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.

July 2022

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It almost doesn’t feel like the football season has properly started while the sun is shining. It should be freezing cold, the floodlights should be a necessity by the end of the game, if not at the start, and it should always feel like there is a threat of snow. But that’s not what August in Paris is like. It is sweltering, bright and sunny. It would be a lovely place to play football, if we were playing football there. But Steve ruined that idea.

We are deflated in training following our hammering by Saint-Etienne, but August won’t give us much time to feel sorry for ourselves. To accommodate a limited winter schedule – although there doesn’t seem to be a break for the World Cup – we have six games to play, meaning we will have played nine games before the end of the transfer window. Which seems excessive, especially while we only have one striker. Chateauroux and Paris FC are among our opponents.

First up are Quevilly-Rouen. They finished in the lower reaches of the table last season, and have started this one with three defeats on the bounce. They play a 442 with Yann Boe-Kane sitting a little deeper, and I’m confident we can put the disappointment of The Green Hell behind us. Sparagna and Jason Tre come back in, and Noah Cadiou is fit enough for the bench. If we want to be in the upper part of the table, this is the kind of game we should be winning. And if we are in a relegation scrap by the end of the season, results against these teams will be vital.

Well that’s certainly one way to pick ourselves up. We start slowly, and concede a sloppy goal when Lambese is given time on the right to pick out Dadoune, who heads past Fofana. But that wakes us up. Sparagna heads in from a Durand corner, and then Hacene Benali hits a high, looping ball over the defence that Le Corre catches first time to fire into the bottom corner. We go in ahead at the break and I can tell the lads smell blood. Ndoye curls one in from the edge of the box before Le Corre gets his second, another lovely through ball and another lovely finish. We also get some minutes into the legs of Noah Cadiou and Brahima Doukansy, so it’s a good day.

I’m disappointed the following day to find Damien Durand missing. It’s the second time he’s been absent without leave, and that’s not the kind of ship I’m running. It hurts me, but I transfer list him. It doesn’t matter how important you’ve been to our past, if you’re not willing to commit to our present then you don’t belong at Red Star. Fortunately I’ve got hundreds of scouting reports saved, so I start sifting through for a replacement, although I wouldn’t feel too exposed if I had to use Owen Maes.

Valenciennes are next up, and with only a few days break we need to make some changes. Latouchent, Cestor, Doukansy and Cadiou all start. I also make the decision to drop Durand and give Owen Maes a run out. Le Corre has earned the right to stay up top, but Kevin Mbala is fit and goes onto the bench. Tattevin is still a couple of days away, but there will be real competition once he’s fit too. Valenciennes are preseason dark horses, but have started with three defeats and a draw, so we’re confident and determined to pile on to their misery.

The first half is very even, and neither side can make the breakthrough. But Maes picks up a knock and I put Barreto out wide, and it completely unbalances the side. Valenciennes take total control in the second half and pepper Fofana’s goal with shots. I bring on Mbala for his debut to try to give us some more momentum, but if anything losing the player in the middle just gives them more of the ball, and we’re lucky to come away with a point a clean sheet. Fofana is the hero.

It’s a sad day, as Niort have moved quickly to snap up Damien Durand-Durand. I’m sure he’ll come back to haunt us later in the season, but I can’t have the kind of insolence he has demonstrated spreading through the squad. I’m still paying 50% of his wages for the rest of the season, but it’s worth it to get him out of the club. He was too much of a wild boy. Owen Maes will take his place for now, and he’s hungry like the wolf.

US Dunkerque are our first opponents of the post-Durand era. They are another who have started the season poorly, and are one of the relegation favourites. But the 352/532 that they play has caused us problems in the past so we’ll need to be at our best. We are snatching at our chances so I adjust the tactic to work the ball into the box, hopefully giving us higher quality goalscoring opportunities. We make a number of changes again, and Abdelkadar Aajji will make his debut.

We are very dominant, but struggle to convert that dominance into goals. We start brightly, when Tre and Massouema combine on the right to leave Cadiou a simple finish, but after that, however many chances we create, we just can’t seem to extend our lead. Fortunately, our defence is magnificent and Dunkerque barely get a sight of Fofana’s goal. Tattevin makes his return from injury, so we’ll take the three points and move forward, thank you very much.

Ah, Chateauroux, our old friends. They are the only side against whom we have played more than one match and have a losing record. They didn’t lose a game at home for the whole of last season, and haven’t so far this season either. But both of those are records we will aim to change. They have had a lot of player turnover during the summer and are a very different team to the one we faced in the third tier, but they are still the same old hard-to-beat, overspending bastards they always were. I want this one.

As always, it’s a very even contest between two teams that don’t want to concede. At the end of the first half, we have only allowed them a single half chance. Unfortunately, they have also restricted us to the same. I bring on some fresh legs in the second half and it opens the game up, but neither side can find a decisive finish. Eventually I bring on Le Corre to support Tattevin up top, and we take control of the game without scoring. I am just getting my full-time team talk ready, an encouraging performance despite the draw, when Thibault Vialla bends a ball behind the defence. Tattevin runs on to it, draws out the goalkeeper, and dinks it over him. It’s a glorious goal, and it ends their unbeaten home run.

Hot on their heels come Thierry Laurey and his Paris FC side. They are still bitter from their defeat in the Coupe de France last season, and Thierry is trying to stir the pot. I’m not biting this time, we’ll just focus on ourselves and our game. There is no suitable replacement for Durand that wants to come to the club, so Maes will continue on the left. Cadiou picks up a knock, but Barreto is fit again so it’s a straight swap.

It’s a really open game, and could easily finish as a high-scoring draw, but neither side is able to find the net. Gonzalo Carneiro is a constant threat and works Fofana a number of times, but we’re the more dangerous and Tattevin hits the post and the bar before we bring on Le Corre, who wastes a number of chances. But another clean sheet is another clean sheet, and we can be happy with that.

Reims are a properly good side, and one of the preseason promotion favourites. They are solid at the back, score goals for fun and are unbeaten, with a lead at the top of the table. We are second, but after the demolition job Saint-Etienne did on us I’m nervous of their quality. The play a 4411 that is difficult to break down, but in Elvis Manu they have a forward that has started with close to two goals per game. Any result at the Stade Auguste-Delaune would be a bonus. Aajji is injured and El Hriti is tired, so Mike Cestor will add some solidity on the left hand side. Barreto will get a chance on the wing, and Ndoye will bring some bite into the midfield.

We keep it tight and they struggle to break us down for most of the first half. When they do break through, Fofana is magnificent again. All the way until the 44^th minute, when Sparagna brings down Manu in the box. Sierhuis steps up, and Fofana is magnificent again, diving low and saving, but Sierhuis is first to the rebound and we go in at half time behind. I shuffle the pack in the second half and bring Le Corre on, and we push forward. Reims can’t cope with us, and on the hour the youngster equalises. Now it’s the turn of Jacob Rinne to be magnificent in the Reims goal, and he keeps us from taking the lead. But all in all it’s a good point.

It’s been a tough month, but we’re through it unbeaten. I’d have snatched your hand off for 3 wins and 3 draws, and it keeps us at the right end of the table.

September 2022

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