Englishman Will Still – Europe’s youngest boss who started out playing FOOTBALL MANAGER – gets a rare 8/10 in L’Equipe’s notoriously harsh ratings after devising a masterplan to keep Messi, Mbappe and Neymar quiet in Reims’ 1-1 draw with PSG
Reims manager Will Still earned a glowing review from notorious French outlet L’Equipe after his side’s dramatic late equaliser against PSG.
The Belgian-English manager was given a rare 8 for masterminding Reims’ performance, which effectively nullified PSG stars Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and Lionel Messi at the Parc des Princes on Sunday night.
Still paid tribute to his side after Arsenal-loanee Balogun’s late goal, which drew the visitors level after Neymar’s opener with the pressure mounting on the league leaders after rumours of discontent after vice-captaincy row.
Belgia-English manager Will Still was awarded an 8 by L’Equipe after his side’s late PSG draw
The late equaliser made the front page of Monday morning’s edition of the French newspaper
Neymar and Lionel Messi struggled to inspire a win for the favourites at home
The 30-year-old found a love for coaching through playing Football Manager, and revealed to Sportsmail that he used to play the game into the early hours of the morning ‘like a normal kid’.
And after honing his skills on his computer, he found his way to a first role as a head coach at the age of 24, after being appointed caretaker boss at Belgian outfit Lierse.
Still’s performance in the dug out for the away side was lauded by L’Equipe, who are infamous for their harsh ratings.
They wrote: ‘We are witnessing, week after week, the birth of a high-level technician. The way his group approached the match – fearlessly, with a lot of personality – is quite remarkable.
‘His game plan worked. He lacked realism at first. His coaching (Van Bergen but especially Doumbia, decisive passer), although a bit late, leads to this ultra-deserved draw.’
His counterpart Christophe Galtier in contrast received a scathing 4 from L’Equipe, with four of his players being rated at either a three or four in a poor performance from the likes of Messi, Mbappe, Vitinha and Carlos Soler.
And although Still himself was treated to rave reviews from the French outlet, nine of his starting XI – including goalscorer Balogun – were rated as a six, and both Alexis Flips and Thibault de Smet at fives.
Still admitted he practiced his managerial craft playing popular video game Football Manager
Reims are now 11th in Ligue 1 – higher than they’ve managed to finish in their last two seasons
Despite being the away side, Still’s Reims managed more shots than PSG (17-14), and as many efforts on target (4-4), despite enjoying only 40 per cent of the ball.
Still’s side caused PSG constant issues in their own box, with the visitors creating several chances in dangerous areas early on with quick combination play down the flanks.
Having frustrated the Ligue 1 giants throughout the first half, Galtier was forced into bringing on Marco Veratti in a bid to pick the lock in the second period.
But it was only a fortuitous chance that allowed Neymar the opener, and with Veratti sent off 14 minutes after his introduction, Danilo Pereira’s lax defending in midfield gave away the chance for Balogun’s late equaliser.
After spells with two different Belgian sides, Still was promoted from No 2 at Reims to the manager’s seat in October 2022, and has impressed in his first season in charge with the club in 11th in Ligue 1.
According to the French publication, Still had more influence than any player on the pitch