Latest news with #Sampaoli
Time of India
05-05-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
'A player who is always thinking about himself': Jorge Sampaoli likens Kylian Mbappé to Cristiano Ronaldo, claims 'he can't be Like Messi'
Kylian Mbappé 's first season at Real Madrid has sparked comparisons to Cristiano Ronaldo , with former Ligue 1 coach Jorge Sampaoli claiming the French star shares a similar mindset to the Portuguese legend. Sampaoli believes Mbappé, like Ronaldo, is "always thinking about himself and the goal", a mentality that has sometimes affected his integration with his teammates at Madrid. A Tough Adjustment in Madrid Mbappé's move from Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) to Real Madrid in the summer of 2024 was expected to elevate the club's attacking firepower. However, his transition has been challenging. While the 24-year-old has netted an impressive 36 goals in 52 appearances across all competitions, his role at Madrid has been a departure from his previous position at PSG, where he thrived as a winger. At Real, Mbappé has been moved into the central striker role previously occupied by Ronaldo, inheriting the legendary No. 9 shirt. However, Sampaoli points out that Mbappé is struggling to adjust to playing alongside Vinícius Júnior , who occupies a similar attacking position on the left wing. "Mbappé looks very uncomfortable, very withdrawn," said Sampaoli. "He doesn't know how to attack in that position." by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Start Here - 2025 Top Trend Local network access control Esseps Learn More Undo The Messi-Ronaldo Comparison Sampaoli's comments highlight a deeper comparison between Mbappé and Ronaldo. The Argentine coach explained that unlike Lionel Messi, who balances individual brilliance with a natural connection to his teammates, Mbappé shares more in common with Ronaldo's approach, which is largely self-focused. "Mbappé struggles a little more. I compare him more to Cristiano, a player who is always thinking about himself and the goal," Sampaoli added. Sampaoli also brought up a comparison with the young Lamine Yamal, noting that the Barcelona star's playing style has more in common with Messi's, as he combines individualism with a natural connection to others on the pitch. "We were talking about Lamine [Yamal], who can be compared to Messi because he has individualism and also a connection with otherness. Mbappe struggles a little more. I compare him more to Cristiano, a player who is always thinking about himself and the goal. And in Paris, he was decisive on the left, as a winger in the number 9." Despite the challenges, Mbappé's individual quality has shone through, with his goalscoring prowess helping Madrid win the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Intercontinental Cup . However, Madrid has failed to secure a Champions League or Copa del Rey title this season, with Barcelona currently leading the La Liga race. What's Next for Mbappé? Mbappé's first season at Real Madrid has been marked by highs and lows. While his goal tally remains impressive, the team's failure to capture major trophies raises questions about his adjustment to Madrid's tactical system. With Barcelona's dominance in La Liga and the club's early exit from the Champions League, Mbappé will need to adapt quickly if he is to replicate the success of his idol, Cristiano Ronaldo. In the end, only time will tell if Mbappé can reach the heights of success that Ronaldo achieved at Madrid. But for now, the Frenchman's mentality and playstyle will continue to be scrutinized, as he aims to make his mark at the Santiago Bernabéu.
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Rennes part ways with Jorge Sampaoli
Jorge Sampaoli is no longer Rennes' head coach, the Ligue 1 side has announced. The 64-year-old manager joined the Bretons last November as a replacement for the dismissed Julien Stéphan but he ultimately failed to turn the club's fortunes around. Rennes' season has spiraled out of control with Sampaoli overseeing five defeats in as many games in all competitions since the turn of the year. Les Rouge et Noir occupy Ligue 1's relegation play-off spot in 16th place. They will host in-form BlueCo-owned RC Strasbourg on Sunday. Sampaoli failed to inject new ideas and the energy he was once renowned for in a Rennes club in a now serious sporting crisis. Get French Football News understands that the Argentine's tactical choices raised many eyebrows within the Bretons, as echoed by Seko Fofana's comments following Rennes' narrow 3-2 defeat last Saturday at Monaco. What's more, the club's executives didn't see eye-to-eye with Sampaoli regarding the players Rennes should target in the winter transfer window. Sampaoli signed a contract set to expire in 2026. The Argentine's counselors met with Rennes this Thursday to find an agreement regarding a contract termination. Former Red Star head coach Habib Beye will replace Jorge Sampaoli in the Rennes dugout. GFFN | Bastien Cheval
The Guardian
27-01-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Jorge Sampaoli's negative tactics are not working at Rennes
There has been a trend towards younger, or at least more progressive, managers in France of late, and largely to good effect. The football played by Will Still, Luka Elsner and Liam Rosenior is innovative, modern and genuinely thrilling to watch. Older managers are also making their mark. Franck Haise is doing much the same at Nice as he did at Lens, and more recent arrivals Adi Hütter and Roberto De Zerbi have Monaco and Marseille playing some fine football as well. Antoine Kombouaré and Jean-Louis Gasset are still stalking the sidelines at Nantes and Montpellier, respectively, but the era of apoplectic warhorse tracksuit managers seems to be well and truly gone in France. René Girard, Frédéric Antonetti, Michel der Zakarian are all out of a job in the top flight, and Olivier Dall'Oglio's departure from Saint-Étienne seems to be working well for the club, who have looked far more cohesive under Eirik Horneland. The elephant in the room is Jorge Sampaoli at Rennes. The former Argentina, Chile, Sevilla, Marseille and Flamengo manager replaced Julien Stéphan in November when the club had dropped too 13th in the table. After another defeat at the weekend, they are down to 16th. This comes despite a significant outlay on transfers in the summer — the club signed no fewer than nine first-team players at a cost of €80m, and they have spent another €35m this month on Séko Fofana and Brice Samba. Granted, there have been a raft of key exits - namely Martin Terrier, Désiré Doué and Benjamin Bourigeaud – but proven players such as Glen Kamara and Hans Hateboer have arrived to replace them. The cupboard was also hardly bare. Ludovic Blas, Arnaud Kalimuendo and Amine Gouiri are a more-than-creditable attacking trio; Adrien Truffert is one of the league's best young full-backs; and Azor Matusiwa is a strong presence in central midfield. But after their 3-2 defeat in Monaco on Saturday – a scoreline that flatters the visitor – they have lost five straight games in all competitions, including an elimination from the Coupe de France at the hands of second-tier strugglers Troyes. Since Sampaoli's appointment, the team have won just twice in the league, only beating fellow relegation strugglers Angers and Saint-Étienne (who finished with 10 men) in that spell. They occupy the relegation playoff spot, despite the top-drawer arrivals of Fofana and Samba, both proven performers in the league who have been among the best in their positions in previous seasons. Fofana was unstinting in his criticism of the manager on Saturday, offering this frank assessment: 'If I were the manager, there are certain choices I would make that would be different. But the coach has his ideas and he's also doing what he can with the players he has. We tried things in training this week: some that worked, others that didn't work so well.' Fofana complained that the team is 'always reactive', adding to the chorus of fans who feel his tactics are too negative. Much of Sampaoli's greatest success, both with Chile and with Marseille, came by playing a 4-3-3 - a formation that would work with this Rennes squad - but he has remained strongly hewn to a 5-4-1. Without proper wing-backs or a physical No9 who can lead the line on his own, the attack is disjointed and the defence is sloppy. When asked about the drawbacks of his chosen formation, his answer was far more defensive than his team's play, as he parried vaguely by offering a non-answer: 'Philosophy depends on the ability of the players available, and what we are trying to do with this squad, is to have a system that allows you to have a certain order. We have a hard time getting the ball back and playing with the ball, we're working a lot on this.' They will need to work quickly. Rennes face Strasbourg, who are going from strength to strength, next weekend, before taking on Lille, with PSG and Lens awaiting them in early March. Sampaoli says he is hoping for more reinforcements in the window - the club has been linked with the Celtic forward Kyogo Furuhashi - but these decisions may not lie with the manager. His predecessor was sacked as the club thought their expensively assembled squad should be challenging for Europe. If Sampaoli fails to right the ship, failure to reach Europe could soon be replaced by failure to stay in the division. Le Havre 0-1 Brest Lens 1-0 Angers Nantes 1-1 Lyon Toulouse 1-2 Montpellier Nice 2-0 Marseille Monaco 3-2 Rennes Strasbourg 2-1 Lille PSG 1-1 Reims Auxerre 1-1 St-Étienne Slowly but surely, things are coming good for Paris Saint-Germain. They were unplayable in the second half of their crucial win over Manchester City on Wednesday and continue to look more and more like the real deal. Still unbeaten in Ligue 1, they have added another string to their bow with the arrival of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who marked his debut on Saturday with a mazy run and lovely one-two with Désiré Doué before teeing up Ousmane Dembélélé. With a fine left winger already in place in the form of Bradley Barcola, Luis Enrique says he will also use the Georgian through the middle, adding another tactical wrinkle and game-changing attacking option to his team. Whoever draws PSG in the next round of the Champions League will have to be wary. What a season this is (slowly) becoming for Nice. After a resounding 2-0 win over Marseille on Sunday night in a scintillating display of well-executed counterattacking football, only PSG have picked up more points than Les Aiglons since the beginning of October. What Franck Haise has done with limited incomings in the summer is impressive enough in isolation, but that it's been achieved with Terem Moffi and Morgan Sanson missing the entire season, and Jérémie Boga also spending a large spell on the sidelines, is outstanding. Nice may have sacrificed the Europa League, but, as we saw from Haise's Lens sides, his needs-must approach is impressive. Finally, while leaders PSG remain unbeaten 19 matches into the season, the second-longest streak has moved east after Strasbourg beat Lille 2-1 on Saturday, ending Les Dogues' 14-match unbeaten run in Ligue 1 as they extended their own to six. Emanuel Emegha and Andrey Santos were both on the scoresheet, as Strasbourg moved to within three points of Lyon and Lens. The absence of their creative linchpin, Dilane Bakwa, is frustrating but Liam Rosenior's side could yet snatch a European place given their depth and youthful energy. This is an article from Get French Football News Follow Eric Devin and GFFN on X
