Latest news with #JulienLaurens
BBC News
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Pick your combined PSG and Inter Milan XI
Paris St-Germain and Inter Milan go head to head in what should be an enthralling Champions League final on who would make your combined XI from the two finalists?You can watch Julien Laurens, Nicky Bandini and Nedum Onuoha pick their ultimate side here. And have a go at choosing your own combined Champions League final XI below. Watch highlights of every Champions League game from 22:00 on Wednesday on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and will also be a Champions League Match of the Day on BBC One on Wednesday, from 22:40 to 00:00.
BBC News
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Champions League winners? Best moment? Star player? Pundits' picks
It's the pinnacle of club St Germain and Inter Milan will face each other in Munich on Saturday night for the Champions League 188 matches, 36 teams from all over Europe have been whittled down to two in an expanded tournament that has delivered shocks, drama and plenty of who wins? BBC Sport's pundits from both the Euro Leagues and Champions League Match of the Day have their say on who will be lifting the trophy as well as selecting their best players and moments. Who will win the tournament? Spanish football expert Guillem Balague: Paris St-Germain. They seem to have more players performing at their peak right football expert Julien Laurens: It is tough to call, especially for someone who is a PSG fan. Inter have huge experience that can be the difference in big games. My heart says PSG but my head is more balanced and it is difficult!Italian football expert Mina Rzouki: I'm going with PSG – because Luis Enrique is a man who really knows how to win games like League Match of the Day pundit & ex-Germany midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger: It's a tough one, because I have huge respect for Inter for getting into the final and of course they deserve to be I have watched more of Paris St-Germain and I have been so impressed with the way they play. I see them as the team I think is going to win it but of course anything is possible because I've been impressed by Inter too, especially against Bayern Munich (in the quarter-finals) with how well they defend and how they can suffer for such long periods then find the right moments in overall I think PSG are going to win it - because of their season in the Champions League and overall. Player of the tournament? Balague: Ousmane Dembele - just. It has been great to see his evolution and the jump that the Paris St-Germain forward has made this There are other contenders, such as Raphinha, but I'm going for Ousmane Dembele. His transformation this season has been mind-blowing – it looked like he would be out but he has turned it everything he has done, for how he transformed the perception we all had on him, he is a great guy to have in the dressing room. He used to play on PlayStation until 3am, then fall asleep and wake up late. Was late at training and people didn't like it. It was not that disicipline that you need to have when you are a professional player with his qualities to make it to a higher 27 he finally got there. He got married, put a lot of discipline in his own life. And Luis Enrique has been brilliant to him by making him realise that you have to be the leader and leaders behave in a certain way, on and off the pitch. Dembele has scored eight goals, five with his right foot and three with his left, as well as making four assists in 1073 minutes of Champions League football this Difficult – Lamine Yamal and Ousmane Dembele deserve mentions but I think I'll give it to PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Paris St-Germain goalkeeper has made some crucial saves during the French side's run to the final and has kept five clean sheets in this season's tournament, with only Inter's Yann Sommer (seven) and Arsenal's David Raya (six) keeping Normally you would pick one from the finalists but I think Raphinha, because he was absolutely brilliant for Barcelona. If it has to be a PSG player then I like Achraf Hakimi, I've been so impressed with him. It is difficult but I would probably end up picking Raphinha - obviously there are his record assists for Barca but also because when I've watched him, he has been outstanding Bandini, Champions League Match of the Day pundit: It's one of two from that Barcelona team. I know everybody wants it to be Yamal but sometimes numbers come into it, and Raphinha's numbers are stupid in this top-scorer, top assists provider. And even in that ridiculous semi-final against Inter, when we're all going wild for the things Yamal does, it was Raphinha who again Barcelona losing to Inter Milan at the semi-final stage, Raphinha enjoyed a remarkable campaign in which the Brazilian scored 13 goals and created nine assists in 14 your player of the tournament from our pundits' shortlist below. Moment of the tournament? Balague: I would say the first 45 minutes at Montjuic of the semi-final between Barcelona and Inter Milan - and what Lamine Yamal did in that half. After falling 2-0 behind, Yamal inspired Barca to comeback with an incredible first-half display. It wasn't enough ultimately but it was a display that will live long in the Probably the performance of Lamine Yamal in the first half of the first leg of the semi-final against Inter. It felt like we were watching something Tough but I'm going to go for Francesco Acerbi's goal for Inter Milan in their semi-final against As an Aston Villa fan do you mind me saying Jhon Duran scoring against Bayern Munich? Thinking about that brings back some very good memories of Villa in the Champions League and it was a special moment for any Villa fan.
BBC News
21-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Still 'one of the brightest young managers in Europe'
French football expert Julien Laurens believes Will Still could be great for Southampton because he can "lead a project like this".Still, who is leaving French side Lens to move back to the UK, is the frontrunner for the Saints job. "I think he feels ready for a challenge in the Championship for a good project or in the Premier League and it looks like Southampton could be the club. I think Southampton would be very lucky to have Will Still next season," Laurens told BBC Radio Solent."I think he's one of the brightest young managers in Europe - there's no doubt. His tactical ability, man-management skills he has, the way he conducts himself, the attitude and behaviour. He is a great guy to have and he's a bit stubborn - I think he would admit that himself!"But I think you need to be strong-minded to succeed in this kind of environment. I think he would be great for Southampton because he can lead a project like this."He reminds me sometimes of a young Thomas Tuchel, simply in the sense that they have similar pathways a little bit and Tuchel was quite big on counter-pressing like Will is. Not too much possession like Russell Martin that's for sure, it's a bit more direct at times."He also adapts to his players well so it will depend a lot on the squad he inherits at Southampton and he will adapt to that. He has got clear instructions and style of what he wants to do, especially in terms of pressing and counter-pressing."Listen to the full interview on BBC Sounds
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
'I can understand his point of view'
"Nobody has rattled PSG like Arsenal did", but the Ligue 1 champions still "deserved to win", says French football expert Julien Laurens. Despite having more possession, shots and a higher xG than Paris St-Germain, the Gunners still succumbed to a 3-1 aggregate defeat in the Champions League semi-final on Wednesday. However, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta suggested that the better side had lost. Laurens told the BBC Radio 5 Live Euro Leagues podcast: "He [Arteta] has to be positive. I can understand his point of view, his communication to pick up the players because they have a big game on Sunday against Liverpool in the Premier League. "If you look at the stats – and we are all a fan of stats – with expected goals, they won the xG battle home and away. Across the two legs they had a higher xG than PSG. They had 20 shots at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday night - no team has left that stadium with 20 shots. Nobody has rattled PSG like Arsenal did for the first 20 minutes of the game on Wednesday night. "Overall, I still think PSG deserved to win. It was fine margins, but there was no way PSG or Arsenal were going to walk this semi-final, as neither Barcelona or Inter Milan would, because the teams are too good and the stakes are too high – it is not that simple." Guillem Balague added: "The argument I think [PSG boss] Luis Enrique was putting across is that his side were better in both boxes, which is something Arteta will admit, but the stats proved the performance of Arsenal deserved more. "Donnarumma was man of the match in both games. There is a good argument why Arteta said that but I think he was reading the room. He in his head could sense that it was another year without trophies, failure was coming to get them and he was just defending his side." Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
'I can understand his point of view'
"Nobody has rattled PSG like Arsenal did", but the Ligue 1 champions still "deserved to win", says French football expert Julien Laurens. Despite having more possession, shots and a higher xG than Paris St-Germain, the Gunners still succumbed to a 3-1 aggregate defeat in the Champions League semi-final on Wednesday. Advertisement However, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta suggested that the better side had lost. Laurens told the BBC Radio 5 Live Euro Leagues podcast: "He [Arteta] has to be positive. I can understand his point of view, his communication to pick up the players because they have a big game on Sunday against Liverpool in the Premier League. "If you look at the stats – and we are all a fan of stats – with expected goals, they won the xG battle home and away. Across the two legs they had a higher xG than PSG. They had 20 shots at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday night - no team has left that stadium with 20 shots. Nobody has rattled PSG like Arsenal did for the first 20 minutes of the game on Wednesday night. "Overall, I still think PSG deserved to win. It was fine margins, but there was no way PSG or Arsenal were going to walk this semi-final, as neither Barcelona or Inter Milan would, because the teams are too good and the stakes are too high – it is not that simple." Advertisement Guillem Balague added: "The argument I think [PSG boss] Luis Enrique was putting across is that his side were better in both boxes, which is something Arteta will admit, but the stats proved the performance of Arsenal deserved more. "Donnarumma was man of the match in both games. There is a good argument why Arteta said that but I think he was reading the room. He in his head could sense that it was another year without trophies, failure was coming to get them and he was just defending his side." Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds
