Paris is perhaps the most productive city for player development in the world. But could you beat one of the richest, most global clubs in football using only players from the City of Lights? Martin Vert has been set that challenge.
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The Parc des Princes sits in the south of the city. It is not too far from the Eiffel Tower, and as such attracts a lot of tourists. That’s what their fans are – tourists. It’s what their players are – tourists. Sure, there are some from ‘before’ the money. But they aren’t Paris.
In the north of the city is the Stade Bauer. The biggest attraction here, other than Yahia Fofana’s massive, shot stopping hands, is Sacre-Coeur, the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Paris. The Sacred Heart of Paris. That’s us. We get on the coach for the short trip to PSG, and I remind the players of that. Whatever they spray all over their stadium, this is Paris. We are Paris.
We’re back to our strongest line up, there’s no room for error here. Whatever else this has become about, it’s still about beating the super-rich posers down the road. There was a whole division between us the last time we played this lot. But not now. Now we’re equals. Michael Barreto, and Lionel Messi. Equals. Brahima Doukansy and Declan Rice. Equals. Gianluigi Donnarumma, and Yahia Fofana. Equals! So let’s fucking have ‘em!
We really are equals! Yahia Fofana I want your babies! The big keeper is magnificent, and PSG waste every single one of their numerous chances. He’s out to smother Jota’s advances over and over again, and tips Messi’s many shots wide, over, away, anywhere that isn’t the back of the net. PSG’s forward line – €1.5m/week between them – also miss some sitters, but I don’t care. It’s a point at the Parc des Princes, we didn’t trouble Donnarumma once, we barely get out of our own half, and I’m absolutely delighted. Clean sheets are what my Red Star do best, and we’ve shown we can do it against the best.
We are on an absolute buzzing high as we head down to the tax-haven principality of Monaco – there are a few financially unsavoury teams in French football, aren’t there – for our game against a side that are sitting just outside the relegation zone. It isn’t unheard of for Monaco to drop into Ligue 2, and they’ve started the season poorly, although two of those defeats have come against Lyon and Marseille so they won’t be panicking yet, and the table isn’t a good guide this early in the season anyway. Farrugia comes back in for Traore, but other than that we’re unchanged.
Another point, and another vintage Red Star performance. We create a bit more this time, but not much, and Monaco come at us in wave after wave. Golovin as a player I’ve admired for many years, and alongside Tchouameni they really run the show, setting Ben Yedder and Kevin Volland through again and again. Once more, our goalkeeper is Man of the Match, and once more he is an absolute beast, this time saving Ben Yedder’s penalty mid-way through the second half. Only Neymar has a higher average rating that Fofana in Ligue 1 so far this season.
We’ve had two very good results at the start of October, cleans sheets and draws that nobody would expect of us, but we are now five without a win, since the result against Rennes back at the start of October. The same old problem of profligate strikers seems to have reared its head again, but we are as solid as ever. It’s a difficult problem to have, because if we lose our stability and can’t start finding the net then that’s a sure way to drop back into Ligue 2. On the other hand, if we don’t start scoring soon, we’ll be in that fight to avoid the drop anyway.
Next up are our old rivals Troyes. They are the only side we have played in each of our last three seasons, and they always provide a contest. They have started the season like a house on fire, with five wins and a draw from their opening nine, including a victory against Lyon and a draw with Marseille. But they came up with us, and the bare minimum for any promoted team is to beat their fellow newcomers. So I’m looking for a win here. I don’t care how it comes, plenty of goals or a dodgy 1-0 off of N’Goura’s arse. Three points, lift the boys again, go forward.
I’m not sure where we’d be without Fofana, who picks up his third Man of the Match in a row. We start the better, creating chances and stopping Troyes, but eventually our opponents put their stamp on the game. Ripart, who has so regularly been a thorn in our side, breaks the line a couple of times only for our big goalkeeper to get glove on his shots. We are better in the second half, and when Brahimi sends N’Goura through I hold my breath. He knocks it wide of the advancing keeper – too wide, I think – before racing on to it and squeezing it in from the tightest of angles. We do what we always do then, close up shop and take the win. It was tough, but I think we earned it.
Alongside PSG, there is another billionaire backed side, and that side is Nice. (Technically Troyes also, as they are part of the City Group). Jim Ratcliffe, Nice’s tax-exile owner, is somebody who has irked me for a number of years. So becoming the biggest side in France isn’t the only reason I want to beat them. All of that money has Nice just one point ahead of us, so I’ll try to put us on the front foot a little more. Traore will play as an inverted winger to get a little more support into N’Goura, and both wide players will push forward. It’s a risk, but I would like to score a few more goals. Doukansy is injured, so Christopher Attys comes in.
Well, it’s not more goals, but it’s a goal, and against a side expected to be at the top that’s always nice. The extra impetus given to our wide players works well, and they cause Nice problems. Karim Benzema is always a threat, but Fofana is equal to him, and when Traore whips in a free kick after just 12 minutes, Lamine Fomba capitalises on mass confusion in the box to turn home. Nice create their own chances, and have a corner cleared off the line, but we see the game out pretty well, Fofana only occasionally properly troubled, and Barreto has a goal disallowed late on. Three more points, thank you very much.
And that’s it for an unbeaten October. We are still struggling to score goals, but I’m hoping that trusting the wide players to go forward a bit more will help there. And our stability is right on track, as the month passed without conceding a goal, even against some of the more dangerous teams in the league. We’re just outside the European places, and if we can build on this kind of month, I’m cautiously optimistic that we can compete at the top.
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