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‘Watch your tongue please!’: Ex-Man United star Mikael Silvestre lashes out at Gabby Agbonlahor for calling Ligue 1 a ‘farmer’s league’ after Tottenham’s dramatic 2-1 Champions League win in Marseille
- Spurs have sealed first place in the Champions League with a 2-1 win over Marseille
- Tottenham trailed 1-0 after an overly defensive display in the first half
- Gabby Agbonlahor criticized Antonio Conte for ‘parking a double-decker bus’
- He insisted that Marseille is a group of flops and that Ligue 1 is a ‘farmer’s league’.
- It prompted Mikael Silvestre to use social media and defend French football
Mikael Silvestre has fired back at Gabby Agbonlahor after the pundit called Ligue 1 the ‘farmer’s league’ following Tottenham’s dramatic 2-1 win against Marseille on Tuesday.
Spurs advanced to the knockout stages of the Champions League and sealed first place in Group D thanks to the 95th-minute winner Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg at the Orange Velodrome, who had left a goal behind at halftime after a dismal first-half display .
Agbonlahor was unimpressed by Tottenham’s negativity over the opening 45 minutes, but criticized Antonio Conte’s tactics and insisted the manager should have attacked more on a group of ‘Premier League flops’ from the farmers’ league.
Gabby Agbonlahor labeled Ligue 1 ‘the famer’s league’ after Spurs’ 2-1 win against Marseille
Ex-Manchester United star Mikael Silvestre came to defend French football on social media
The 36-year-old’s comments about talkSPORT prompted former Manchester United star Silvestre to use social media and defend French football.
Agbonlahor said on Wednesday: “In the first half I thought Tottenham were playing against Real Madrid.
“It was like playing against the best Real Madrid team. The way they parked that double-decker in the first half was like I’ve never seen before.
The French international played nine years at Manchester United between 1999 and 2008
“This wasn’t even defensive. It was ultra-defensive. Harry Kane was probably defending his own half halfway through.
“You can play defensive tactics and counter-attack, but you have to let one player go forward. They had no one at the front and Marseille is fifth in the farmers league.
“They have conceded nine goals in the last 12 games and they are the first to swallow. They don’t always get away with it because they park the bus, but they still concede shots.’
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s attack in the 95th minute sealed Spurs first place in the Champions League
The former Aston Villa striker also insisted that Marseille’s squad is made up of a group of Premier League rejects.
“If you look at that Marseille team… (Pau) Lopez the goalkeeper, flop at Spurs. (Chancel) Mbemba, flop at Newcastle. (Nuno) Tavares, flop at Arsenal. (Jordan) Veretout, flop at Aston Villa. (Mateo) Guendouzi, Arsenal flop. (Sead) Kolasinac coming up flopped at Arsenal.
“These are Premier League flops and you go into the game and park the biggest bus you’ll ever see in the first half.”
Wanting to amplify the value Ligue 1 brings to world football, Silvestre returned to Agbonlahor via social media, citing French superstar and 2022 Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema, who started his career with Lyon before moving to Real in 2009 Madrid moved.
Defender Clement Lenglet equalized for the visitors early in the second half with a header
Silvestre said on Twitter: ‘The Farmers League offers the largest foreign contingent in the Premier League! Like the last Ballon d’Or… Watch your tongue please!’
Ligue 1 has managed to attract some of the best footballers in the world in recent seasons, including Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi and Neymar, all of whom have excelled at Paris Saint-Germain.
PSG’s dominance and superior wealth in Ligue 1 has led some fans to call the division a ‘famer’s league’ compared to the Premier League.