Olympique Lyonnais boss Hubert Fournier admitted his side could and should have done better as they were held to 0-0 draw at home to Lorient; Paris Saint-Germain boss Laurent Blanc saw promise in their opening-round win.
Sunday, August 9, 2015
Olympique Lyonnais 0 - 0 FC Lorient
Hubert Fournier (Lyon coach): "We're disappointed with the result. We had chances, notably the one where we hit the post twice. We were missing quite a few ingredients for the win: precision, composure and link-up play in the last 20 metres. Despite dominating heavily and maintaining possession, we created relatively few chances. We need to inject vivacity into our passing and to be far less wasteful in possession. The positives are that we kept a clean sheet and the fact that the chances we did concede were due to errors on our part and not to initiatives from our opponents. It would have been fantastic to take all three points, and we had the opportunity to do so at certain points in the match."
Sylvain Ripoll (Lorient coach): "For a side like ours, coming to Lyon and getting a point in these conditions is necessarily a point won. Overall I'm satisfied with my players' investment and the cohesion of our defensive efforts to stymie Lyon's attacking plans. In terms of regrets, we would have liked to be in better shape physically in order to keep things interesting in the second half. With fatigue our game became sloppy and that penalised us. Still, it's a point won that gets us off to a start for the season. We know we need to improve in lots of areas but that's completely normal."
Girondins de Bordeaux 1 - 2 Stade de Reims 
Willy Sagnol (Bordeaux coach): "Two major defensive errors cost us the points. At Reims' second goal our goalkeeper was struggling because of an ankle injury. We also lost a central defender (Sertic) quite quickly to injury. So there were quite a lot of things that happened to explain these errors. We were too soft; there wasn't enough desire to get forward and kill the match. Why? I don't have the answer. We need to show more maturity. I am also partly responsible. I wasn't happy with any aspect of the performance."
Olivier Guégan (Reims coach): "Even when we were behind, we felt we were capable of coming back into the game. We were creating chances and for me Agassa's error at the Bordeaux goal was anecdotal. I am very satisfied with the second-half display and it is a very interesting victory because not every team in this league will come here and win. The youngsters came on and did well. (Grejohn) Kyei was already with us last season, Siebatcheu is improving and they have already done well in pre-season. It is good that we are able to call on players from the academy and we will be more and more dependent on them in the future. The youngsters bring so much to the squad, including an insouciance. We need to channel that too."
Toulouse FC 2 - 1 AS Saint-Etienne 
Dominique Arribagé (Toulouse coach): "We needed to restart on the same dynamic as at the end of last season, inject life into our campaign with a victory in this match. That was important for us. We had a good pre-season, although the 5-0 defeat in Germany (to Augsburg) did damage our confidence. Going behind against a good Saint-Etienne side was not the best way to begin but we managed to turn the match around from set-pieces. In terms of quality of play, spirit, my players showed up well."
Christophe Galtier (Saint-Etienne coach): "This match can be summed up by the three set-pieces. When we managed to create danger, we couldn't finish our chances. TFC merit their victory. We need to improve in many respects. The fact we played three days previously is not an excuse at this stage of the season. Going forward our performance was average. By not taking our chances we exposed ourselves to Toulouse's quality from dead balls. There should be new players coming in but until they have signed we can't say anything. What is certain is that the club is working to recruit attacking players. Nolan (Roux) is my only out and out striker and if I lose him I have nobody. I preferred to start with Romain Hamouma, who has already played there. Then I changed the system but it didn't work out."
Saturday, August 8, 2015
Olympique de Marseille 0-1 SM Caen 
>> BIELSA RESIGNS AS OM COACH: REACTIONS SPECIAL
Patrice Garande (Caen coach): "We're very happy and proud of this win, even if it was difficult. What was important to me was that my players came here with the desire to win. We knew we'd have chances, but we also knew we'd suffer a lot. We need to remind people that we're building a team here, and that a win like this one is very good for our confidence levels."
Montpellier Hérault SC 0-2 Angers SCO 
Rolland Courbis (Montpellier coach): "We were right off it, me first and foremost. We came up against a team that played well. Their win was deserved. We weren't as bad in the second half but didn't have that slice of luck you need to score. We're disappointed of course, but there are still 37 matches to play."
Stéphane Moulin (Angers): "We'd have taken that result straight away if you'd offered it to us pre-match. We wouldn't have dared hope for it. There's great joy here. We insisted on the fact that we had to come here without any complexes. We didn't ask questions of ourselves and it paid off."
SC Bastia 2-1 Stade Rennais FC 
François Modesto (Bastia defender): "I don't think we were bad in the first half. But we had problems with their tactical system. Then we changed our tactics at half-time and switched to three midfielders and it worked. We deserved to win given the balance of chances."
Philippe Montanier (Rennes coach): "We were fine in the first half but not good enough in the second. Bastia put a lot more commitment into it. We were below par on that front. We didn't create enough chances and we must react next Saturday against Montpellier."
OGC Nice 1 - 2 AS Monaco 
Claude Puel (Nice coach): "I feel a lot of frustration and pain for my players, who gave everything. The winds were against us with injuries and the red card for young Boscagli. Despite all of that, at half-time we still believed we could do it. We had a chance for 2-0 at the end of a superb move. We conceded avoidable goals. You can see we have great potential, but in the short term we'll have to deal with squad problems and that won't be easy;"
Leonardo Jardim (Monaco coach): "We started badly. We didn't press and we defended deep. In the second half we totally controlled things. With the changes, the game evolved. We played higher up the pitch and pressed better. The idea now is to recover well in the days to come. We're already thinking about Friday's home game against Lille."
FC Nantes 1 - 0 EA Guingamp 
Michel Der Zakarian (Nantes coach): "It's good to start like that. We played quite well in the first half and had chances against a team that came to defend and play on the break. After that, things evened up and we were less fluent. We were lucky with our goal from Johan Audel's cross. We had players who didn't know la Beaujoire and this was a good start for them."
Jocelyn Gourvennec (Guingamp coach): "It's disappointing as I thought we were in control in the last 15-20 minutes, and I even thought we might score. For the Nantes goal we made a big mistake in losing the ball. We were also penalized by Lionel Mathis going off. For a first game of the season we were well organized and dangerous, even if we didn't manage to see it through."
ESTAC Troyes 0 - 0 GFC Ajaccio 
Benjamin Nivet (Troyes midfielder): "We're a bit disappointed not to have won in front of our own fans. We lacked creativity and imagination in the first half. We pushed a lot more in the second and had chances. That's a point on the board and we kept a clean sheet. The result is fair."
Thierry Laurey (Gazélec Ajaccio coach): "It's a good result from a match we didn't control well enough. We didn't show up well enough in attack in order to hurt this very good Troyes team. They were better than us. We were very well organized in defence and we used a new system which we'd not even tried in pre-season. The point was deserved and we got it because of our desire."
Friday, August 7, 2015
LOSC Lille 0 - 1 Paris Saint-Germain 
Hervé Renard (Lille coach): "I am very frustrated. Not everything was perfect, but with a bit more determination and audacity we would have been capable of at least getting a draw. PSG's only solution was to try and get in behind us and we were punished. PSG only need one chance. We need to be more ambitious, more demanding. I'd prefer to lose 5-0 against PSG than to lose like that. There were a lot of good things done by certain players, but we were not all at the level required in a match of this standing so the final result was logical. We will retain a lot of things from this game, but the most important thing is to be clinical in the final third and defend well. We can't pose problems to teams when we are frightened. That wasn't PSG, that was 10-man PSG. Of course they are quality players, they are the champions of France, but if they found themselves down to 10 men it was because of our pressing. But the good things don't interest me; results do. We had one big chance and we had to take it. Against PSG, it is difficult to create 10 chances per game."
Laurent Blanc (Paris Saint-Germain coach): "To start the season in these circumstances, with some of the things that happened, and get three points at Lille, is very good. We had some favourable situations at 11 against 11, but also at 10 against 11. It augurs rather well for the future. We have been looking better and better collectively for some time now, playing more compact, and that allows us to win the ball back quicker. We know that, with our pre-season preparations, we are behind certain other players and teams. We are going to have double sessions this week to make up for that. If we add the fact that we didn't pick up any injuries, it was a really good evening for us. The first yellow card (for Rabiot) was a bit harsh - it was a hard tackle but he took the ball, so I don't think there was a foul. The second foul was an error of youth - when you already have a yellow card you don't get a second one. The second yellow was damaging for the team. It maybe galvanised us, but I prefer to play with 11 men."
Check out all the Ligue1.com match reports for season 2015-16, sorted by week and linked to official video highlights.
Alexandre Lacazette has ended any speculation about his future by signing a new, improved contract with Olympique Lyonnais that runs until 2019.
The 24-year-old France international forward has been a target for some of Europe’s biggest clubs since scoring a club-record 27 goals last season in helping OL finish second in Ligue 1 behind Paris Saint-Germain.
“I am very happy and proud to prolong the adventure with OL,” said Lacazette. “It has been long and complicated, but everything was clear in my head. I always wished to stay at the club and refuse all other offers. After that, it was up to my advisors to negotiate a deal that was in my best interests.
"Henceforth, people will stop saying Lacazette is going to sign for this club or that club. I hope that people will talk about me purely because of the goals I score and because the team has won.
"My objectives? Everything is possible. I haven't set a goals target for the season. I want to perform well, progress, win a trophy and go as far as possible in the Champions League."
Coach Hubert Fournier added: "First of all it was important for Alex to get this out of the way so he could move onto other things. The staff were dealing with the situation but, like with Nabil (Fekir), we saw that things like that can perturb a player somewhat. It's important for a player to be physically prepared but the mental side of things is hugely important as well. Hopefully Alex will now kick his season off in style and the team will kick into gear."
Lyon begin their Ligue 1 season at home to FC Lorient on Sunday evening at the Stade de Gerland.
To mark the start of the new Ligue 1 season, the LFP is launching a brand-new version of its English-language mobile website m.ligue1.com.
Featuring a new look and original navigation, this new version aims to meet the growing demands and expectations of fans on the move, courtesy of its new interface specially adapted to the user's hardware (smartphone, phablet or tablet) and operating system (iOS, Android, Windows).
Throughout the season, fans will find everything they need to know about the Ligue 1 season (fixtures, results, standings); video highlights of every Ligue 1, Ligue 2 and Coupe de la Ligue match; and a selection of articles published by the clubs themselves on social media. On match day, the new mobile site offers exclusive access to scores and statistical updates in real time.
Tailor-made
m.ligue1.com caters to English-speaking fans who want to keep right up to date with all the latest Ligue 1 news. As well as fixtures, results and standings, m.ligue1.com will offer a daily selection of articles featuring all the breaking news and interviews from Ligue 1.
Taking fans closer than ever before, the English-language mobile site m.ligue1.com also allows fans to personalise their experience by choosing a favourite club. This feature will give the fans direct access to immediate information about their chosen club and a dedicated fan kit enabling them to see all the important statistics ahead of the next match of their favourite team.
Argentina star Angel Di Maria has signed a four-year, €63.6m contract with Paris Saint-Germain, making clear he has joined the capital club with the ambition of bringing the Champions League trophy to the Parc des Princes.
Speculation has linked former Benfica, Real Madrid and Manchester United forward Angel Di Maria with Paris Saint-Germain all summer long, but on Thursday it was made official as the Argentina international - the most expensive player in the history of football in terms of accumulated transfer fees (€179m) - signed on the dotted line.
Di Maria, 27, passed his medical in Doha earlier in the week before arriving in the French capital to make the move official and begin his next footballing adventure alongside national team colleagues Ezequiel Lavezzi and Javier Pastore.
Champions League focus
"I'm very proud to be here and I can't wait to wear the Paris Saint-Germain shirt," Di Maria, a Champions League winner with Real Madrid in 2014, told his new club's official website. "I hope to claim success in every competition we play in, both in France and Europe. I want to win the Champions League once again - it's every footballer's dream. We'll do everything we can to bring the Paris Saint-Germain fans and France the greatest European trophy."
Meanwhile PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi was evidently delighted with the capture of a player of Di Maria's calibre as the capital club bid to keep growing on the world stage.
Measure of ambition
"We're very proud that Angel Di Maria chose Paris Saint-Germain," Al-Khelaifi said. "He's got talent coming out his ears, he has a formidable capacity to get past his man and his speed is breath-taking. He's joining a considerable South American community here but above all, he is joining the Paris Saint-Germain family. Once again, Paris Saint-Germain - by recruiting Di Maria - is showing the extent of our ambition and our desire to keep climbing higher."
Di Maria may not have enough time to prepare for and take part in PSG's Ligue 1 season opener away to Lille on Friday night, but the Parc des Princes faithful will certainly be hopeful of seeing their star recruit in action in Week 2 as promoted GFC Ajaccio come calling the following Sunday.
It's just a matter of days before Ligue 1 kicks back into action… and here's a reminder of the stars, goals and excitement that France's top flight has to offer!
Champions Paris Saint-Germain will have to do without start striker Zlatam Ibrahimovic - suffering from a knee injury - as they kick off the Ligue 1 season away to Lille on Friday night.
Tough news for Paris Saint-Germain as they look to carry the momentum from their dominant 2-0 Trophée des Champions win over Olympique Lyonnais into the Ligue 1 season: talismanic striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic will be out of action after picking up a knee ligament strain in Montreal on Saturday.
Strain
The giant Swede had an excellent match as PSG cruised to their first piece of silverware for the season, carving out several chances and providing the assist for Edinson Cavani's goal, but medical examinations following his return to France have revealed a strain in the internal medial ligament in his right knee.
While the exact duration of Zlatan's absence is not yet known, club doctors have confirmed that he will be unavailable as Paris Saint-Germain begin their title defence in LOSC Lille's Stade Pierre Mauroy on Friday night at 20:30 CET.