Tag Archives: psg

PSG: A Guide To Their Legendary Home – Parc Des Princes

  By O-Posts Team | March 14, 2013 - 12:40 | , ,
Leave a comment

Paris attractions have tempted visitors to the city for decades. More recent additions to an already very long list of ancient monuments and other Parisian attractions are the likes Disney World and the Parc de Prince stadium.

The stadium was built to replace the old Vélodrome built in 1897 which stood on this impressive site till the Parc was built. Today, major football (such as Paris st Germain home games) and rugby matches take place at the Parc and then there are the concerts!

George Pompidou, the then president, opened the Parc des Prince on 4th June 1972 with the first match ever to be played on these hallowed grounds being the Coupe de France final, a match played between SC Bastia and Olympique de Marseille – which the latter won. The stadium was filled to capacity – the whole 48,527 seats.

Parc de Prince - Paris

 

A Stadium That Won Awards

The Architecture was considered very Avant garde winning both the building and the architect many prizes. Roger Taillibert was the Architect; the 50 concrete columns supporting the roof were his brainchild and the reason why so many architectural awards were won.

 

Getting to the Parc

Getting to the Parc by Metro is easily done – the stop to get out at is the Porte de Saint-Cloud station from line 9 – the stadium is just a five minute walk from there. From central Paris, line 9 goes through the city centre – on the north bank.

By bus from the centre of Paris, there’s a choice of three, the 22, 62 and 72 which go to Porte de Saint-Cloud. The actual address of the Parc des Princes is 24, Rue du Commandant Guilbaud, 75781 Paris.

 

Where to Stay & Where Eat

The neighbourhood around the Parc has a typical Parisian ambiance with many bars and brasseries on most of the street corners – as per usual, the food served is very good.

Hotel wise there are many in the vicinity of the Parc. However, it might not be a good idea to stay too close because of the inevitable noise from the stadium. However, with two metro lines close by, it is easy to get into the centre of town without any effort or trouble.

Full capacity at the Parc

 

How to purchase Tickets

You can buy tickets for PSG games by going online or you can call the stadium directly. Another method is at the stadium itself from any of the PSG service points. The cost of a ticket can range from anything between €20.00 to €100.00.

 

Conclusion

Organised tours around the Parc last around an hour and includes being taken through the dressing rooms, players’ tunnel where many a famous sportsman has tread. Visitors also get to see the VIP boxes and admire the fabulous cups and shields in the trophy room. For air travel it’s important to do some flight comparison checks to make sure you get the best deals.

Tours are organised three times a week, on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. They start at 3pm, 4pm and 5pm although occasionally there’s a guided tour organised for 6pm.

Tours take place every day during the school holidays except Sundays. However, there are no tours on match days or the day before. The great thing is you don’t have to pre-book but it is possible. You can book tickets at the PSG shop on the Champs- Élysées or you can opt to do this at the stadium.

The cost of a guided tour around the Parc des Princes is €10.00. It’s a great way to get a real feel of the place which is pretty impressive to say the least – especially when the stadium’s empty.

 

Featured images:

 

Written by Nathan Griffiths who is a sports enthusiast and loves travelling to Paris.

Please like O-Posts on Facebook

You can follow O-Posts on Twitter @OPosts

Zlatan Ibrahimovic: A Ligue 1 Revelation

  By O-Posts Team | November 23, 2012 - 19:48 | , , ,
Leave a comment
hi-res-152321149_crop_650

The football enigma that is Zlatan Ibrahimovic raised a few eyebrows when talk materialised over the summer, that the Swedish striker – typically regarded as one of the finest in the world, and a one-time player of esteemed sides such as Inter, Barcelona and Juventus – would be set to quit AC Milan for the Qatari-rich project of Paris Saint-Germain, and the rather less alluring nature of Ligue 1.

‘PSG have already won the title’ – ‘Ibra is just going for the money’ were the nonsensical chants emanating from the Twittersphere, but soon after he completed his €20million move to the French capital, Ibrahimovic had at least (and as expected) begun to turn heads in Le Championnat.

Soon after sealing his transfer, did the 31-year-old quip: “It’s true I don’t know that much about Ligue 1, but Ligue 1 knows who I am.” – and that it was on matchday one, as FC Lorient rolled into town – aiming to put a dent on the Ibrahimovic bandwagon, and aiming to replicate their shock win at the Parc des Princes in 2011. That they did as Les Merlus raced into a stunning 2-0 lead, leaving many to lambast Carlo Ancelotti’s side as just another petty plaything of the oil-rich Middle Eastern nation. Enter Zlatan.

The Swede announced his arrival with two goals on his league debut. Firing low past Fabien Audard, and ensuring a thrilling start to the season with a late, late penalty to hand PSG a scarcely-deserved point. It was all about Ibrahimovic, the impact had been instant.

After a month, Ibrahimovic had scored all but one of PSG’s goals in five games – even missing one due to a knock. Les Parisiens had become necessarily a one-man team, lacking a certain substance in attack – despite having Kevin Gameiro, Guillaume Hoarau, Nene, Javier Pastore, Ezequiel Lavezzi and Jeremy Menez up front.

Ibra had re-invigorated a lagging PSG side with his goals, as match-winning doubles against Lille and Bastia, as well as further strikes against Toulouse ensured that Ancelotti’s men rose in the Ligue 1 table. His playing style perfectly suited the capital club. The former Milan striker would appear isolated up front, but one or two fantastic touches of the ball would bamboozle defenders (normally more physical in this division) – and of course, everyone would know what would come next.

Nevertheless, the 31-year-old’s crowning match came in the Clasico derby against fierce rivals Olympique de Marseille. After PSG surprisingly fell behind through Andre-Pierre Gignac’s well-measured strike, Zlatan would respond with two of the most fantastic goals of the season. Firstly, he rose ahead of a static Marseillais defence to karate kick the ball into the net, past a confused Steve Mandanda, before minutes later putting the visitors in front with a delicious long-range free-kick.

His international stature was well documented, but even by Zlatan’s standards his Ligue 1 form had been rather surprising against rearguards which were perceived in European football as too defensive, too physical and unlike the builds seen in Spain, England or Germany.

It would be more bewildering in his last two games (prior to Wednesday’s 2-0 win over Dynamo Kyiv) that Ibrahimovic had altered his playing style by dropping deeper to fashion and instigate opportunities for his team-mates, rather than stay up front and linger outside of defences. Result? Four assists in PSG’s demolition of Zagreb. That very week, he notched all four goals against England in the first ever game at Rasunda.

With Ibra, PSG ballooned to the top of the Ligue 1 standings. How important is he? Without his goals, les Parisiens would be a mammoth 12 points worse off, enough to place them in mid-table. Are PSG “Ibra-dependent”? Maybe, as his two-match suspension proved after he kicked out at Saint-Etienne goalkeeper Stephane Ruffier.

But no-one, and not even an ardent Marseille fan like myself can deny – Ibrahimovic has not only been a revelation for PSG, but also for Ligue 1. Long may it continue.

 

Written by Mohammed Ali

Follow him on Twitter @mohammedali_93

Please like O-Posts on Facebook

You can follow O-Posts on Twitter @OPosts

Champions League: Matchday 3 Preview – Part 2

  By O-Posts Team | October 24, 2012 - 15:53 | ,
Leave a comment
champions-league-trophy11

 

Group A

Porto v Dynamo Kiev

After a huge win at home to PSG in their most recent Champions League encounter, Porto will host the Ukrainian side Dynamo Kiev hoping to make it nine points from nine. However, Dynamo Kiev will be looking to take all three points after they lost to PSG in match day one 4-1.

Their win at home to Dinamo Zagreb last time out will give the Ukrainian side hope, but to get something from this game will be the desire of their coach Oleh Blokin.

Key clash: João Moutinho v Miguel Veloso

 

Dinamo Zagreb v PSG

Super rich Paris Saint Germain’s second away game in Europe this season will take them to Zagreb as the face Croatian champions, Zagreb.

PSG haven’t won away in the Champions League since 1998, but with Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Thiago Silva and Ezequiel Lavezzi in their ranks, they’ll expect to get all three points and recover from their disappointing 1-0 loss against Porto last time out. Zagreb will have to get a result here, having lost both their opening games.

Key clash: Josip Simunic v Zlatan Ibrahimovic

 

Group B

Arsenal v Schalke 04

When the Champions League group stage draw was conducted, many expected these two teams to comfortably progress to the knockout stages. However after Schalke’s disappointing 2-2 draw against Montpellier, the group is looking quite tight.

After Schalke’s 2-1 win away at Dortmund this past weekend, and Arsenal’s 1-0 loss to Norwich, this game could be an unpredictable one. Expect fireworks.

Key clash: Oliver Giroud v Benedikt Höwedes

 

Montpellier v Olympiakos

With two games gone both these sides have work to do if they want to progress to the round of 16. Montpellier’s 2-2 draw away at

Schalke however has given the French champions hope, especially considering how well they played against Arsenal in a 2-1 loss first time out.

With both teams looking to win, this should be an interesting one.

Key clash: Konstantinos Mitroglou vs. Hilton

 

Malaga v AC Milan

An emphatic 3-0 destruction of Zenit St Petersburg on match day one surprised many at just how good Malaga can be. Away at Anderlecht, Malaga put in another solid performance winning 2-0 leading to many calling them favourites to get through group C.

European giants AC Milan currently have 4 points and are slowly improving after a poor start to their Serie A campaign.

With the exciting Malaga side hosting the experienced and adjusting Milan side this game could well be one of the best of match day three.

Key clash: Martin Demechelis v Robinho

 

Zenit St. Petersburg v Anderlecht

Pre match day one, there was a certain level of expectation surrounding Zenit St. Petersburg, heightened by their signing of powerful Brazilian striker Hulk. But with the Russian champions having lost both their Champions League games this season, this game at home to Anderlecht is essentially a must win.

The Belgian champions got an impressive 0-0 draw at the San Siro first time out but lost at home to Malaga, meaning they’ll need to try and win this.

Key clash: Hulk v Cheikhou Kouyaté

 

Group D

Borussia Dortmund v Real Madrid

An excellent and fearless away performance away at Manchester City mean Borussia Dortmund will be going into this fixture with plenty of encouragement about their Champions League hopes.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid are now back to their best after a slow start to their La Liga campaign. They have won both their Champions League fixtures so far too so they are in a great position to qualify from the “group of death”.

With Dortmund being the German champions and Real Madrid being the Spanish champions, this is a dream match that I’m personally very excited about.

Key clash: Mario Götze v Sami Khedira

 

Ajax v Manchester City

The always united and determined Ajax will represent a tough challenge for the Premier League champions as they travel to Amsterdam needing three points to get their so far disappointing Champions League campaign back on track.

Having lost both of their games so far, the Dutch champions are also needing a win or it could be a swift exit for Ajax.

Key clash: Christian Eriksen v Vincent Kompany

 

Written by Joshua Sodergren

Follow him on Twitter @chelsealad1365

Please like O-Posts on Facebook

You can follow O-Posts on Twitter @OPosts

PSG- On a Mission to Conquer France and Europe

  By O-Posts Team | September 5, 2012 - 15:01 | , , ,
Leave a comment
Ibra with the PSG jersey

When the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) TOOK OVER the reins at the Capital club, changes were expected.. How quick and rapid the changes would be was the main thing. Represented by President Al-Khelaifi, they haven’t at all disappointed. In actual fact, Europe is in awe at what can be described as power changing hands.

Last season, the Parisiens brought in former Inter and AC Milan manager, Leonardo to become Sports Director at the club where he once plied his trade as a player. The Brazilian has done well thus far, convincing the likes of Javier Pastore, Salvatore Sirigu, Thiago Motta, Momo Sissoko, etc to join the ambitious outfit.

Last season wasn’t exactly a smooth sail. Rene Girard and Montpellier surprisingly won the League against all odds with the likes of Younes Belhanda, Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa and Oliver Giroud catching the eye, with the latter now wearing the famous red shirt of Arsenal. Before then, Antoine Kombouare had been shown the exit door and seasoned coach, Carlo Ancelotti was brought in to captain the ship. Coming 2nd and exiting the Europa League early was something that didn’t go down well with the Qatari billionaires. Instead of ringing the changes in the coaching department, they decided to recruit some of the best footballers on the planet.

It came initially as a speculation that PSG signified interest in Milan’s 2 most important treasures, ZLATAN IBRAHIMOVIC AND THIAGO SILVA. However, rumours became true when it was reported that Silvio Berlusconi (Milan Owner) had rejected a bid in the region of 60 million euros for the aforementioned pair. Senior figures and players in the Milanese club applauded the decision and it was believed that the case was now a foregone conclusion.

But in a complete turnaround likened to a ‘NEVER SAY NEVER’ scenario, media houses all over the world went haywire with the news that Milan and Berlusconi had indeed gone back on their decision and of course accepted to sell Ibra and T.Silva to PSG subject to medical examinations and personal terms agreements. Thiago Silva reportedly signed his contract at a hotel in Rio d’Janeiro. The deal to take Ibrahimovic and Silva to the Parc de Princes was in the region of 51 million pounds. Football aficionados and pundits alike lambasted Milan for allowing such a painful sale. Milan fans were filled with uncontrollable rage and despair, understandable given the importance and status of the duo within the Rossoneri.

PSG also stormed the city of Naples earlier in the transfer window to nab Argentine star, Ezequiel Lavezzi from under the nose of Film Production mogul and Napoli Owner, Aurelio de Laurentiis. The man had no choice but to let his prized asset ‘El Pocho’ Lavezzi depart the Neapolitan club for Paris for a fee of about 30 million Euros. They were not done with the Serie A yet. Promising Pescara playmaker, Marco Verratti was lured to the Parc for another 12-15 million Euros. Dutch first choice right back and Ajax ace, Gregory Van Der Wiel joined the French club for a reported 6-9 million Euros (by far the cheapest transfer fee).

Ambition is a very important ingredient of success. PSG have made a statement of intent and purpose with the signings they have made in the past 2 years. Imagine a squad comprising of Sirigu, Maxwell, Thiago Silva. Alex,Lugano, Mama Sakho, Matuidi, Bodmer, Ibra, Lavezzi, ‘El Flaco’ Pastore, Menez, Nene, Jallet, Motta, Verratti, Gameiro, Hoarau, Tiene , etc. No matter how much confidence other European heavyweights have, they must be well aware that the Parisiens have come to mount a serious challenge on all titles on offer.

Sports Director, Leonardo Nascimento de Araujo aka ‘Leonardo’ whose 43rd birthday is today, has been spot on regarding the club’s transfers so far. Although Javier Pastore (40 million euro signing from Palermo) did not live up to expectations last season, everyone is well aware of his exceptional talent and he is quite young. There’s still a lot of time for him to light up Ligue 1 and the World.

In Adrien Rabiot, PSG have a young, brilliant and promising teenage prospect who will be given chances to shine by Coach Carlo. The bench also has Claude Makelele who’s one of the best footballers to grace the pitch and will give expert opinion to the likes of Matuidi and Sissoko who already have bags of it.

The summer spending spree of the Parisisn side shows that they intend to gatecrash into places where angels dare to tread. It wouldn’t be a thing of amazement if they win Ligue 1 for years and years on end.

In Zlatan Ibrahimovic, they possess a man who knows how to win. The former Ajax, Juve, Barca, Milan, Inter and Malmo striker is one of the best footballers in the world at the moment and he can go on to become an all time great at the capital club if he repeats the heroics he has shown at previous places of employ. If he scores goals, he’ll be put in the same bracket as Pauleta and Carlos Bianchi (The latter scored 71 goals in 80 matches for la Parisien), two of Ligue 1’s finest ever strikers.

WATCH OUT FOR THE MEGA RICH PARIS CLUB THIS SEASON…..ICI C’EST PARIS!

 

Written by Ohireime Eboreime

Follow him on Twitter @ohiskaka1990

Please like O-Posts on Facebook

Follow O-Posts on Twitter @OPosts

The Ligue 1 Review: Marseille continue to fly high, while PSG finally gain their first win

  By O-Posts Team | September 5, 2012 - 13:42 | , , , ,
Leave a comment
Ibra vs Lille

Right then — Ligue 1. It’s a bit interesting now, isn’t it? With some very big money arrivals, and equally expensive departures, people seem to be starting to take the French league seriously.

While Eden Hazard’s early form at Chelsea has shown the league isn’t as weak as many would have you think, the arrival of some of the best players in Serie A in Thiago Silva, Ezequiel Lavezzi and Zlatan Ibrahimovic perhaps indicate a shift in the power balance. OK, so PSG’s petro-dollars are behind all of those, but it was encouraging to see players like Salomon Kalou and Adrian Mutu choose to move to France, as well as the likes of Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa and Marvin Martin staying in the country.

With Lyon’s monopoly on league titles well and truly over, and four different champions in the last four years, Ligue 1 is looking stronger and more competitive than ever.

Two of the strongest looking outfits, the aforementioned oil-powered Paris Saint-Germain, and 2011 champions Lille, met on Sunday with just one league win between them. Having sealed their place in the Champions League group stage during the week, Lille were slow to start, and were punished within a minute by Ibrahimovic.

PSG’s slick passing in the build-up to the goal displayed that their expensively-assembled side is beginning to show some cohesion, a lack of which had led to their string of draws in their first three matches of the season.

Aurélien Chedjou’s second goal of the season levelled the scores before Ibrahimovic’s second of the match put Paris back in front. The Swede has scored all of his team’s goals so far this season and seems to enjoy being an even bigger fish in a perhaps smaller pond.

Reigning champions Montpellier got their first win of the season this weekend too, as the returning Younès Belhanda pulled the strings in a straightforward win over pointless Sochaux. Montpellier have had an awkward start to the season as they dealt with the loss of last season’s top scorer Olivier Giroud. The goalscoring baton has been passed to the significantly less handsome Emanuel Herrera, who got his second goal for the club, albeit a tap-in.

Sochaux look in deep trouble, having failed to significantly strengthen a side that finished just four points above the relegation spots last season, and have since lost their primary creator and goalscorer in Marvin Martin and Modibo Maïga respectively. Winger Sébastien Roudet’s comments that Sochaux “are a Ligue 2-quality squad” won’t encourage the fans, who saw their side qualify for European competition just two years ago.

While Sochaux have made the worst possible start, Marseille are flying with four wins from four. Élie Baup was something of a leftfield appointment to succeed Didier Deschamps, but, of course, the appointment suddenly looks a masterstroke in a week in which OM successfully qualified for the Europa League group stage and got a deserved victory against Rennes at the Stade Vélodrome.

Mathieu Valbuena looked sharp, and the return of Loïc Rémy was another positive sign, but there was one clearly outstanding performer in André-Pierre Gignac, who is playing, in stark contrast to last season, like a man with all the confidence in the world. This was summed up by the gall he had to even attempt his glorious strike to make it 2-1 to the home side. If Rémy can make a full recovery from his long-term injury problems, Marseille will go from strength to strength.

After a tricky start, Saint-Étienne have picked up six points in seven days, scoring seven without reply. In their 3-0 outclassing of Bastia they were efficient in launching counterattacks and clinical in front of goal, thanks mainly to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, scoring one and creating another. With Brandão still to be integrated into their attack, things are looking up for Christophe Galtier’s men.

Lyon had a mixed final week of the transfer window. While Cris was a great servant to the club, his departure to Galatasaray will not be much of an issue on the pitch, especially after the arrival of Milan Bisevac. But the loss of Hugo Lloris will be much more keenly felt, with long-term bridesmaid Rémy Vercoutre finally getting his wedding day. The goalkeeper has never played a full season as first choice in his career, so will take a bit of time to become fully match-ready, as was evident in his half-hearted effort to collect a Valenciennes cross that led to the opening goal on Saturday.

New signing Steed Malbranque and Clément Grenier were industrious in midfield to turn the game in Lyon’s favour, the latter scoring a deserved winner.

Elsewhere, Toulouse continued their unbeaten start to the season, but made hard work of it against newly-promoted Reims. Wissam Ben Yedder boosted his burgeoning reputation with an excellently taken equaliser, his third of the season, and his form has earned him a deserved call-up to the France under-21 side. Ben Yedder was influential in all of Toulouse’s good work, and, with the smallest squad in the league, his manager Alain Casanova will be desperate for him to avoid injury over the international break.

It’s been a long time since Ludovic Giuly has been eligible for the U21s, but he showed he’s still got something to offer France’s top flight with Lorient, as he scored against Nancy. Deemed surplus to requirements in Ligue 2 by Claudio Ranieri’s Monaco, the signing of the 36-year-old could turn out to be a shrewd move by Christian Gourcuff, bringing experience to a squad that survived relegation by just a point last season.

A player who could have an impact over a longer period of time could be Alain Traoré, scorer of a glorious free kick from an unlikely angle. Whether these summer signings can end Lorient’s appalling record away from home next weekend at Rennes remains to be seen.

The final word goes to Évian, who have sacked Pablo Correa after a gutless performance against Ajaccio. In a grand tradition of former managers in sinister “sporting director” roles, the Uruguayan has been duly replaced by Pascal Dupraz.

 

Written by Alasdair Shaw

Follow him on Twitter @radalias

Please like O-Posts on Facebook

Follow O-Posts on Twitter @OPosts