After the win at Strasbourg, Zabarnyi answers criticism of Ligue 1

“Everyone calls it the Farmers League, but…” After PSG’s victory at Strasbourg, Illya Zabarnyi defended the French championship amid criticism of its level. Three days after beating Manchester City 4-2 in the Champions League, Paris won 3-1 in Ligue 1 on Saturday. Zabarnyi scored in the victory before addressing the debate over the competition’s standard.

PSG fielded a heavily changed starting line-up. Luis Enrique’s side turned the match around after Ousmane Dembélé and Désiré Doué came on; both players scored. Zabarnyi, who had also struggled since the start of the season, found the net as well.

For Strasbourg, the defeat adds to a difficult start to the league campaign. The club sit 12th with 7 points after 7 matches. Their record stands at 2 wins, 1 draw and 4 defeats, with 12 goals scored and 15 conceded. At home, they have 1 win, 1 draw and 1 defeat in 3 games, scoring 4 and conceding 5. In their last 5 Ligue 1 matches, Strasbourg have won once, drawn once and lost 3 times.

Zabarnyi also acknowledged the demands of the schedule: “It’s not easy for us to play in Ligue 1.” Speaking about the opposition and returning to league action after the Champions League, he said: “Strasbourg are a good team. It’s difficult, of course, to play after the Champions League and then come back to the league. But today I saw a team that wanted to win.”

The defender also pointed to the difference in schedules: “They can rest players when they have matches just before the Champions League… it’s different for us when we go to Anfield,” he had said, referring to the supposed gap in level between Ligue 1 and the Premier League. Luis Enrique, meanwhile, mocked criticism that Ligue 1’s supposed low level gives Paris an advantage in the Champions League, calling it “the typical noise around PSG.”