L’Équipe report today that several Marseille players are considering setting up a meeting with manager Jorge Sampaoli to voice their concerns over the Argentine’s tactical choices.

Questions have been raised regarding the coach’s ever-changing lineups and man-management, as well as the little time afforded to the attacking set-up in training sessions.

Sampaoli has differing relationships with his players, being very close to some and distant to others. In the latter group, Amine Harit has scarcely been used and does not feel part of the project anymore.

Defender Álvaro González had been dropped of late and made his feelings known in the Spanish press. His fellow Spanish-speaking teammates Leonardo Balerdi and Pol Lirola who also harbour doubts on their manager’s choices, while Arkadiusz Milik – who lives in the same building as him – has indirectly expressed his confusion at often starting on the bench.

President Pablo Longoria – who had pushed to sign the Pole last year – has been in a particularly difficult position, having to appease the striker’s entourage while keeping faith in his manager.

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Veteran goalkeeper Steve Mandanda has also had trouble understanding his lack of game time, especially given the lack of explanation by Sampaoli. The Marseille legend has a host of allies in the dressing room, who are as bemused as him over the situation, although they appreciate Pau López.

Among the players to side with Sampaoli are Boubacar Kamara – who is set to leave the club – and Dimitri Payet, whose constant presence in the team and public praise from his manager have helped. In general, those with the most game time are unlikely to be part of the dissenting group – the likes of Mattéo Guendouzi, WIlliam Saliba, or Gerson.

Paris Saint-Germain have announced today that Spanish midfielder Ander Herrera has been sidelined as a result of an eye infection.

The former Manchester United man had posted a picture of himself on social media yesterday displaying his swollen eye, prompting speculation as to the nature of the injury.

Meanwhile, his compatriot Sergio Ramos has resumed running exercises as he recovers from a calf injury which has plagued his time at PSG so far.

Achraf Hakimi will also miss this Saturday’s trip to Nice, but will return to training the following day – a boost for Les Parisiens ahead of the midweek second leg against Real Madrid. Layvin Kurzawa will also return to training sessions the same day, while midfielder Leandro Paredes has done so today.

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In an interview involving several Rennes players for RMC Sport, midfielder Jonas Martin notably recounted an anecdote regarding forward Martin Terrier’s relationship with social media when both were at Strasbourg.

The latter, who broke through on a season-long loan deal from Lille at the Alsatian club, would sign a deal in January of 2018 to join Lyon at the end of the campaign.

Jonas Martin explains that during that season he had taken Terrier under his wing, and that amid a strong start to the season the latter would look at Twitter reactions. He recounts telling him to be wary of social media, because things could quickly turn sour once he stopped scoring.

Despite Terrier’s reassurances that he wouldn’t care, criticism soon came in after his goalscoring run dried up at the turn of the year. Martin explains that he twice found the forward on the edge of tears after typing his name into the Twitter search bar after games and seeing the barrage of criticism.

“It kills your confidence. Go speak with those who know about football. You don’t know who’s hiding behind social media. There is mean-spiritedness, but you are the most disappointed when you’ve had a bad game. You get home, you’re disgusted, you’re not going to sleep, the week’s going to be long – Martin suffered from that.”

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Having scored a hat-trick to eliminate Paris Saint-Germain from the Champions League this evening, Karim Benzema spoke to RMC Sport.

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“There were two matches: the first leg, where we weren’t good, and this one. We saw a different Real Madrid, with a high block and a lot of pressure. We pushed. We showed today that we are a big team, even if PSG are too, and that we deserve our place in the quarter finals.”

On PSG and Kylian Mbappé:

“They have world class players. They’re missing success, in the first leg they could have scored more goals. Kylian is disappointed, he wanted to shine. In the first leg he had a great game. In the second, he scored in the first half but after that we managed to silence him well.”

Since joining PSG in 2017, Neymar’s performances have lurched between the divine and the disinterested, between showman and ruthless match winner. Although his record of 91 goals and 56 assists in 133 Paris games is impressive, there’s a sense that what he’s achieved in more generally terms has underwhelmed given his colossal talent.

However, although Neymar’s attitude towards some games remains frustrating, his impact in Paris should be, at least partly, reassessed due to the slow start of Lionel Messi (probably they greatest player of all time) at PSG.

Messi’s two goals in 16 Ligue 1 games, so far, falls well short of the 19 in 20 Neymar managed during his first Ligue 1 campaign. Messi has struggled to adapt to Ligue 1’s pragmatic, physical style like Neymar did. Even if Neymar has often railed against the treatment he’s received, after some agricultural challenges have equalled lengthy periods out injured.

Although much is made of Neymar’s alleged over-egging of Ligue 1 defenders’ less-respectful tackling, he’s usually continued to boldly take on whatever’s thrown at him, even after various injuries. Messi, meanwhile – at least in front of goal, he does lead Ligue 1 for assists this season – has often been kept at arm’s length by French defenders. It’s a feeling that, maybe after watching his friend miss so many games due to ankle problems, appears to be somewhat mutual – subconsciously or otherwise.

Although Messi has been picked off and crowded out more often in Ligue 1 than he was in La Liga, his impact has still been far greater than the French press are willing to admit. However, his inability to fully impose himself both underlines the heightened quality and effective stoicism of French football and goes to show that, despite admittedly having a distinct age advantage over the Argentine, Neymar’s ability to better navigate such obstacles should be looked back on with greater admiration. 

Messi is still Messi, even if he is closing in on 35, and he could yet tear Ligue 1 apart as many predicted he would – he’s already come through for PSG in the Champions League, an area where Neymar has been less effective. But, for now, Neymar and Kylian Mbappé are the only PSG players to be able to claim to have done so, despite similar barriers. As a result, no one has done more for Neymar’s reputation in France than Lionel Messi.

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RMC Sport and Le Parisien report this afternoon that Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappé has suffered a knock in training today, 48 hours before the team face Real Madrid in the second leg of their Champions League clash.

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The Frenchman will now undergo medical exams to determine the nature of the injury, with his involvement in Wednesday evening’s match at the Santiago Bernabéu now in question.

Mbappé had been the difference-maker in the first leg with his late winner, and has been the centre of attention in the tie following his push to join the La Liga side last summer.

The 23-year-old missed the loss the Nice on Saturday evening due to suspension, but was again crucial in the win over Saint-Étienne a week ago, scoring a double and setting up another.

Lille have this afternoon announced that midfielder Renato Sanches will miss an estimated three weeks of action after picking up a left thigh muscle injury.

The Portuguese international had left the pitch after 20 minutes of Friday night’s match against Saint-Étienne, and underwent medical exams this morning.

Sanches’ absence will be a major blow to Les Dogues’ chances against Chelsea in midweek, as they look to overcome a first leg 2-0 deficit. Sanches had been the standout player at Stamford Bridge for Gourvennec’s men.

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As reported by France Bleu Paris, Paris Saint-Germain have taken the decision to suspend their partnership with sponsor FONBET, a Russian betting company, effective immediately, until the end of the season.

This comes after the company signed a sponsorship deal at the end of 2019, which was due to last until 2023. Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, PSG have become the third European side to cut ties with the gambling company, after AC Milan and Real Madrid.

Despite this, PSG maintain their youth academy in Moscow. Set up in 2019, the academy hosts 500 children this season. That said, the club operate 152 academies in 17 countries around the world, and are not alone in continuing in Russia: Barcelona, Juventus and Inter Milan have all left their Russian academies open.

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As reported by the club, Ligue 1 side Bordeaux have extended young forward Sékou Mara’s contract with the club up to 2025.

An international with France at all levels from the under 16s up to the under 21s, Mara has played 27 times for FCGB since breaking through into the senior squad last season. He’s scored twice and added four assists in that time.

The 19-year-old is the son of TF1 television journalist Audrey Crespo-Mara.

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Following PSG’s 3-0 win over Ligue 1 strugglers Bordeaux this afternoon, in which Lionel Messi and Neymar were both targeted by boos from the home fans every time they touched the ball, former Barcelona teammate Luis Suarez posted a message on Instagram supporting his fellow South Americans.

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Writing in Spanish, the current Atlético Madrid striker said “As always, football has no memory. Always with you. I love you.” The 35-year-old’s message mirrored that of Cesc Fabregas, another former Barcelona player, who criticised the PSG fans for their lack of memory this afternoon.