Power Rankings.

1. ASSE – 40.4 points
2. Toulouse – 37.2 points
3. Lyon – 36.8 points
4. Montpellier – 36 points
5. Rennes – 35 points
6. Marseille – 32 points
7. Caen – 31.8 points
8. Lorient – 30.2 points
9. Evian – 27.6 points
10. PSG – 27 points
11. Lille – 26.4 points
12. Sochaux – 26 points
13. Brest – 19 points
14. Bordeaux – 15.2 points
15. Valenciennes – 14 points
16. Nancy – 12 points
17. Auxerre – 11 points
18. Ajaccio – 6.6 points
19. Nice – 2 points
20. Dijon – (-4) points

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Can Brice Jovial sink Toulouse?

Finally, the Ligue 1 season is underway. After last week’s matches, we can at least get a little glimpse into what some of the teams might look like. Yes, one match into the season isn’t a predictor of anything. Even so, we were able to really get a look at what some of the teams might be throwing out there this season, and help us get an idea of where they are going.

Lorient vs. Bordeaux – This is easily the tale of two teams that went in different directions last week. Lorient pulled off the upset of Matchday 1 with a victory on the road against Paris St. Germain. Bordeaux, on the other hand, continued to struggle to find a scoring touch and lost to St. Etienne by a score of 2-1. But will the same teams show up this weekend?

As far as Lorient, they did play an impressive match. Throughout their game against PSG, Lorient had the home side on their toes. Aggressive play against what many considered a superior opponent was quite a shock. But is that what we should expect from Lorient this season, or was that just a flash in the pan? As for Bordeaux, creating any offensive threat continues to be their main problem. And after the club stated in L’Equipe this week that they would not seek any new players for the remainder of the summer transfer period, Bordeaux are pretty much stuck where they are.

Look for this match up to be a defensive struggle. Even though Lorient showed some good bursts of offensive energy in their match with PSG, they still only scored one goal. But for what aggression Lorient showed last week, Bordeaux showed none. Hopefully for Bordeaux’s sake, they will finally put Cheick Diabate in the starting line up, as he has rightfully earned the spot over the last eight months.

With all other factors being equal, Lorient’s home record from last year (only losing three at home) makes them a hard nut to crack when in front of their home fans. Prediction: Lorient 1-0.

Lyon vs. Ajaccio – Is Lyon back? Even with a few hiccups in their match last week against Nice, Lyon showed that they have the ability to put the ball in the back of the net and push their way toward the top of the table. Lisandro looked good. Gomis looked good. The team overall looked pretty solid. As far as Ajaccio, they had a rough start with a 2-0 loss at home against Toulouse. And while TFC did have the advantage in goals scored, Ajaccio didn’t exactly lay down and die. What killed them in the end was poor finishing on quality chances.

Going into this match, Lyon are the strong favorites, and being in front of the home crowd at the Stade Gerland might be a little intimidating for the visiting side. Lyon dominate ever aspect of the pitch in the last game. Still, their last game was against Nice, not exactly the hardest of opponents. And for a second week in a row, Lyon is going to start off against a softball team. They should easily rock them.

So, what to look for in this game? Pretty much let’s see if Lyon is on the same page at their first game. Last week Lyon made a few mistakes. This week we should see those mistakes fixed. Prediction: Lyon 3-0.

Rennes vs. PSG – This will easily be the match of the week. Rennes is coming off an impressive win against Dijon, even if the final score didn’t represent the overall play, especially for Dijon. As for PSG, the loss to Lorient was pretty much a shock to everyone. So, of course, the question is if PSG can bounce back or will Rennes be able to continue their momentum.

One of the questions going into this season for Rennes is if their young team will be able to keep their composure. And at the start of their match against Dijon (in which two Dijon goals were disallowed because of offsides), it looked as if that might be a serious problem. But after the first 20 minutes of confusion, Rennes were able to gather that composure together and look like a complete team. Newly acquired Julien Feret looked lost at the start of the match. But by the end, he looked like he had been with the team for years.

As for PSG, they looked like a group of lost puppies throughout their match against Lorient. Never did they put any good attack together. They let Lorient push them around, on both sides of the ball. Players that we were expecting a lot from, like Blaise Matuidi, Mamadou Sakho and Kevin Gamerio were totally unimpressive. Now since some of their weaknesses have been exposed (like a lack of a good counter-attack, in which Gamerio needs to be highly productive), has PSG adjusted and can now deal with those weaknesses? Still, while Antoine Kombouare is the coach, I do feel that the shots, as well as the lineup, are coming from someone else’s desk.

Within the next two months, I just have a feeling that we are going to hear about a lot of infighting in the PSG organization between Kombouare and Leonardo, which, more than likely, will lead to Kombouare’s departure. And, as of right now, I think Leonardo is calling all the shots (again, just pure speculation). As soon as Nicolas Douchez returns from injury, it will be interesting to see if he gets the starting job, or if Salvatore Sirigu remains the starter. If Douchez is the starter, Komboure is in charge. If it is Sirigu, it is Leonardo. Again, we will see what happens.

But politics aside, going into this match, Rennes has to be the favorites. Javier Pastore will not be available for PSG, thus Kevin Gamerio might have a hard match like he did in his first match against Lorient. But the key for PSG is their defense. With Rennes’ offense looking superb last weekend, Sakho and Matuidi will need to step up their game. We all know that they can, and that is where the battle is won or lost. Unfortunately for PSG, I think the Rennes offense will overpower the Paris side. Prediction: Rennes 3-1.

St. Etienne vs. Nancy – St. Etienne started off the season on a positive note with an impressive away win at Bordeaux. While the team played well as a cohesive unit, the defense, again, stole the show for ASSE. And against a weak Nancy offense, St. Etienne should be able to told their own.

This is the match where ASSE’s offense really needs to shine. With the services of Dimitri Payet and Emmanuel Riviere no longer available, players like Gonzalo Bergessio and Florent Sinama Pongolle will have to step it up. And in their match against Bordeaux, neither one of these players were impressive. Therefore, against a weaker defense than Bordeaux, will these players get the monkeys off their backs and knock a few balls in the back of the net? Remember, this Nancy side only allowed one goal against the high-flying Lille offense last weekend, so anything is possible.

But even if St. Etienne’s forwards aren’t able to do the job, just one goal should help them secure the victory. ASSE can argue that they have one of the strongest back line/goaltender combinations in all of Ligue 1. And if they continue to play like they did last week (though luck did help the offense), they should be fine. Prediction: ASSE 1-0.

Sochaux vs. Caen – Sochaux was another unknown going into this season. Losing their coach and one of their leading scorers, many predicted that Sochaux could fall back into Ligue 1 obscurity. But many of those critics were silenced last week by an impressive match by Sochaux against Marseille at the Stade Velodorme which resulted in a 2-2 draw.

Even with the departure of coach Francis Gillot as well as Nicolas Maurice-Belay and Brown Ideye, Sochaux played an impressive, balanced game. Of course, they still have Marvin Martin, Modibo Maiga, Ryad Boudebouz and a host of other players that will keep Sochaux in contention for a European sport, no matter what the early season naysayers think.

As for Caen, they didn’t have the best of matches last week. Yes, they were able to pull off a victory against Valenciennes at home, but the visiting side seemed to have the better overall play on the field. If it wasn’t for Gregory Proment’s beautiful goal in the 34th minute, Caen would have easily been held scoreless. In addition, Pierre-Alain Frau isn’t proving to be the offensive answer for Caen. But still, the season is young.

Going into this match, Caen still have a number of issues to deal with. They looked average last week against another team that isn’t expected to play well either. On the other hand, Sochaux, though they started off slow, built momentum in their match against Marseille and continued to improve throughout the match. The level of these two teams are night and day, and Sochaux has already shown that they are ready to be a force in Ligue 1 this season. Prediction: Sochaux 3-0.

Toulouse vs. Dijon – Toulouse were able to win last week, even with a team that is riddled with injuries. And those injury problems will continue this week. Etienne Didot, Etienne Capoue, Daniel Braaten, Emmanuel Riviere and now Cheik M’Bengue will all miss Saturday’s match against Dijon.

The injuries will be the biggest storyline of this match.  After how impressive Dijon played against Rennes last week (even with the lopsided score), will Dijon be able to pull the trigger on a team that doesn’t have half of their starting lineup available? On the flip side, if Toulouse are able to pull of a win with half of their team missing, does that mean that they could be a surprise force to be reckoned with this Ligue 1 season?

Besides the injuries, the biggest battle will be between the Dijon attack and Toulouse defense. Last week, Brice Jovial, Gregory Thil and Eric Bautheac were able to keep constant pressure on the Rennes defense. And now with Capoue missing in the defensive midfield along with M’Bengue injured at left-back, this is the perfect opportunity for these three players to show that they can be an offensive force in Ligue 1. As for Toulouse, expect them to continue to attack with Umut Bulut, with support from Franck Tabanou, who improves with each and every week.

Even with a 5-1 defeat, and as much as it pains me to say with Toulouse being my favorite team, I see this as being the upset of the week. With Mauro Cetto gone and the injuries, I have a feeling that Jovial, Thil, Bautheac and Thomas Guerbert will control the game and score early against Toulouse. And once Toulouse is down, it is always hard for them to get back up. Prediction: Dijon 2-0.

Valenciennes vs. Brest – Both Valenciennes and Brest had to be two of the most disappointing teams of Matchday 1. For Brest, many of us were expecting a little more from Nolan Roux. As far Valenciennes, both Gregory Pujol and Gael Danic almost non-existent.

Going into this match, both of these teams are evenly matched. Both are not expected to be big mover and shakers in the Ligue 1 season. But as far as overall teams, Brest seems to be a little more balanced compared to Valenciennes. For VAFC to be successful in any match, they really need Pujol to be on his game. If he is, then they can win. The same goes for Danic.

As for Brest, they don’t have to rely on just two players for their team to play well. As was mentioned, Roux didn’t have a good game. But other players were able to pick up the slack, which allowed them to score two goals in their match against Evian. If Brest are able to play “keep away” from Danic and Pujol for 90 minutes while scoring a goal or two, then they should have the match in the bag. But if they give these two players opportunities, VAFC could pull off the win. And with that being said, Prediction: 1-1.

Current Prediction Record: 6-4.

There were a number of great goals that were considered for the this award. Long-range goals from Toulouse’s Paulo Machado, Caen’s Gregory Proment and Auxerre’s Alain Traore were considered. But even with this stiff competition, Evian’s captain Olivier Sorlin’s volley off a deflected corner wins this weeks “Goal of the Week”.

_brest-etg-fc-les-buts_sport

Of course, this was one of the best offensive Matchday 1s that we have seen in years. With a new emphasis on offense in the league, I don’t think it was that much of a surprise. Still, even with offenses firing it up, there were some stellar defensive skills on the field this weekend.

Defender of the Week – Bruno Ecuele Manga (Lorient) – Yes, PSG didn’t look that great. A lot of it had to do with a lack of chemistry. But much of it had to do with the play of Bruno Ecuele Manga. Ecuele was extremely impressive when dispossession attacking PSG players with the ball, especially Kevin Gameiro and Guillaume Hoarau. But what was most important was that he was constantly clearing the area, making it almost impossible for PSG to create any organized chances on the attack. Also, many of Ecuele’s clears led to good counter attack opportunities.

Midfielder of the Week – Alou Diarra (Marseille) – Almost immediately, Alou Diarra’s presence on the pitch paid dividends. While he is a defensive midfielder, he didn’t hold back. He created turnovers in the defensive zone as well as the offensive zone. His pass intercept and dribbling abilities lead to Marseille’s first goal eventually scored by Lucho Gonzalez. And throughout the match, he remained a force, both creating turnovers and pushing the ball up the field to the attacking squad.

Forward of the Week – Victor Hugo Montano (Rennes) – Even though Rennes did find offensive production from a number of different players, it seems as if Montano was, in some way, a part of many of them. Like with Diarra, he demonstrated his amazing dribbling abilities throughout the game. He would finish the match with one goal, but could have had more. Already, we are starting to see that Montano, along with Razak Boukari, will be a good combination up front.

Ligue 1 “Team of the Week”

I didn’t mention this in the preview article, but I am creating a 4-4-2 formation. Why? Because I would like to have one attacking and defending midfielder as well as a left and right midfielder, no matter if attacking or defending. Here is this week’s team:

This weekend, St. Etienne’s defense looked great. If Sylvain Marchal wasn’t the direct reason that Bordeaux scored, he might have been on the list as well. Still, Carlos Bocanegra did a good job on both holding the ball as well as pushing the play forward. As for youngster Loris Nery, he showed that he can play an aggressive game and knows how to hustle. Great work ethic by the French U-21.

Another youngster that looked great on the field was Franck Tabanou of Toulouse. Many TFC supporters have known for a while that he has what it takes to be a star. And, I am sure in nine months from now, he will be linked to bigger teams. But in this game against Ajaccio, Tabanou was impressive on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. During the match, TFC’s offense didn’t have that much of a spark. But if it did, it was usually started or finished off the foot of Tabanou.

Even though Dijon had the worst of luck on Sunday, the team did look impressive. One of the most impressive players for the team was Brice Jovial. Jovial scored a goal right before the half, in addition to having a goal disallowed, which should not have been. Even with his team down, he continued to be an offensive threat throughout the match. This will be a player to watch. He has a good combination of speed and strength that seems to be able to power through central defenders.

Adama Coulibaly had another strong performance for Auxerre, which will have to rely more and more on his services as the team becomes less and less offensive. Coulibaly stood out for the team by being at the right position at the right time. Like Ecuele, Coulibaly continued to clear the ball in an effective manner in a defense that was missing the services of Cedric Hengbart, and also relying on a rookie goalkeeper.

Lucho played like Lucho of two seasons ago. He was all over the pitch. He was amazing dribbling. He had a number of shots that were just wide or required great saves. He had three shots on target and seven shots total. Of course, he scored OMs first goal. But his presence on the field showed that OM really needs to do what they can to keep and not dish him off before the transfer deadline hits. He is just too important after watching Saturday’s match.

In that same game, Ryad Boudebouz continued his productive play from last year and was able to transfer it in his first match. Again, when Sochaux was on the attack, much of that production came off the foot of Boudebouz. While he did have a few questionable passes, his overall production overshadowed them. He, along with Marvin Martin, showed that they will be a force yet again this season.

Finally, Montpellier goalkeeper Laurent Pionnier was amazing for Montpellier. This game could have easily gone Auxerre’s ways in the opening minutes, but the amazing saves of Pionnier kept Auxerre to only one goal. Most of his saves weren’t easy, and required reaction times instead of acrobatic looking moves. But he is purely the reason Auxerre only scored one goal. But even with Pionnier’s great performance, Stephane Ruffier should be mentioned as well for having a great debut match for St. Etienne.

Young Players of the Week
1st. Franck Tabanou – 5 points
2nd. Loris Nery – 3 points
3rd. Ryad Boudebouz – 1 point

Ligue 1 Talk’s Power Rankings for Matchday 1:

After an impressive match on Sunday, and scoring five goals, Rennes were able to take the lead in our first “Power Ranking”. Of course, this is the first ranking and gives favor to visiting teams. And since only half of the teams were on the road, next week should give a better predictor. This is why in US college football, the BCS poll doesn’t come out until weeks after the season starts. Therefore, expect the numbers to be a true reflection of what is happening in Ligue 1 on Matchday 4 and beyond. This is more of a reflection of this weekend’s matches. And even with an impressive match, Dijon was not able to get out of the final spot.

Each week, I will be doing an overview of the Ligue 1 week. Since I can thank Foxsoccer.tv for showing almost every match online, it gives me an opportunity to see all the matches, all the players, and give a fair assessment of play in each of those matches.

There are a few points the “Power Breakdown” will be covering. Some of them has to do with stats, some don’t.

First, I will be showing the “Goal of the Week”. This is just my personal choice of the best goal for that week. At the end of the season, we will have a “Goal of the Year”.

Second, we will have a Ligue 1 “Team of the Week”. Because I am able to see all the matches, I can rely on actual play on the pitch for the entire 90 minutes instead of looking at highlights to determine the team. And, again, I will be creating a “Team of the Year” based on performances through the year.

Third, I will be looking at players of the week in the forward, midfield and defender position. I am not doing goaltending because whoever the goaltender I picked for “Team of the Week” would pretty much be the “Goaltender of the Week” as well.

And finally, I will be doing the “Ligue 1 Talk Power Rankings”. This is a set of mathematical equations put into a spreadsheet that takes a number of factors into consideration. Of course, we look at goals for and goals against, as well as the current place in the standings. Also, we take a look at “strength of schedule”, which there is a formula created for. There is also a formula created for away wins that is directly related to strength of schedule. Therefore, a team like Lorient gets more points for winning at PSG than Rennes get for winning at Dijon.

Another aspect that we have in this is the “human factor”. If anyone was able to see Dijon play yesterday, they looked pretty good despite losing 5-1. Therefore, that factor is put into the equation as well. Yes, this is the part that has to do with “opinion”, but it is just part of the calculation.

So there it is. I am getting ready to put Matchday 1 up in a couple of minutes. Enjoy.

Spiderman on the bench as Stephane Ruffier starts for St. Etienne.

Sorry that I got this one up late, but time difference between the US and France is never that friendly. We only have two matches on the Ligue 1 schedule today, and here are my predictions for those matches.

Dijon vs. Rennes – Truly one of the David vs. Goliath matches of the week. Dijon is predicted to finish 20th almost everywhere.

Rennes, on the other hand, is expected to be fighting for one of the last European qualifying spots.

While Dijon remains an unknown for most people, Rennes isn’t exactly a known team either. One of the things that remains a big question mark today’s match is the maturity of the Rennes players. Knowing very well that he is working with a mostly inexperienced side, coach Frederic Antonetti has tried to address the problem, as is shown here on Stade Rennais Online’s English version. But still, even with the inexperience, Rennes have a well-balanced team and should be able to handle Dijon easily.

Expect Victor Hugo Montano and Razak Boukari to have good matches. Also, keep an eye out on new arrival Julien Feret, as he will be of great benefit to Montano and Boukari up front. Prediction: Rennes 2-0.

Bordeaux vs. St. Etienne – Here is the battle between a team that has spent the last two years building, and a team that has spent the last two years dismantling. While losing a few key players, St. Etienne were still able to bring in some fresh talent that now makes them one of the most balanced teams in Ligue 1 (which they were before as well).

As for Bordeaux, the only answer they have provided for rebuilding is bringing in coach Francis Gillot, which is a good move for the team. Therefore, today’s match is between the new players for ASSE and the new coach for Bordeaux. While one will come out ahead?

With Dimitri Payet and Emmanuel Riviere gone, the offensive duties will now fall on the shoulders of Gonzalo Bergessio. He does have the talent to score. And with the lack of competition to take his place, this is the time for Bergessio to show us what he has. Keep an eye out for him.

But where the real battle could be won or lost is between St. Etienne’s defense and Bordeaux’s offense. ASSE’s defense last year was amazing, led by Carlos Bocanegra, Sylvain Marchel and Albin Ebondo. Ebondo isn’t playing today, but the acquisition of Jean-Pascal Mignot from Auxerre gives St. Etienne even more strength in the back. This will help against a Bordeaux offense which has gone from being productive a few years ago to non-existent. If ASSE scores one goal, the game can be over quickly. And if ASSE’s defense plays “average”, they should win as well.

Still, the biggest unknown for today is St. Etienne’s offense. Prediction: ASSE 2-0.

Could Kevin Gameiro score a hat-trick against his old team?

Finally, time to make the first predictions of the year. True, I might not be as accurate as I was at picking PSG games last year, but I will try to do my best and keep a running total to see how well, or crappy, I do. So here we go.

Ajaccio vs. Toulouse – Even with a few knocks to the team, Toulouse should be the better side today. Yes, traveling to Corsica might be something new, but I’m sure Toulouse can cope with the beautiful landscape. Still, a lot of time when teams are promoted from one league to another, they seem to play better ball in their first few matches. Look at Caen last year. But as far as this match, Toulouse has the players to control the tempo. Moussa Sissoko had a quiet season last year, let’s see if he can start this season on fire. Of course, Toulouse will miss the services of Daniel Braaten, Etienne Didot, Etienne Capoue and new arrival Emmanuel Riviere, but should be able to cope with the line up they have no. Imagine when all of them are healthy. Prediction: Toulouse 1-0.

Brest vs. Evian - In Evian’s first match in Ligue 1, they will play against an opponent that is pretty much their equal. Of course, most people will be watching to see how Sidney Govou and Jerome Leroy cope. Will they help Evian, or be a drag against them? That is the hard thing about Matchday 1, there are so many unknowns. The only thing that is really known is that Brest is pretty much intact from last year. Therefore, like with almost all Brest matches, Nolan Roux will be the player to watch. This should be a good, balanced match to watch. Prediction: Draw 1-1.

Caen vs. Valenciennes – While both of these teams remain somewhat the same from last year, the impact of Pierre-Alain Frau will be the most interesting thing to watch. Will he be able to be a force up front, or is he past his prime? But with Valenciennes’ tough defense, Frau might be thrown around a little bit. Will this throw him off his game? Again, Matchday 1 always has the unknowns. One thing that isn’t unknown is the Danic-Pujol connection, which is one of the most underrated in Ligue 1. Expect both teams to play on equal footing. I just see Valenciennes having the edge. Prediction: Valenciennes 2-1.

Nice vs. Lyon – I predicted OL to finish 3rd. I predict Nice to be relegated. The starting lineup for Lyon looks solid. Not so much for Nice. Still, Nice can pull off upsets in the last minute against big teams, like they did with Marseille last year. Still, I don’t see it happening here. Prediction: Lyon 2-0.

Nancy vs. Lille – Just like the Nice vs. Lyon match, this is a match of two unequals. Nancy does have Jean Fernandez, but Lille have Rudi Garcia. Player for player, Lille is simply better. Again, seeing how some of the newer players gel, especially Dimitri Payet, will be the most interesting part of this match. Prediction: Lille 3-0.

Montpellier vs. Auxerre – Even though I have been talking about the “unknowns” of Matchday 1, these two teams are two of the biggest unknowns of the season. If you look at any prediction site, both of these teams range from 7th place to relegation. Of course, Auxerre will have to play an even more defensive style of play with the departure of some key player. Thus, scoring goals this season will be Auxerre’s biggest problem. As for Montpellier, will Olivier Giroud be able punch through the Auxerre defense? Marco Estrada isn’t playing today, and the same goes for Karim Ait-Fana (both aren’t “match ready”). Therefore, today, Giroud will have to play it alone. And with that said, expect a defensive match. Draw 0-0.

Marseille vs. Sochaux – While many will be watching PSG vs. Lorient today, the best matchup might be Marseille vs. Sochaux. With both the starters and the bench Marseille has, they should be able to take on Sochaux quite easily. Even though Marseille have a decent defense, the offense of Sochaux should be able to give them some problems. Unlike the Montpellier vs. Auxerre match, this match could be highly offensive with play flowing from one end of the pitch to another. The main thing to watch today is to see how Alou Diarra does in his first game for OM, especially against Marvin Martin. Prediction: OM 3-1.

Paris St. Germain vs. Lorient – This is the matchup everyone is waiting for. Honestly, I’m not. Of course, we all know what PSG has done over the last couple of months. On the other hand, Lorient has dismantled their team over the last two years. If you look at their starting lineup today, it is unrecognizable compared to not just two years ago, but last year as well. I feel that this is going to be a tough year for Lorient, and PSG will just have their way with them. Don’t be surprise if Kevin Gameiro has a hat-trick in his first game against his old team. PSG 3-0.

Of course, this is all subjective. For all we know, next week we could have some major transfers that could change the face of Ligue 1 yet again. Just look at last year for example. Yohann Gourcuff, Loic Remi and Andre-Pierre Gignac were some of the players on the move late into the transfer window. And last year was considered a “boring” transfer year, with the exception of Nene going to PSG. This year has been much different.

So, which team is going to make the best of what they have? Which team has the complete package? Here are my predictions for 1st and 2nd place in Ligue 1.

2nd – Lille: Going into last year, everyone knew that Lille was a force to be reckoned with. And when all was said and done, they pulled off an extremely impressive season. Overall, the team was solid, played together well, and were able to take advantages when other teams slipped up.

But with that being said, will they be able to pull off the magic that they did last year?

First of all, we have to look at the departures. With Adil Remi, Yohan Cayabe and Gervinho leaving, there will be tremendous holes in the team. And, of course, these holes are on every part of the field, not just pinpointed at one position. Remi was an ever important part of Lille’s defense. But even with his departure, Lille still has a very strong core on the back line with Mathieu Debuchy and Aurélien Chedjou, as well as the newly arriving Laurent Bonnart and David Rozehnal. Bonnart has shown that we can play both the right and left side of defense, giving Lille an even more versatile player at defense than Rami. Therefore, their defense should be in great shape.

In addition to the back line, Benoit Pedretti has been brought in from Auxerre. He should be able to help Auxerre with the transition play as well as set pieces. But the big question is if Pedretti will be able to keep up with the fast pace of Lille after coming from the defensively dominated Auxerre.

Another issue to be dealt with was the departure of Yohan Cabaye only days after Lille won the Ligue 1 title. In the off-season, coach Rudi Garcia really didn’t bring anyone in to be an offensive threat from the midfield like Cabaye. Therefore, it seems as if Ludovic Obraniak will even become more of an important part of the offensive midfield.

But the biggest issue with Lille is their attack. Yes, we all expect Hazard to do his thing, he always does. But there are two questions that really need to be asked when looking at Lille’s offense. First, is Moussa Sow really as good as he looked last year? Never has Sow been looked at as more than an average player until last season. Will he be able to continue his brilliance, or will he slump like Andre-Pierre Gignac did after his 2008-09 season?

The second question to be asked is if Dimitri Payet is a good replacement for Gervinho. The answer is simple…no. And in all fairness, I don’t think anyone is expecting him to be Gervinho. Still, the problem with Payet is that we really don’t know how good he is. Season after season, Ligue 1 followers like myself were waiting for Payet to have a breakout season. And season after season, he continued to disappoint, until last season. So, how will he be this season? We simply don’t know yet.

Eden Hazard is the star of this team and is what makes this team work. He is consistent every year. But with Sow and Payet being the big unknowns up front, what will Hazard have to do? Will he have to continue to play the role of playmaker, or will he have to attack the net more than he usually does? There is the possibility that the offense of Lille could implode. But the odds are still in favor of the team, not against it.

1st – Marseille: In 2009, Marseille brought in a bunch of new players. In addition to Marseille bringing in players, so did Lyon. Therefore, the 2009-10 season was not unlike this one, with two powerhouse teams going through a major face lift while Bordeaux looked like the steady team.

Now going into the third season, Marseille has gone from”panic buy” mode into a team that is smart when dealing with the transfer market. Last year, I argued that Marseille “panic bought” Loic Remy, Andre-Pierre Gignac and Rod Fanni. But this year, they actually worked on addressing their problems by filling the holes where they needed to be filled.

The biggest loss for the team was Taye Taiwo. Luckily for Marseille, they knew that Taiwo would be leaving well before the transfer window opened. Therefore, they were able to fill that hole nicely with the addition of Lorient’s Jérémy Morel. Panic buying crisis adverted.

OM did lose a few other key players from the last few years, like Gaby Heinze, Hilton and Fabrice Abriel. But when all is said and done, these players had average, if not sub-par, careers at Marseille. In addition, Nicolas N’Koulou will be an adequate replacement at central defense to work with Stephane Mbia and Souleymane Diawara. Therefore, they aren’t losing anything more than Taiwo, who has been replaced.

With many of the players still staying with the team, this gave Marseille more of a chance to add more depth. One of the biggest names from last year was Lorient’s Morgan Amalfitano. Many were expecting Amalfitano to transfer to England or possibly another Ligue 1 club. In the end, he decided on Marseille. This will give Marseille an unpredictable attack that will drive other Ligue 1 teams crazy.

But the best transfer was yet to come. Alou Diarra could have fit into any team in Ligue 1. With the departure of Jeremy Toulalan at Lyon, he could have fit there. Same with the departure of Claude Makelele at PSG. But in the end, he decided that OM was the best choice for him. Marseille has had a lack of talent at the defensive midfield position. One could say that this position was the biggest “hole” at Marseille. Now with that hole filled, Marseille looks like a complete team. When all is said and done, I feel that Alou Diarra will have been the best transfer of this Ligue 1 season.

With the addition of these players as well as having Benoit Cheyrou, Cesar Azpilicueta, Loic Remy, Andre-Pierre Gignac, the Ayew Brothers, Mathieu Valbuena, Rod Fanni, Souleymane Diawara, Edouard Cisse, Steve Mandanda and, hopefully, Lucho Gonzalez, Marseille is the most complete team in all of Ligue 1. They have the dept to win a championship. Most of these players have been with the team for a couple of season now. And when it comes to coaching, Didier Deschamps is looking more and more like one of the best coaches in all of football.

I really cannot see anything that would hold back Marseille from winning the championship. All the issues they had in the past now seem to be solved. Lille did the double last year. Marseille could easily do it this year.

5 – St. Etienne:

Of course, there is much discussion about the change of the team over the summer. The big names departing are Dimitri Payet to Lille, Blaise Matuidi to PSG, Emmanuel Riviere to Toulouse and Christophe Landrin to Arles-Avignon (which kind of surprises me). But even though some of these players are gone, there replacements should be able to prove themselves on this stage as well.

The biggest signing for ASSE has to be goalkeeper Stephane Ruffier from Monaco. Does this mean that Jermanie Janot’s retirement is closer than we think? Easily, both of these players know how to play goal, and are some of the best goalkeepers in Ligue 1. But even so, both of them have different playing styles. Janot is more or an acrobat, while Ruffier is stellar at positioning. It will be interesting to see how coach Christophe Galtier juggles the goaltending roles.

But, of course, some think it will be difficult for St. Etienne to replace the departed, especially Payet and Matuidi. Regarding Payet, his departure might be a blessing in disguise. For a number of seasons now, followers of ASSE have been waiting for Payet to explode. And during his time at the team, he constantly under-performed. Last year, he finally started to show what many of us were expecting from him, but his new talent also brought about a poor attitude. Therefore, the departure of Payet from the ASSE system might not be the worse thing in the world. Also, Gonzalo Bergessio, another player that ASSE fans are expecting a lot from, is now back on the team after a loan stint at Catania in Italy. Florent Sinama Pongolle is also on loan from Sporting Clube de Portugal, which gives ASSE that extra dimension, speed, to their arsenal.

As far as the offensive midfield, ASSE pretty much stayed intact.  Laurent Batlles, Alejandro Alonso and Bakary Sako will continue to provide the offensive support in the midfield. In addition, the team added former Lyon and Fulham player Steed Malbranque to the mix.

Blaise Matuidi, on the other hand, will be much harder to replace. It was only a matter of time until he was going to move to a bigger team. Still, in almost a swap, ASSE were able to acquire Jérémy Clément from PSG. Yes, Clement is a solid defensive midfielder and has been for years, but Matuidi is the future of French football. But still, with the addition of Clement, it makes the loss of Matiudi less noticeable. In addition, ASSE still have the services of captain Loïc Perrin to assist Clement in the defensive midfield.

Even with these changes up front, one of ASSE’s biggest strengths has to be on the back line. American Carlos Bocanegra, Sylvain Marchal and Albin Ebondo were absolutely stellar last year. And with the addition of Jean-Pascal Mignot a few days ago, St. Etienne will have one of the strongest back lines in all of Ligue 1.

While St. Etienne are covered well at every position, there is one bonus that they have that almost all other teams lack…leadership and experience. Of course Jeremie Janot can be an inspiration to his player. Loic Perrin is the current captain of the team. In addition, Bocanegra is the USMNT captain and Sylvain Marchal was captain at Lorient. Along with these inspirational leaders, the team brought in experienced players like Clement and cleaned out of the players with poor attitudes (Payet) and  the unpredictables (Riviere) that could be the difference between winning and losing.

This team should make the Europa League. But, like with Rennes, if any of the top teams slip just a little, St. Etienne could be a Champions League bound team.

4th. Paris St. Germain: Oh, no you didn’t!

Oh, yes I did!

I know, we have all been hearing about the super-team that PSG is creating with their new found Qatari money. And yes, the players that they have brought in have been impressive. But Rome wasn’t built in a day. Neither was Manchester City, the Boston Red Sox or the Detroit Red Wings. Even with the amount of players brought into PSG, it will take at least a season to grow.

Why do I say this? Well, let’s look at the big named players brought in. We have Kevin Gameiro from Lorient, Milan Biševac from Valenciennes, Blaise Matuidi from St. Etienne, Jeremy Menez from Roma, Mohamed Sissokho from Juventus, Nicolas Douchez from Rennes and now Javier Pastore from Palermo. More than likely, most of these players, if not all, are going to be starters. And, of course, none of them have played on the same club teams before. Therefore, coach Antoine Kombauare might have a rough time getting all of his players on the same page.

Don’t get me wrong, this is a good set of players. In addition, the depth of this team might be another plus. But could the depth of this team also cause tension? Because they are bringing in so many players, could other players feel that they are being left out in the cold and want to transfer to another club? Where is Clément Chantôme going to fit? And, actually, what is their defense going to look like? Will Christophe Jallet and Mathieu Bodmer be spending most of their time on the bench? I can just see some real problems for PSG do deal with.

This team does have the makings of becoming one of the best teams in Europe. But almost in every sport, when a team buys a ton of players in one year, results don’t come immediately. I see that happening with PSG. And if that does happen, and my prediction of a 4th place finish is correct, another question needs to be answered…can both the PSG organization and their fans handle a finishing position outside of a Champions League spot? Who knows.

With the exception of Kevin Gameiro, Nicolas Douchez and Salvatore Sirigu, it seems as if PSG has gone on a drunken buying spree, buying everything in the store and not asking questions. It seems as if they bought players just for the sake of buying players and not really examining what positions they need to prioritize. Yes, they will eventually learn to buy wisely. Even Manchester City had its “drunken buying spree” moment. But they have now started to learn how to do things correctly.

With all of these factors, I really can’t give a detailed account of what PSG might look like this year on the pitch. Hell, I don’t even think Antoine Kombouare could do that right now either! It is just too fluid of a situation in Paris.

3rd – Lyon: Lyon is quite the opposite of PSG. Unlike a team that has an entirely new body, we have a group of familiar faces at the Stade Gerland. Yes, one big piece, Jeremy Toulalan, has departed. But even with his departure, the team still looks poised to make another run at a Champions League position.

Of course, the departure of Toulalan this summer was a blow to the team. And, personally, I am disappointed that Toulalan made the move as well. But this just means that Maxime Gonalons will have to step up on the defensive end of the midfield, which I feel that he is totally capable of doing.

As far as defense, Lyon should be solid. Even though he didn’t have the best of years last season, Hugo Lloris still had a great season compared to what most keepers in professional football usually have. As far as defense, a healthy Cris along with the ever-improving Dejan Lovren should give Lloris the cover he needs. And, of course, we have Aly Cissokho at left back and Anthony Réveillère at right back. And while replacing Cissokho for a few matches last season, Timothée Kolodziejczak showed he can easily play at the top level.

As far as the attackers, there is Lisandro Lopez and Bafetimbi Gomis. We know what they can do, and I am sure they will continue to work well together. In addition, don’t be surprised if we see Jimmy Briand becoming more of an offensive threat as well. Last year, he quietly scored eight goals. Even small production like that makes him a strong player for Lyon.

The big question for Lyon is the midfield. Kim Kallstrom, Michel Bastos (who seems to be staying), Ederson, Miralem Pjanić, Jérémy Pied and, of course, Yohann Gourcuff. Who will play in the midfield for Lyon? To start of the season, both Gourcuff and Ederson are injured. But when they return, who will the be the go-to guys for new coach Remi Garde? I think most Lyon followers can agree that Lyon might go the way of Gourcuff. If Gourcuff does well, Lyon will as well. If he falls apart yet again, Lyon might. But luckily for Lyon, they do have the depth to deal with the possibility of Gourcuff imploding.

Like with any team that is this highly predicted, Lyon has a chance of being the Ligue 1 title holders. The advantage that Lyon has is that many of these players have played on the same team for at least two seasons, and going on their third. This might be exactly what could separate Lyon from the rest of the field. And, for Lyon’s sake, hopefully they will stay healthy.

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/ligue-1-talk

Any questions, comments or whatever, you can add on either this post of send them to @frenchsoccer at Twitter. Like I said, this is just a test show, mostly to deal with technical issues and stuff like that.

8th – Sochaux: When making this prediction, I am wondering if I might be putting Sochaux a little higher than they deserve to be. Yes, last year they were able to pull off a shocking 5th place finish in the Ligue 1 standings, which nobody saw coming. But if you look at the talent on their team, it isn’t a surprise. Yes, some of the players were passively observed in the past, but now we know their names by heart.

But looking at the summer, it seems as if Sochaux had a few blows. First of all, Jacques Faty left, which we all expected. Still, even with Faty’s departure, Sochaux should still be able to cope. He was injured during the last few matches of the season, but the team was still able to play some strong football without him.

In addition to Faty’s departure, Ideye Brown as also left the team for Dynamo Kyiv, where he has made an immediate impact, with four goals in two matches. Ideye was easily one of last year’s surprises, scoring 15 goals last season. Still, with Ideye’s departure, Václav Svěrkoš is returning from a loan deal and should be able to help Sochaux up front.

Even with the European spotlight being turned on Sochaux, many of their players did stay on with the team for another year. Modibo Maiga, Marvin Martin, Ryad Boudebouz where on many European target lists. But in the end, all of them are still with Sochaux. Martin continues to prove his worth on the French National Team as well.

Another interesting position to watch is at goalkeeper. Teddy Richert is Sochaux’s traditional keeper. But last year, youngster Pierrick Cros showed he has what it takes to play in France’s top flight of football. Could we see Cros play more matches this season? For the player’s sake, hopefully so.

Overall, Sochaux should remain very close to the team they were last year. Yes, there are some big departures from the team, but many of their key players remained and they should be able to continue where they left off. In addition, they built up more on defense during the summer transfers. But Sochaux could, again, be a surprise this year and challenge for a Europa League spot.

7th – Montpellier: Montpellier didn’t have the best of seasons last year. Along with a number of injuries to key players, the team just didn’t seem to gel. But this could be understandable. Victor Montano and Alberto Costa left the team, which required Rene Girard to come up with a new attacking plan. In addition, injuries and “anger management issues” also plagued the defense last year.

But with all of that behind them, now Montpellier can maybe start anew. Looking at the summer, Montpellier didn’t really lose anyone except Emir Spahic (whom I was referring to when I mentioned “anger management issues” above). Still, in the last few days, the team was able to bring in Hilton from Marseille, who should be a good replacement for Spahic.

As far as offense, Montpellier still have a lot to prove. Last year, many expected that Olivier Giroud and Marco Estrada to be the answer to Montano and Costa. Hopefully these two players will create the magic that we expected last year. In addition, the team still has Karim Ait Fana (who has hot and cold seasons), Souleymane Camara and Hasan Kabze (who was extremely unimpressive last year) up front. Therefore, Montpellier can have a lot of options up front, if they stay healthy.

As far as the rest of the team, the midfield and defense still has the services of Romain Pitau, Younes Belhanda, Abdelhamid El Kaoutari, Mapou Yangambiwa, Cryil Jeunechamp, Garry Bocaly and a number of others from last year. In addition, the defense has been helped by the arrival of Henri Bedimo from Lens.

Even with all the talk of Ligue 1 teams getting a face-lift this season, Montpellier has stayed intact. And while luck wasn’t exactly on their side last year, maybe that will change this year. This team isn’t much different from the team that was so impressive two seasons ago. But in order for Montpellier to make an impression, the offense will have to step it up. The defense on this team always does their job, but now they need the goals to back it up.

6th – Rennes: Last year, Rennes started off the season on fire. At the end of the season, they almost went down in those same flames. While relying on both a mixture of youth and experience, Rennes were able to assemble an overall good season. But will they be able to do it again?

First of all, the team did suffer a number of big losses. Nicholas Douchez and Sylvain Marveaux are gone. In addition, Jerome Leroy has departed, as well as Johann Carrasso. Douchez, Marveaux and, to a lesser extent, Leroy played an important part in last year’s success. Carrasso was expected to be Douchez’s replacement as well.

But before people start screaming that the ship is sinking, Rennes are still in a good position. In the off-season, the team picked up Jonathan Pitroipa, who will be an offensive threat on the right wing for Rennes. In addition to Pitroipa, Julien Feret was brought in from Nancy. Hopefully the combination of these two players will make Rennes supporters forget about Marveaux.

Benoît Costil, Ligue 2′s best goalkeeper last year, was also added to the team from Sedan. And in keeping with the youth direction that Rennes is going, former Camp des Loges product Chris Mavinga also joins the team.

In addition to the newly arriving players, Rennes still has Yann M’Vila, Victor Montano, Romain Danze, Onyekachi Apam (who will hopefully be healthy this season), Alexander Tetty, Razak Boukari, Kader Mangane, Stephane Dalmat and others. This lineup along shows that they are a highly balanced team and can play both sides of the ball extremely well.

Rennes is easily one of the “safe bets” as far as making it to the Europa League, as long as the cup winners qualify by league position as well. And if one or two of the top teams slip up, Rennes could the team that could sneak from behind and take them for a Champions League position. But the biggest problem might be their youthful age. While youthful talent is always great as far as looking into the future, will their inexperience hurt them when crunch time comes along? It did at the end of last year.