confusing as they bin Thierry Henry for the guy they binned earlier in the season, Guingamp are still dead last but in both cups, etc etc.

We're back, and so is French football! Phil, Jez and Rich have a look at how things stand at the midway-ish point (some December games yet to play) after 2019 opened with a cracking round of Coupe de France fixtures including 10 (ten) upsets. These including Angers being knocked out by sixth-tier regional team Viry-Chatillon, Gazelec Ajaccio ditto by Noisy-le-Grand, and the one you may have heard about, OM falling 2-0 to National side Andrezieux. The team also rounds up the Coupe de le Ligue quarter-finals and their favourite transfer rumours.

Issues in France mean that there were only four matches played last weekend (the remaining matches scheduled for mid-January) and there's a number of postponements for the next weekend. Kris, Jez and Phil do their best to round that up, while focussing on PSG and OL in the Champions League.