Exclusive: Interview with Andrew Gibney
1) French football in recent years has predominantly been labelled as declining in standard, perhaps due to the increasing nature of defensive play. Where do you stand on this viewpoint?
I am not sure it is declining at all, and it certainly hasn’t got more defensive. It has always been a “safety first” league. That can be frustrating at times, but teams still break rank and show what they are capable of.
Look at Lorient’s 5-3 win at Marseille. Nothing defensive about that.
Ligue 1 is the perfect breeding ground for players to learn their trade. It seems that English viewers are critical because it’s not the Premier League, but fast and furious doesn’t always make for good football. It will be exciting and entertaining, but technically not as good.
Every team in Ligue 1 is capable of passing the ball around with confidence and accuracy. I remember being in Paris to watch Evian play at the Parc des Princes, they were happy to knock the ball around the back four. I think this patient style can be deemed defensive, just because it’s not played at 100mph.
2) To what extent is the injection of big money investments into clubs such as PSG and Monaco a hindrance, as opposed to a help, and how big an impact does it have on the other teams in the division?
At Monaco it has changed already. They are still rich and can still pay more than most French teams, but they are not in PSG’s league. ASM has done a great job trying to build a young talented squad. If they continue to buy players like Anthony Martial from Lyon or Tiemoue Bakayoko from Rennes, this will ultimately benefit those clubs financially, although it does weaken them.
PSG’s spending doesn’t really help Ligue 1 at all. They spend millions on players outside the league and it can’t trickle down. One impact will be the number of players they send out on loan because they have to buy stars instead of developing their own.
If their success can bring exposure and advertising, then great. Realistically, PSG are in their own little bubble and will remain there for a very long time.
3) Lyon have shown with their performances this campaign, just how important having a solid youth setup can be. Are academies under-utilised in Ligue 1?
Definitely not. Look at our Le50 document; this is the main plus of Ligue 1. Players are given a chance to play, they are allowed the minutes they need to develop and grow.
Rennes, Nantes, Lille, Lens….you can name them all, players are always coming through.
I think there was a study recently, saying that Ligue 1 produces the most youngsters in the main European leagues.
4) What is the most enjoyable aspect of your job?
There is a definite mixture of the fan aspect mixed with the journalist. Due to France’s strict accreditation laws, I am only a fan when I go to games in France, but it still allows you to go and watch teams/players that you love and there is no comparison from watching someone like Remy Cabella or Eden Hazard in person to on TV.
The passion I have for the French league has led me to all sorts of games. Watching regional teams in the early rounds of the Coupe de France to seeing a 17-year-old Lucas Digne impress for Ligue II in the fourth division.
It can be difficult being a Ligue 1 journalist living outside of France, but with the access to the internet the way it is now, you don’t have to feel disconnected at all.
5) Do you find clubs in France relaxed on what you report and how you report it?
PSG are the team I write about the most – for Bleacher Report etc. – and I don’t think they even know I exist. They would have no idea what or who I write about.
For FFW we have gained a few contact from our articles, Lorient President Loic Fery is a fan of the site and he took an interest after we wrote an article about his club.
Joey Barton was a fan of FFW before we interviewed him.
6) Can you see many other talents like Kurt Zouma come through French football and move on? (Or will they stay?)
I think this summer you will see a lot more France internationals stay at their current clubs. No one wants to miss the European Championships on home soil, so they don’t want to risk a move this close to the tournament.
France will always produce talents like Zouma. The hope is that with all the new infrastructure being built for next summer, teams can hold on to them for a little longer, but money talks and anything north of €10 million, clubs find hard to resist.
7) In your role what characteristics have helped you most along the way?
I think passion is the biggest one. The ongoing joke is that I failed English and dropped French in high school and now I get paid to write about French football.
I have been watching Ligue 1 for over 10 years now, long before people were posting scouting reports on the internet. I started just as a way to share the knowledge I had gained from watching games. It’s amazing that a hobby has turned into a paid job, but you can’t take that for credit.
I can never just have a passing knowledge of something. I need to know who a team is, who their best players are, why etc. On a normal weekend I will watch five Ligue 1 games live, and then maybe one or two recorded. That’s the only way to really know what is going on with each team.
I would love to watch more Ligue 2, but it’s just finding the time.
8) Do you think the age of social media is helping young journalists or harming them?
A little bit of both. The market is so saturated at the moment, and people seem to just be picking up niches for no reason, hoping that will help them get noticed. I stumbled into French football, but it drew me in before writing was even an option.
If you are doing something just to try and get paid, it will never work. The natural passion has to be there I think.
Social media is amazing, and if you genuinely have something to say, people will take notice. Twitter can be a frustrating place, but its power is outstanding.
I still remember on the way home from work just before the opening game of the 2010 World Cup and putting a tweet out asking if I could make reach 100 followers before the game started. Now, bizarrely, it’s at over 7000. That still baffles me (laughs).
9) How do you set your writing out to be different from everybody else? What differentiates French Football Weekly from others?
I want to try and tell a story. Anyone can give you a blow by blow account, game by game. Stats websites can offer you some level of insight without any actual knowledge. I want to try and pick out things that I’ve seen, elements of someone’s game, or moments I’ve found interesting. I always think if it interests me, there’s a chance it might interest someone else.
Too many people write without offering any insight or opinion. That’s too easy. If you believe something, tell the reader why. They might not always agree (sorry PSG fans) but that’s part of the fun.
10) How has Marco Lopes been getting on in France with Lille and could he return to Manchester City next season?
He has had a really good season. Unfortunately it was hit by a few injuries, but when he was able to play, you could see he has something special.
That ability to beat players with skill, speed and power is quite unique.
I think it is too soon for a return to City. I don’t think he would get the game time he would need. Hopefully he will be back at Lille, if not, another loan spell would be ideal.
11) Who are the top next prodigies in the Ligue 1, and who do you believe will make the move away from France.
Oh…that’s tough. Not sure I want to give away the secrets. I love Corentin Tolisso at Lyon. He is a midfielder that can do it all and quietly has played a huge part at Lyon.
Morgan Sanson of Montpellier has a huge future ahead of him. It was a shame he got injured.
Jordan Amavi at Nice is one of the best left-backs in France. He could make the step up to another Ligue 1 club very soon.
Englishman Taylor Moore has broken into Lens team at the end of the season and looked an assured and accomplished defender. He should play a big part in their Ligue 2 season next year.
I think Nicolas N’Koulou could leave Marseille this summer. At 25 it would be the right time for him.
If Monaco gets the right offer, Layvin Kurzawa could leave. Juventus or Man City would be good moves for him.
Sadly, I expect Simon Kjaer to leave Lille this summer. He has enjoyed two excellent seasons and deserves a big move. I am hoping Hervé Renard can convince him to stay.
12) What do you think about Origi and how he’ll adapt to the Premier League?
Origi has had a difficult season. It was too much, too soon to ask him to be Lille’s star striker. You can see how he has improved since Sofiane Boufal joined and took the pressure off him.
He has all the attributes to become a wonderful forward. Liverpool needs to tread carefully. Use him in the right way, take their time and he will reward them.
13) Do you see Alexandre Lacazette staying with Lyon next season? What are your thoughts on him?
I am pretty much 99.9% sure Lacazette will be playing in Lyon’s new stadium when it opens in January.
What else can you say about Laca? What a fantastic player he has grown up to be. Great with the ball at his feet. He can beat you with pace, he can play with his back to goal, he has the lot.
His goal record is no fluke, he is phenomenal.
No matter what happens at Lyon next season, he will still command a lot of attention and in 12 months he’ll get himself and the club a huge transfer fee. It would be special to see him perform this way for France next summer.