Scissors Kick

“In April 1958, Rachid Mekhloufi stood on the brink of international superstardom. Having scored 25 goals in thirty games to help Saint-Étienne win their first Championnat the year before, Mekhloufi was about to win his fifth France cap in a friendly against Switzerland, with coach Paul Nicolas including him in the forty-man pre-selection for Les Bleus’ highly fancied World Cup squad.” World Soccer

“Ligue 1 is often forgotten behind Europe’s more illustrious leagues, but following this summer’s takeover by QSI at Paris Saint-Germain, the competition has been attracting more than its fair share of attention. With many European football fans now eager to see if there is a new power on the rise in France, PSG’s situation has brought in a number of French football debutants. With the league having been underway for three weeks now, first timers will have been struck by the fact that it is a surprising set of teams doing well so far.” the elastico

“Indiscipline seemed to be the theme of the week in Ligue 1, with no less than five red cards shown over the course of the weekend. There were some strong challenges but thankfully they were balanced out by some superb goals.” stv

“Lille’s record for August matches against French teams under coach Rudi Garcia now stands at 11 games without a win, after the Ligue 1 champions were beaten 1-0 at home to Montpellier on Sunday night. What was a quirky stat is fast becoming an issue, and Garcia’s pre-match joke that his team would be underdogs – ‘Montpellier are the team that always wins in August while we always lose in August’ – does not sound so funny now.” Guardian

“Laurent Blanc leads his France side to Montpellier to take on an exciting Chile side, that reached the quarterfinals of the Copa America, in a friendly on Wednesday night. Under his guidance Blanc has tried to mix the experienced internationals with some of Ligue 1’s most talented players including Marvin Martin and Yann M’Vila. Lille’s new winger Dimitri Payet would also possibly have been given a place in the starting line-up.” WhoScored

“The best stories in France go all the way to the top, and this one is no different. Paris St Germain, newly under the ownership of Qatari Sports Investments, this summer appointed Leonardo as sports director and in one month spent €83m (£72m) on eight players, including €42m on Javier Pastore, the Argentinian playmaker coveted by Chelsea, Real Madrid and Barcelona, in a deal set to be confirmed before the new season kicks off on Saturday.” Guardian

“Top 10 storylines on the eve of the new French Ligue 1 season…” SI

“The cynical football fan might say that there is no such thing as a bad time to have your club bought up by the richest people on Earth, but if such a time exists then, for Paris Saint-Germain, that time is now. Having lurched through crises in the boardroom, in the stands and on the pitch over the last few years, PSG were until the last few weeks showing signs of entering a phase of stability.” French Football Weekly

“Didier Deschamps’ decision to remain with Olympique de Marseille is excellent news for France’s most successful club. Captain when L’OM became their country’s first European Cup winners in 1993, Deschamps cemented his legend in 2010 when he led them to their first Ligue 1 title since the match-fixing scandal that overshadowed that Champions League triumph, during his first season in charge. But despite his hero status amongst the demanding Stade Vélodrome crowd, further consecrated by declining a move to Roma, Deschamps faces another difficult pre-season at one of Europe’s hardest clubs to manage.” In Bed With Maradona