Aie Aie Aie - Ligue 1 sides not up to snuff in Champions League

It is a tad sad that a 0-0 draw away to Arsenal from Marseilles is seen as the high light for Ligue 1 representatives in the Champions League. The other two French sides in the competition - Lille and Lyon were brushed aside by Inter and Real Madrid. I sat through the Real Madrid - Lyon match, and it was painfully clear the chasm of talent between both sides. All one had to do was watch the dual between Briand and Coentrao the Real Madrid left back - both players are internationals, although in the case of the Frenchman I will lump a gigantic grain of salt on that statement. But the contest was so one sided, Briand could not beat the Portuguese international, neither with skill nor pace, usually the latter is prerequisite for a good winger. When Briand did, somehow, get behind the defense the ball would invariably be put out of play or thumped over the 18 yard box to...empty space.

On the flip side, Real Madrid's attacking force of Di Maria, Benzema, Ronaldo and Ozil carved up the Lyon defense. They broke with such precision and ruthlessness that had it not been for some strong goalkeeping from Lloris, Lyon could have and should have been down 3-0 at half time. Alonso, Khedira and Diarra so overwhelmed their Lyon counter parts in the midfield it appeared that Real Madrid were constantly launching 4 on 2 attacks and doing it in all kinds of manners - long diagonal passes, cheeky little chips over the defense, one touch triangle passing, pacey runs on the wings and even an old English favorite kick and run from deep. Lyon looked a step or two slow, did not have the automatism that Real Madrid demonstrated and the main point just did not have the level of talent Real Madrid could roll out onto the pitch.

Couple this with what I saw from the Lille - Inter (in highlights) and the outlook for French clubs in the Champions League looks bleak. Lille is in last place of their group while Lyon sit third, 3 points behind Ajax (their next opponent). There is an outside chance that both could somehow string some good results together and get into the knock out stage, but I doubt it. This will be difficult for Ligue 1 and it is coefficient moving forward. Thankful there is PSG on the horizon!

Ligue 1 starting up again! Guess who I think will win the title???

It never ceases to amaze me how little time professional footballers seem to get off between seasons. No wonder players are even more strained summers when there is a global tournament - which was the case this season with the Copa America. This should not impact too much the teams in Ligue 1, now the African Cup of Nations...that will be a different story.

The biggest news during this off season was the rise of Manchester City by the Seine - aka PSG. The team from the capital started splashing out tidy sums of money to acquire talent after being taken over by well funded Qatar owners. It will be interesting to see if, as the French say, "si la mayonnaise prend." Marseilles also made some noise, namely in not losing DD - Deschamps, their manager. Lille are the defending Cup and Championship winners and the exodus from the northern French team was less severe than feared. So who will finish in the top 5 this year? Read on ...

• FC Sochaux: The surprise team from last campaign will build upon their 5th place finish and...maintain that fifth place finish! Much of their continued success will be due to continuity. Primarily in the fact they have held on their core, especially the new French darling Marvin Martin, even though the transfer winds were strong. The dynamo play maker made some noises that he would like to join PSG or others, but nothing came of it...yet. The other major factor why I see Sochaux defending their Europa League spot is that none of the other contenders really improved themselves enough to get into the top 5. I would, however, keep an eye on TFC, they did add some fire power and talent but I do not think enough to challenge Sochaux for Europa League play. Now if Martin does leave before the close of the transfer window, Sochaux will drop back to the middle of the pack. Look for the likes of TFC or Rennes to slot up.
• Olympique Lyonnais: It was not that long ago that the club from France's gastronomic capital was seen as Ligue 1's best chance at European glory, and why not? With the likes of Essein, Malouda, Abidal, Benzema and the likes having worn the OL kit. Unfortunately it is never easy at the top of the pyramid. Especially when you miss on some key signings - Gomis, Gourcuff to name two. I do see Lyon coming back very soon based on the youth that has come up through their system and who is poised to make a greater impact on the senior side: Kolodziejczak, Gonalons, Lacazette, Tafer and Pjanic. They might be one more season from truly gelling as a unit. The transition in the Rhone region continues but they are not far from contending again. Unfortunately, veterans such as Gourcuff, who

  

  Better days for the play maker

  was brought in as key pieces to build around have failed to impress. Is the French play maker overrated? I know I have had many debates with the Gooner about this very topic, and after the past season I am starting to believe that the Gooner might be right. Gourcuff had a break out season at Bordeaux, but since then it appears that the burden of being anointed the next great French #10 is too much for his slender shoulders. With a new manager - Remi Garde (who by the way is rumored to be in line to replace Wenger at Arsenal whenever the Professor decides to move on) - who has been with Lyon since 2003, Gourcuff will need to establish himself and his game under a new system. Lyon's season will depend greatly upon his ability to regain some of the form that teased us while at Bordeaux.
• LOSC: The defending French Cup and Championship side will not defend either title, too much attrition. Cabaye, Gervinho, Rami, Frau, Emerson....and the list goes on, but it did stop at the prize possession - Hazard. LOSC did bring in some replacements: Rozenhal, Pedretti and Payet to name a few. Not that the comparison is fair, but Rozenhal to replace Rami, Pedretti to replace Cabaye and Payet to replace Gervinho. Not like replacements, but what LOSC did that was intelligent was bring in players from Ligue 1 or who have played in Ligue 1. This should ensure a smooth transition for the club.  However with Champions League football and defense of two titles in addition to the year long rumors that will invariable swirl around Belgian winger Hazard, I think this will prove too much for the "little engine that could" of French football. LOSC have too much talent left over and were able to hold on to their best player, Hazard; however it will be too much to ask for them to mount another title winning campaign.
• Paris St Germain: Surprise! I bet some of you thought I would pick them to win the title this season...why not I have done so consistently in the past when they had a far less exciting transfer season as this year! With the additions of Douchez, Gameiro, Matuidi, Menez, Sirigu, Bisevac Sissoko and the cherry on top - Pastore, add to this more rumors of players coming to Paris such as Cole and Berbatov - and you have a very exciting off season for the Parisians. I have argued with Gooner that, unlike Manchester City, these moves all making footballing sense and are not just the exploits of a front office drunk with petro-dollars. Granted if they also sign Berbatov and Cole we might start creeping into MCFC territory, but I digress. PSG had a good run last season, but just did not have enough to stay in contention. The main reason? Goalkeeping - check with Douchez and Sirigu that should not be a problem. Midfield depth - check with Pastore, Matuidi, Menez and Sissoko replacing the older Makelele and Giulys of the team.
  
  
  
  Scoring - check with the addition of Gameiro and Menez, if Hourau can ever find his goal scoring touch again then look out. If you add a Berbatov to that mix then goals should not be an issue. The other positive for PSG - not losing Sakho to the likes of Arsenal or Barcelona. Having him pair with Bisevac, in front of a solid keeper will go a long way to stabilize the back line for PSG. So why not in first place? I am not convinced that Kombouare is the right man for the role. Tactically he has not shown me anything and when it comes to personnel I am not convinced either - he was opposed to signing Nene last season, without him PSG would have been stuck mid table. I also think PSG need a season under their belt before we can see PSG live up to their potential.



Someone looks happy

• Olympique de Marseille: Bleehhh...that was painful to type....might need to wash my hands. Hard for me to accept, but OM will win the league title this season. They stuck around all season, but could never make a serious charge to threaten Lille; however, look for this to change this season. With the main question of whether or not DD would stay, having been resolved, Marseilles spent a relatively calm off season, instead allowing their hated rivals PSG make all the noise. They were able to add Bordeaux captain Diarra, a player long sought after by Deschamps to add muscle to his midfield. The situation
  with Gonzalez remains a moving target, with the latest rumors being a move to Serie A. If that move were to materialize, look for DD to target another striker, possibly Gilardino from Fiorentina as a replacement. Regardless of the Gonzalez/Gilardino dance, Marseilles have the players in place to win the title. With the likes of Remy, Gignac, Valbuena, Mandanda, Cheyrou, Diarra, Amalfitano, Fanni to name a few, OM have the necessary fire power and depth to capture the crown. Ugh that was painful for me to write.

Teams that will have to fight on their hands to avoid relegation:

ASSE: The once storied French side have yo-yo'd between Ligue 1 and 2 for the past few seasons. This year will be no different with the losses of Payet and Riviere look for Les Verts to struggle to stay in Ligue 1.
Auxerre: Another storied Ligue 1 side will find the sledding tough after a net loss in the transfer market, especially their captain Pedretti who was the engine for the small French side. The one time hot bed for youth talent, thanks to Guy Roux, has become a small club that tends to punch above its weight, but they are destined to get knocked down one of these days.
FC Lorient: Talk about a team that punches above their weight class, but with the losses of Gameiro, Morel and Amalfitano it will be too much for the club.

If the likes of ASSE and Auxerre get relegated, Ligue 2 will look like Ligue 1 in the 1980s - Nantes, Lens, Monaco, Metz, Le Havre...

This should be an exciting Ligue 1 season, if nothing else to see a ratcheting up of the OM - PSG rivalry.

France golden boy Gourcuff to Olympique Lyonnais - good move on and off pitch

France and Bordeaux playmaker Yohann Gourcuff will move across France to join former Ligue 1 champion Lyon for just under $30m in transfer fees. Good move? Yes both on and off the pitch. Was the fee to much? Probably, but I am sure Lyon had to over pay to pry away such a player from a direct rival. However the move will prove to be solid business for Lyon moving forward. Why:

• On the field - For this season it will provide Puel with a wide variety of options at midfield. With Pjanic and Gourcuff, he has two true play-makers he can leverage. While the Bosnian has bags of talent, he is only 20 and, although Gourcuff is still only 24, has valuable experience and will bring that to the table. Speaking of Pjanic, the noise is that he is itching to make a move to an English club. He was already mildly linked to moving to the EPL prior to his move to Lyon. After a good season last year, including a strong Champions League showing (including the winning goal versus Real Madrid), I doubt he will be around for much more than this season and next at most. Having a Gourcuff ensures you have your play-maker for the long term. Not a bad midfield of Gourcuff, Grenier and Gonalons to build around...hmm the "G" midfield...sorry could not resist (I also assume Toulalan will slot back in central defense). In addition, Lyon has their set piece taker, something they have not had consistently since Juninho left.
• Off the field - Puel and the powers that be at Lyon are not bad business people....how else can you explain that a team that over a decade ago was a nice club, but in the shadows of the likes of OM, Bordeaux and PSG. Today they are most valuable side in Ligue 1 and just outside the top 10 most valuable teams of all football. Clearly the addition of the French golden boy will help in the off the field marketing and business efforts of the club. Winning is the most important business and marketing programs for a football team...but having a potential golden boy to lead your marketing efforts is not too bad either. In addition, Puel could be gambling that he can build off field success on having the core of the French national team playing for Lyon - Lloris, Gourcuff, Briand, Toulalan - will give his side great business exposure.

Of course the move also takes away one of the major pieces of a direct rival, with the rumors of Alou Diarra leaving Bordeaux to head to Marseilles, coupled with no clear replacement for Chamakh and Les Girondins' mountain back to the top of Ligue 1 gets steeper every day....oh and the loss of your manager to the national team does not really help either! The move makes sense for Lyon. It announces to Ligue 1 that Lyon remains the big fish in the pond, and with Champions League aspirations adding some talent and depth is vital to try and achieve the lofty goals for OL.

Good move for Lyon and Gourcuff, things just got more complicated for Bordeaux. Question is....who will get #8 for Lyon??? It currently sits on the shoulders of Pjanic.

Ligue 1...surprise surprise. Caen gets two big scalps.

What is wrong with this picture?

Oh yes that is Caen sitting second for Ligue 1 with the past two champions in the relegation zone, and the former champion Lyon right out side of the drop zone. Okay I realize we are just 2 weeks into the season and much will change by the end of the year. I am still sticking to my predictions for Ligue 1. What is surprising is the top of the standings and SM Caen. The Normandy club has been up and down between Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 the past few seasons but have surprised everyone with 2 huge scalps to start the season - taking out Marseilles and Lyon, winning their opener against the defending Ligue 1 champion at their ground!

Will Caen go on to win the title...no. But I will make this statement after 2 games - they will not be relegated. Bold? Maybe. Over the past 5 seasons teams would need an average of 40.8 points to stay in Ligue 1. The fact that Caen already have 6 of those points - 15% of what a team will need to stay in Ligue 1. Add to this that those 6 points came at the expense of teams that Caen would expect, at best, to get 1 - 2 points from their opening fixtures. More realistic would have been 0 points from the first 2 games. Caen have 36 games to secure 34 points, that does not seem to daunting after the scalps already claimed. Even if Caen get drubbed in the return fixtures against these two sides, if you had told Dumas and Garande that from 4 games against OM and OL they would have 6 points, I am sure they would be thrilled. All the Normandy club has to do it be competitive against the second tier clubs and try to steal a point from the upper echelon clubs....clearly they have done the latter.

Of course not sure I am as confident that PSG will stay in Ligue 1 after a good start...but that is my eternal realism when it comes to my club....

Ligue 1 is here! Frog's predictions and thoughts on upcoming season

Wow, cannot believe that this Saturday we will have the start of the French domestic season...wasn't the World Cup just yesterday? I guess that is a good thing since South Africa was a tournament all France fans want to forget...and soon. Of course the transfer season is not over so some of the French squads might look very different come Sept 1st but here are some predictions based on current rosters and what I think might transpire the next few weeks.

Here are the teams I see finishing in the top 5:

5th Place - Stade Rennaise FC: The club from Brittany finished in the top 10 last year. They did lose the likes of Sow and Briand during the off season so why do I see them getting into the top5? I actually think losing Briand will not be as bad for the squad, not that the player is not talented. However he was injured most of last season, tallying only 5 goals for the side. I think Rennes has always been waiting for him to live up to his enormous potential and has held back the team during this waiting time...with the additions of Apam and Mandjeck they have added some muscle to the squad. The midfield will hinge around youngster M'Vila and former PSG player Leroy. Add the talented but frustrating Dalmat to the mix and the midfield could be very strong. The real catalyst for Rennes, will be the season I expect from Ghana World Cup star Gyan. Many will remember Gyan for missing that penalty kick in the 120th minute against Uruguay but he was a monster the entire tournament and was the offensive force for Ghana. Of course if Rennes ends up selling their star striker then they will fall out of my top 5.

4th Place -Girondins de Bordeaux: The team that took everyone by surprise two season ago by winning Ligue 1 and had a great Champions League run last season also has a number of holes. Namely losing their manager Laurent Blanc. He has been replaced by another French legend, Jean Tigana - who I think is one of France's greatest holding midfielders. Tigana had stints with Fulham, Besiktas, Lyon and Monaco as their manager. He also was one of the

pillars for Bordeaux back in the 1980s, playing over 250 games for the club. Bordeaux has not made major additions other than Tigana, but more importantly they have held on to the majority of their talent - Gourcuff and Diarra to name some of the players that were rumored to moving on. They did lose Chamakh to Arsenal, but the fact he left on a free transfer meant Bordeaux expected to have their striker leave. Assuming they hold on to their key players before September 1st I think they are in a good position to threaten for a Champions League spot. Why? First with the rumors around Laurent Blanc and his move to managing France all of last season, the team clearly suffered and lost focus. This will not be an issue this season. Second, I think Gourcuff and Diarra will be motivated to put the World Cup debacle behind them and show that their form from 2 seasons ago is what we can expect. Third, Tigana will be able to build from a formidable defense - Carasso in goal, Ciani, Chalme, Tremoulinas on defense with captain Diarra acting as the cover from the midfield that is a formidable defense. Finally the midfield will remain strong with Gourcuff, Wendel, Plasil and Gouffran. The real question Bordeaux must answer is: who will make up for the loss of Chamakh in the goal scoring category.

3rd Place - Lille Olympique Sporting Club Lille Métropole: The club from northern France finished 4th last season with a league leading 72 goals for. Add to this offensive powerhouse, former France U19 striker, Moussa Sow from Rennes and you might get close to an 80 goal season. Granted, LOSC will need to ensure they hold on to some of their

highly sought after players names Hazard and Gervinho. The Ivory Coast player is rumored to be moving east to either Spartak or to the EPL, if he does move on how LOSC leverages those funds will determine if they can achieve a 3rd place. I do think that Sow will provide some cover but LOSC will have to find another player to replace some of that offensive punch if Gervinho departs, €20 million would make that somewhat easier! I think that the Belgium wonder kid - Hazard - should be with Lille for at least this season, but he clearly has many of the big named clubs very interesting in getting the new Enzo Scifo. I think that Hazard's value, baring injury, will only go up. However with Gervinho, his value will never be as high as it is post World Cup.  In addition Blanc pre-called up 5 players from Lille, and not including Landreau and you have a very strong core of players to build on for the season. Look for Mavuba to have another strong campaign, I think the international door being reopened to the fiery midfielder will only add to his motivation. The core remains and if they can weather the rest of the transfer season and ensure they have the right pieces in place, they have a legitimate change at making a run at a top 2 spot this season.

2nd Place - Olympique Marseilles: The defending champion will not repeat. Granted maybe this has as much to do with my loyalties to PSG as to the fact I think OM will not repeat the season they enjoyed last year. However it will be a close race. Much will depend on if OM can find the same offensive punch they had last season with Niang, Gonzalez, Valbeuna and Brandao. OM finished second to LOSC in goals scored - 69 to 72. It appears the OM captain, Niang might be out the door. This would be a big mountain for OM to climb to fill this gap. Might be why there has been so much noise around Marseilles making an audacious move for former striker Drogba. If Niang does leave, Marseilles will need to find a way to replace those 18 goals. Add to this the fact Ben Arfa seems on his way to Newcastle and you start seeing some offensive gaps for Marseilles. Marseilles is rumored to be also looking at Adebayor (who played for Deschamps when at Monaco) as well as Gignac. Of course both strikers would come with some baggage - Adebayor's attitude and would he accept to leave the glamor of Manchester City? Gignac was a shell of himself last campaign with Toulouse, can he rediscover the form from 2 seasons ago when he had 24 tallies. OM will still lean on the likes of Cheryrou, Heinze, Taiwo (unless he leaves), Mandanda and Cisse to provide a strong defense. Add to this the Spanish U21 captain - Azpilicueta (who also made the 30 man provisional Spanish World Cup roster) and you have the making of a solid defense. Deschamps will clearly get the most out of his squad, however if he cannot get some offensive talent back in return, especially if Niang and Ben Arfa leave, it will be a challenge to maintain the offensive showing that led OM to the title.

1st Place - Olympique Lyonnaise: OL has not won Ligue 1 in....2 years!! Crisis time. The seven straight winner of the domestic title must be getting very itchy to get back what they see as their title. There was a time last season that they were in trouble and might have not even had European football this season. However they came back strongly and finished second to OM, only 6 point difference. Couple this with a very strong Champions League run defeating Real Madrid and Bordeaux to reach the semi finals, where they fell to Bayern Munich. Take the second half run for Lyon and another year of maturation for some of their squad and I think you have the recipe for another title. The main question for Lyon will be on defense. Boumsong is already gone, I realize he is not as good as his "French international" moniker will have you believe, however he was a solid central defender for Ligue 1 and made a good tandem with Cris. Lyon will have to find a partner for Cris...Toulalan? In addition, the rumor that left back Cissokho might be heading to Italy or Turkey, would be a hole defensively for Lyon. However, the left back remains at the club and the fact Lyon is flush with cash makes his sale seem a long shot. Lyon can build on a solid season from Bosnian youngster Pjanic, French international Toulalan, Brazilian back Bastos, coupled with a solid first season from Lopez and the addition of Briand (who I think will do well with Lyon where he will not be the focus of the team unlike when at Rennes) and the future looks bright for Lyon. In addition Lyon has a solid base of youngsters to build on - 6 players from the U19 European Champions are from Lyon, including Tafer and finals winner scorer Lacazette. I also think that Gonalons will take another major step this season to establish himself as one of Ligue 1's best midfielders. Oh and Lyon still have the best keeper in Ligue 1 and maybe one of the best keepers in Europe - Lloris. Put all this together and Puel and Lyon will find themselves at top of Ligue 1 after a 2 year hiatus.

Some other thoughts: team most likely to disappoint - PSG. Hard for me to keep rooting for my home town team. They did add Nene and Bodmer which will be helpful. However I fear the fundamental issue with the club continue...they have little clue of what is going on. For many seasons now they have not had a good recruiting strategy nor developed via youth - Sakho aside. The main issue for PSG is holding on to some of their key players - Hourau, Sessegnon, Clement, Sakho, Chantome and Erdinc - these players will be needed for PSG for to make any semblance of a run. With the noise around many of these players looking for the exit signs, I fear that PSG will once again look at a net loss in terms of players. PSG have no real base to build from and this will show once again this season. Team most likely to surprise ... again ...Montpellier HSC. The surprise team from last season will do so again. Building on their youth especially Ait-Fana as well as some veteran talent in the form of Estrada from Chile, the team from the south of France have a chance to make a run at Europe. I do not think they will make a real threat for a top 3 slot but could sneak into the top 5. The one issue for Montpellier is that they will not longer be able to sneak up on any of the Ligue 1 sides.

Teams that will be relegated: Sochaux, AC Arles-Avignon and St Etienne.

Player of the year: Pjanic - the Lyon midfielder will only get better and will clearly be the main cog in the Lyon midfield. Will also make the Bosnian national team a dark horse to get to Euro 2012.

Manager of the year: Puel. The Lyon manager is much maligned since he is the first in a long time not to win the title for Lyon. That will change this season. The team has been transformed into his team and he will guide them to another Ligue 1 title.

Glad to see Ligue 1 starting up this Saturday, not happy still that Setanta went out of business in North America...they were a great resource for watching Ligue 1 games. Another good write up on Ligue 1 from ESPN as well. Thankfully I still have TV5 but that means only 1 game a week!

Champions League 1/4 finals surprise surprise

Some interesting story lines are emerging from the Champions League and the first day of 1/4 final matches. First Bayern Munich find a way to come back after an early Rooney strike to find a 2-1 victory.  A little bit of revenge from the 1999 finals where Manchester United pulled back 2 goals in the dying minutes to complete their treble. Granted this is the 1/4 finals and there remains the difficult return leg in Manchester. However if Rooney, who limped off late and was seen on crutches, is not available for the return leg while Bayern might be getting Robben back it might be game over for the Red Devils. Ribery already terrorized the English champions with his runs on the left wing, add a healthy Robben to the right wing and I am not sure Manchester United will be able to pull back the victory. With the two fast wingers, SAF will need to change his midfield allowing for Park and Valencia to assist the wide defenders in containing the Bayern wingers. This might limit the ability for the Red Devils to take advantage of the offensive runs from Evra. Of course Manchester United do have the away goal and are heading home, so they technically sit in the driver's seat, however if Bayern score first and if Rooney is not 100% that advantage is minimal. Throw into this equation the fact Manchester United are playing Chelsea this weekend in what many are touting the match for the league title and the next few days will be difficult for Manchester United to navigate.

The second, all French affair, was not as one sided as the final score would indicate with Lyon securing a 3-1 victory over Bordeaux. The game was wide open with both sides with great opportunities and Lloris making some tremendous saves to keep his team at 1 goal against. Bordeaux had some chances with Gourcuff playing closer to his top level than he has in the past few months. Lyon did show an ability to sustain their game, to constantly attack from any area of the pitch and defend as a block. With Lloris playing the way he is, Lyon have to believe in their ability to get to their first semi finals of the Champions League. This might be a bad omen for Bordeaux who lost to Marseilles this past weekend in the League Cup finals, if they cannot find a way to climb out of the 2 goal hole next week they will drop out of another competition. What started as a very promising week is not looking as positive.

Some highlights:

Lyon in great position heading back to Madrid

What a start to the knock out stage of the Champions League - Lyon score a famous 1-0 victory versus Real Madrid. Lyon played a perfect game, controlling Kaka and Ronaldo and capitalizing on the counter. Makoun scored a screamer to give the French club the precious goal for a victory.



Delgado was a handful for Real and was unfortunate to not get his own goal (hitting the post on one occasion and missing his angled shot on another). Lloris also played a huge role in keeping the Lyon club in the game - making a huge save on Ronaldo.

Before we all get excited about the potential upset, let us not forget that there are still 90 minutes of footie to be played...at the Santiago Bernabeu. Granted Real will be without Alonso and Marcelo due to card violations, however it will be no small task for Lyon. They will need to play a very similar style as they did today - defend and look to counter. If Lyon can score an early goal it will force Real to score 3 goals...due to the away goal rule. However if Lyon look to hold their 1-0 lead I fear they might suffer the same result as in the San Siro from a few years ago, where they had a lead late in the match only to see Milan score 2 late goals to go through. Lyon need to realize they played a perfect game...but only have a 1 goal to show for it. Real Madrid will realize they played poorly and were fortunate to only be down by a goal and heading home.

It should be a very interesting return leg.

Olympique Lyonnais...set the #1 seed as a goal

With the last day of Champions League upon us, Lyon will be looking to securing a #1 seed for the knock out stages of the Champions League. Lyon has had a strong run so far in the Champions League, it was a difficult lose against Fiorentina, however they still have some of their destiny in their own hands. Heading into the final match, the French team is 2 points behind Fiorentina. The Italians play in England versus a disappointing Liverpool, while Lyon is in Hungary. As it current stands, Lyon would go top if they win and Fiorentina do not get the full three points, Lyon would have the goal difference advantage. Why is this important?

Being top seed would avoid being drawn against the likes of Manchester United, Real Madrid, Barcelona (which could also end up 3rd of their group) and Arsenal. With Bordeaux already secured as a #1 seed, having two teams in that spot would give Ligue 1 a great chance of having at least one team in the 1/4 finals. Such success might push Ligue 1 ahead of Germany in terms of ratings, which could get France 3 clubs in directly into the Champions League....one can always dream!

Poor Rafa...good for Lyon and Bordeaux!

Impressive victory for OL defeating Liverpool in the Champions League this week, and did this at Anfield. Having the full 9 points from the first 3 games places Lyon in pole position to go through. Knowing they will receive both Liverpool and Debreceni at home, it is not impossible to see Lyon with a sure 4 points from those 2 matches...at 13 points they should be safe. As for Rafa, with the Manchester United game looming might the Reds go 0-3 this week? Poor Rafa, at least with Gerrard and Torres hurt he has a built in excuse for the poor run of form.

Another Ligue 1 side is also surprising - Bordeaux. They too are sitting atop their group. The only points Bordeaux dropped were on the road to Juventus where they drew 1-1. Bordeaux will have to travel to Bayern for the next rounds of matches, where a draw would be a very respectable result. They will also have to travel to Maccabi, which will not be a simple match, but Bordeaux should be able to secure a draw. The key will be the return leg against Juventus back at Bordeaux, if Les Girodins can get another draw then they should be through.

Oh yeah the third team from Ligue 1 is Marseilles...they are 3 points behind Milan and Real. They will need to beat Zurich in the next round to have a chance before facing Milan and Real. It will be difficult but could be possible.

Anyways Ligue 1 is holding its own right now, but the true test will be if one of the clubs can get to the 1/4 finals or further. That will be the true barometer of the success of the clubs. Time will tell.

PSG v Lyon

Big first match for PSG facing OL at the Parc Des Princes. This should prove to be a good match with Lyon, quietly playing very well, and PSG showing lots of potential (they really should have done better last week after dominating Monaco).

The story line will be how much will PSG miss Sessegnon who took a silly red card last week. Without the creative play maker, where will PSG's game take shape? Guily has found a home ont he right side and with Sessegnon running the left the team had some great balance. The middle being controlled by the likes of Makelele and Clement. PSG could turn to the youngster Makonda to play on the left or even Luyindula, however the former is young and would be under tremendous pressure and the latter is really more suited higher up the pitch or on the right. More will fall on Guily's shoulders to provide some of the creative spark and play that will be lost with Sessegnon sitting this game out.

Without their powerful creative midfielder will PSG be able to break Lyon? I think PSG will look to play solid in the back and try to take advantage of their height with Hourau up front (without Boumsong Lyon might have trouble controlling the tall PSG striker).

Being at home will help PSG, but only to the draw.

Ligue 1 gets under way! Meet the new boss same as the old boss

Ok a gratuitous quote from one of my favorite songs and bands. But it is somewhat appropriate...granted Lyon did not win their 8th straight title, however the new boss is one of France's storied clubs who has 6 titles to its credit. They will head into these season as one of the main favorites to secure the title again and repeat.

This season should be as competitive as it was last season, while the league might not be as sexy as the big 3 leagues - England, Spain and Italy - it remains one of the most competitive so worth taking a look.

So who will be the top 5 teams this season?

#5 - Toulouse. The TFC held on to two of their most important players - Sissoko and Gignac - at least for now. They played very well last season securing a place in Europe. Gignac was the leading scorer in France, although if you asked him to do something with his left foot or head he would have scored ZERO goals. Toulouse did lose wing back Mathieu who was always a fringe international but gave TFC a good balance in the back. Additionally they will be with a new keeper - Yohann Pele from Le Mans. I think they have enough talent and balance to make a run at the top 5 this season. Of course if they lose either or both of their stars before the close of the transfer window that will drop them to the middle of the pack.

#4 - Marseilles. The second place team from last season made some serious moves this off season. Adding a new manager in former favorite son Deschamps. Adding players such as Heintz to bolster the defense. Morientes to add some veteran presence up front - let us not forget that the Spaniard played for Deschamps when Monaco made a run to the 2004 Champions League finals. Also adding Cisse (Edoaurd not Djibril, who also, like Heintz had played at hated rival PSG) and Gonzalez to the midfield. It will be interesting if Valbeuna stays with Marseilles. Deschamps does not appear to have any interest in the French play maker, at least does not seem to see him in the long term plans for Marseilles. I think if he leaves the club, Deschamps will be very disappointed in his decision. With Zenden leaving as well, granted a shell of his younger self, Marseilles will be without their midfield creative forces if they are without Zenden and Valbeuna. Yes Ben Arfa remains, but he has a lot on his shoulders this season. After coming over from Lyon last season, his first campaign with Marseilles was littered with pouting incidents, injury, and overall disappointment. Much will be expected of him if Marseilles is to do well this season. I think there are many question marks around OM and they will slip down the pecking order.

#3 Lyon - The 7 time champion lost their mojo last season. After leading much of the season they fell apart at the end and watched Marseilles and Bordeaux leap frog them in the standing. This off season many of the parts that led to their success have left - Juninho and Benzema - being the two biggest fist. Granted the Brazilian had lost much of his effectiveness but he was still a valuable player. Benzema of course was the jewel of the squad but could not resist the pull from Los Galacticos of Real Madrid. They did add Bastos and Gomis, that will add some muscle to the squad. Bastos today is probably a step up from Juninho. Gomis, while still a raw talent, will not come to the levels of Benzema, however he should shine for Lyon with the improved talent around him. The key player for me will be how 2 of the youngsters step up - Pjanic and Mounier. The two young midfielders were sitting on the bench last season watching the veterans now it is their turn. Pjanic was one of the best young players in France a few season ago playing for Metz. Mounier is looked at as one of France's up and coming players. Now is their time to shine. I think they are still one season away, but they will show progression.

#2 Bordeaux. The defending champion should have a strong squad this season. Without the constant questions swirling around whether or not Gourcuff would stay is no longer hanging over their heads, will mean even greater stability to the club. However they are rumored to lose Chamakh to Arsenal and have already lost Oberton to Manchester United, wonder where the goals will come from? If they do lose Chamakh, much will be asked of Gouffran who was a disappointment last season. I wonder where the goals will come from for Bordeaux. They still have enough talent and fire power to secure a top 3 finish.




#1 PSG. Ok I know...crazy....maybe a little too much of my bias as a PSG fan coming into play. However, PSG have not lost some of the key players I feared they may loose - Sessegnon, Clement, Chantome or Sakho. They did switch French keepers, seeing Landreau move on and adding Coupet. What I think is promising is that PSG have a full season under their belt with the majority of the effective, least we forget that heading into their late season match up against OM, PSG was 2 points out of first place. They then spiraled out of contention. I think that having UEFA cup games in concurrence with these matches weighed heavily on PSG. Falling out Europe might be a blessing in disguise for PSG this season. The midfield is solid with Sessgnon, Chantome, Clement, Guily, Makelele, and even Rothen. Hourau should continue to grow up front. Luyindula has rediscovered his form. Kezman will hopefully bounce back and contribute to the offence. The addition of Erdinc is intriguing, if he plays to the level he did at Sochaux, PSG will have a lethal offensive strike force. Armand, Sakho, and Camara are solid in the back. And in veteran shot stopper Coupet, you have a solid veteran back stopping the defense. The question is around the depth on defense. PSG are a veteran team, so the window to grab a league title might be open for 1 - 2 seasons. Without Europe, I think PSG will be focused and ready to take a run at the Ligue 1 title. I am going to go out on a limb and say that PSG will bring the Ligue 1 title back to the capital!


It should be another interesting and entertaining season in France. While the league might not have the star power found in Spain, Italy or England it is competitive and should prove a title that will come down to the end of the season to be decided!

Looking forward to the start, and with TV5 and Sentanta I will have plenty of matches to watch.

Olympique Lyonnais, let the rebuilding truly begin

So this has been quite the season for OL, they did not win the French League title for the first time since 2001 and they might have finally sold off one too many players in seeing their 21 year old star striker, Benzema heading off to Real Madrid. I was reflecting on the team that Lyon had become and was during the amazing run of 7 straight League 1 titles.

Lyon were at their peak the middle of the decade when the teams made 3 straight Champions League 1/4 finals, losing once to eventual champs Porto, cruelly falling to PSV Eindoven when they should have advanced, and finally being 15 minutes from the 1/2 only to see Milan score a flury of goals to advance to the 1/2 finals. Lyon deserved better in Europe, and based on the players they had and lost should have been a bigger force in Europe. Alas, that team is now history, and the rebuilding truly begins. While Lyon have brought in some large sums of money via selling of players, I just do not see players on the roster or rumored to be heading there that will allow them to find the dominance they so enjoyed.

First, they have one striker - Piquionne - currently, not exactly sure where the goals will come from. Second, their midfield has no more "conductor" with Juninho leaving (granted he was done) and Lyon have no natural replacement. Pjanic and Mounier are expected to one day be the offensive midfielders to carry the game, but they are still young, plus Mounier is rumored on his way out as well! Defensively is where there is the most "stability." Cris, Reveillere, Clerc and yes Boumsong remain, Grosso most likely on his way out. With Lloris in goal, this is the one area that Lyon can build from. The question becomes, how will Lyon compete next season with a revitalized Marseilles, defending champs Bordeaux, as well as others such as Lille, Rennes, TFC and even PSG.

I am not sure that Gignac is the answer for Lyon, while the striker had a fantastic season for TFC, I am not convinced he will fill the boots of a Benzema. Another rumored move is Remy from Nice, a nice player indeed, but they had someone as talented even more so, granted more of a head case, in Ben Afra who they allowed to walk last season. They are also supposedly on the trail of one David Trezeguet, which would be a nice addition, however not sure who would get him the ball since the midfield remains a bit light with no one on the horizon. I think a lot will be expected of the likes of Kallstrom, but not sure he can carry the creative burden of the side. I think Lyon will look very different next season, what a bold prediction that is! They will play a much more defensive style of game, looking to beat teams on the counter. With workman Toulalan and a veteran defense they should be able to defend well, depending on which offensive options they can find - Remy, Gignac, Trezeguet, or unknown - they could be a solid club, but challenging for the title might be, for the first time in a long time, not realistic.

Just for fun, here is a team that you could assemble from the players OL have lost recently, I will play a 4-2-3-1:

Goal - Coupet
Defense - Grosso, Squillaci, Abidal, Essien (playing at left back)
Holding Midfield - MDiarra, Tiago
Offensive midfield - Malouda, Juninho, Ben Afra
Striker - Benzema

Bench - Fred, Kanoute, Baros, Carew, Wiltord, Luyindula, ADiarra, Clement (very offensive minded I realize)

Not a bad side to line up....