Stakes higher than ever in Coupe de France๐
Marseille haven't won the prestigious trophy since Papin's 1989 hattrick. Lyon last won it in 2012.
With PSG out, @mattspiro.bsky.social, @tomwfootball.bsky.social & @andpscott.bsky.social ask which 1/4 finalist wants it most?
๐๏ธ shorturl.at/FsgEg
No Ballon dโOr
No Champions League
Still the face of his era
From wonderkid to Real Madrid talisman & France captain, is Kylian Mbappรฉ already a great? Or is this the year that defines his legacy?
@mattspiro.bsky.social @tomwfootball.bsky.social @andpscott.bsky.social
๐๏ธ shorturl.at/Bzrqo
French football nearly went bust after its TV deal collapsed in 2020.
How did it survive? And why could Ligue 1โs new model soon be copied across Europe?
Find out on this week's podcast with @mattspiro.bsky.social, @andpscott.bsky.social & Jonathan Johnson.
๐ง shorturl.at/4T00g
Declan Rice has run the game today. Absolutely superb from start to finish #ARSSUN
07.02.2026 16:50 โ ๐ 0 ๐ 0 ๐ฌ 0 ๐ 0
Marseille are on the brink of crisis again; lose in the cup tonight and it could be time for a full meltdown.
@mattspiro.bsky.social @tomwfootball.bsky.social & @andpscott.bsky.social on whether De Zerbi is the man to lead Europe's most volatile club & the latest from Ligue 1.
๐ง shorturl.at/OXcwg
PSG draw another Ligue 1 team in the play-offs for a second year running. Monaco, who have lost 7 of their last 9 league games, could emulate Brest here by losing 10-0 over two legs (although it should be said that Monaco's only win in those 9 games was against... PSG).
30.01.2026 11:55 โ ๐ 1 ๐ 0 ๐ฌ 0 ๐ 0
Relegated and on the brink of extinction last summer, Lyon are now riding high in Ligue 1, dreaming of silverware and dancing to a samba beat
With Endrick on fire and looking to prove a point, Lyon are the French team to watch in 2026 ๐ฅ๐ฅ
substack.com/home/post/p-...
Not sure which crime is the biggest committed by Marseille last night:
- Losing limply 3-0 in Bruges.
- Deciding to stop attacking in closing stages in order to โprotectโ their deficit.
Deserved nothing more than to be eliminated by a 98th-minute goal scored by a goalkeeper 2000km away
Most of the analysis of Sundayโs Arsenal/United game seems to have been about the Arsenal fanbase. Iโm hoping the supporters turn in a better performance tonight and get three points. It might help those nervy players to settle down
28.01.2026 18:28 โ ๐ 0 ๐ 0 ๐ฌ 0 ๐ 0
Luis Enrique suggested he wouldnโt be too bothered if PSG have to go through playoffs - as last season.
One factor to consider: theyโre out of the cup, so only have 4 games in February (including basement club Metz at home). Would a playoff actually benefit them? #PSGNEW
#PSG look vulnerable ahead of #NUFC visit
๐ฉ Bayern, OM, Monaco, PFC & Sporting have beaten them
โ No Neves & Ruiz on Weds, an attack not (yet?) firing
@mattspiro.bsky.social @tomwfootball.bsky.social
& @andpscott.bsky.social on whether this PSG can defend its European title
๐ง shorturl.at/imtyo
Watching Joaquin Panichelli play for Strasbourg and wondering why Arsenal don't have a striker like that
25.01.2026 20:46 โ ๐ 0 ๐ 0 ๐ฌ 0 ๐ 0
Mason Greenwoodโs talent means heโll be Marseilleโs biggest threat to Liverpool tonight.
A pariah back home, a hero in Marseille, @tomwfootball.bsky.social @mattspiro.bsky.social & Baptiste Reynaud examine the complex Greenwood paradox in this weekโs pod.
๐ง shorturl.at/o76Hr
Marseille would be a great loan option for Ethan Nwaneri. De Zerbi desperate for a creative player to play centrally behind the striker. Ethan would get plenty of game time in high-pressure environment, in front of 65,000 mad fans.
Talks ongoing, as per @david-ornstein.bsky.social
#Arsenal #OM
When you see Mamadou Sarr playing with such maturity and class in the AFCON final, does nobody at Chelsea question the wisdom of paying Rennes โฌ60m+ for Jรฉrรฉmy Jacquet?
At some point you surely need to show faith in individuals. Unless it really is all about speculating and stockpiling for BlueCo.
The @frenchfootballshow.bsky.social is LIVE โฝ๐๏ธ๐
Thanks to @jacklang.bsky.social for joining @tomwfootball.bsky.social and me to talk Endrick & Lyon ๐ฅ
We also dissect Paris FC's stunning cup win over PSG, and pay our respects to the late Rolland Courbis ๐
Podcast link: shorturl.at/dur21
Luis Enrique had never before tasted defeat in the French Cup. PSG, 16-time winners, hadn't been knocked out as early as this for 12 years. Paris FC's stunning win at the Parc des Princes last night was both remarkable and significant. mattspiro.substack.com/p/cup-shock-maโฆ
13.01.2026 13:56 โ ๐ 3 ๐ 0 ๐ฌ 0 ๐ 0
Our first pod of 2026 is live ๐ง
This week, @mattspiro.bsky.social , @tomwfootball.bsky.social & @andpscott.bsky.social dissect Rosenior's Strasbourg > Chelsea switch & discuss the latest twists in a terrific Ligue 1 season ๐โฝ
๐๏ธAudio: tinyurl.com/9xxcxfvh
๐น Video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-yi...
Have enjoyed Liam Rosenior's time in France. Some words on the manager Chelsea are getting - and the mess he's leaving behind. #CFC #RCSA substack.com/home/post/p-...
06.01.2026 15:01 โ ๐ 0 ๐ 0 ๐ฌ 1 ๐ 0
Franceโs next generation is here: Olise, Cherki, Douรฉ, Barcola, Akliouche.
The ammunition is there for Mbappรฉ and co to run riot in the US - but will Deschamps finally take the handbrake off?
My latest piece: substack.com/home/post/p-...
Deschamps set to name a totally different starting XI for the game in Azerbaijan tomorrow. Rest for Saliba ๐ #LesBleus #Arsenal
15.11.2025 16:22 โ ๐ 0 ๐ 0 ๐ฌ 0 ๐ 0
Latest podcast is LIVE:
I'm joined by @andpscott.bsky.social & 'the French Peter Dury', Julien Brun ๐, to discuss the big #Ligue1 stories:
๐คจ Familiar problems for Monaco
โฝ๏ธ Next steps for Paris FC
๐บ Beye bounces back in Rennes
๐ Love for Lille's Bouaddi
โ PSG/Bayern trivia
๐๏ธ tinyurl.com/63fb5w58
โRacism or not, Dรถnnum deserves lengthy ban.'
My latest Ligue 1 newsletter on the ugly spat between Toulouse's Aron Dรถnnum and Simon Ebonog of Le Havre, Rennes' Lepaul-inspired revival, & 'ugly wins' for front-runners PSG, Marseille, Lens & Lille.
open.substack.com/pub/mattspir...
Vitinha's caviar, Thauvin's cafรฉ crรจme, Abline's patate ๐ฅ
Food expressesions aplenty in this week's 'Across the Channel' with @tomwfootball.bsky.social & Karim Baldรฉ ๐คฃ
More seriously, why isn't the mayonnaise thickening in Rennes & are the carrots cooked for Beye?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfP6...
1-0 Arsenal. Another goal from a set piece, another rock solid defensive display, another win. George Graham, present in the stands, must have been impressed by that #AFC
26.10.2025 16:02 โ ๐ 1 ๐ 0 ๐ฌ 0 ๐ 0
'Have Chelsea signed the wrong striker?'
My latest piece looking at Argentinian striker Joaquin Panichelli who has made such a brilliant start at Strasbourg, it's not clear if Emegha is even getting back in he side.
substack.com/@mattspiro/n...
8 out of 15 goals scored by French players in the 3pm kick-offs. Do we still need to call it the English Premier League? ๐๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ๐ซ๐ท
18.10.2025 16:04 โ ๐ 1 ๐ 0 ๐ฌ 0 ๐ 0
French players bossing the 15:00 kickoffs in the Premier League. Ugochukwu, Kroupi and Mukiele the goalscorers so far.
Who's next? Mateta or Rutter?
Strasbourg 3-1 up at PSG!! Rosenior's young team superb so far at Parc des Princes! They'll go top if they win this
17.10.2025 19:55 โ ๐ 0 ๐ 0 ๐ฌ 1 ๐ 0