MX23RW : Tuesday, November 26 06:33:26| >> :600:344454:344454:

Joey Barton: "French players don't like working"

Barton:
© AP Photos
Joey Barton claims that French players believe that working hard implies compensating for lack of talent.

Marseille midfielder Joey Barton has said that French players do not believe in working hard on the pitch.

The 30-year-old, who joined the Ligue 1 club from Queens Park Rangers on loan last summer, believes that in France working hard means compensating for the lack of talent.

"In France, when you work hard, it's taken as meaning you have no talent," he told L'Equipe. "They don't believe in work, in making an effort.

"I don't understand that. The number of discussions I've had on the subject! French players don't like working. They don't like getting themselves dirty.

"If you push yourself in training, for them it means you don't have any talent. But if you have talent and you also work really hard, you get even better, don't you? Anyway, I don't have any talent, so I have to work."

Barton added that he thinks that French players perform to their best when they are "angry".

"I get the impression that they have to be angry to really push themselves," he said.

"It's the same with the national teams: rugby, football. If you tell them, 'You're rubbish, you're a bunch of losers' they'll play really well.

"If you tell them, 'You're brilliant', they're going to stop working. So I suppose you have to try and annoy them."

Marseille will take on Paris Saint-Germain away from home in Ligue 1 on Sunday.

ID:70873: cacheID:70873:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:2218:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
A dejected looking Joey Barton after Marseille's 3-0 defeat to Lorient on December 9, 2012
Read Next:
Barton: 'We do not fear Beckham'
>
Read more about Joey Barton Football
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Paris Saint-GermainPSG12102036102632
2MonacoMonaco1282221101126
3Marseille1272327161123
4Lille126421911822
5Nice1255223121120
6Lyon125431916319
7Auxerre126152119219
8Reims125342016418
9Lens124531312117
10Toulouse124351314-115
11StrasbourgStrasbourg123452124-313
12Brest124171622-613
13Saint-EtienneSt Etienne124171125-1413
14Le HavreLe Havre124081023-1312
15Rennes123271319-611
16NantesNantes122461419-510
17Angers122461321-810
18Montpellier HSCMontpellier122191132-217


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!