Matchday 31 – What did we learn?

Posted on April 18, 2011 by Dave Trotter

Benoit Cheyrou - the real "Player of the Year"?

1. Could lackluster end of season leave a bad taste in people’s mouth? - Usually around the end of a season, teams at the top of the table start elevating their level of play to try to either win the league or make a run for a Champions League position. But right now it doesn’t seem as if any of the teams really want the Ligue 1 title. Marseille, Lyon, Rennes, Lille and PSG have all played “less than average” games over the past few weeks, and one must really ask if any of them have the drive to win the championship. Instead of the best team pulling ahead of the rest, it is starting to look like “the team that doesn’t play the worse” might win this championship, which could damage the reputation of Ligue 1.

Because of this, we really can’t say who is the favorite to win the championship. We can’t pick out one team (like we did with Marseille last year) and say “ah ha, that is the team that will win it, they have the drive.” Instead, the end of the season might resemble the end of The Blair Witch Project, where people will be scratching their heads while leaving the theater saying “that’s it?”

So please, Lyon, Marseille, Lille, PSG or Rennes, can one of you please pick up your play so we can have at least a little bit of an idea on who really intends to make a serious run at the top spot in the table?
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Filed under: AS Monaco FC, FC Lorient, Le Mans FC, LOSC Lille, OGC Nice, Olympique Lyonnais, Olympique Marseille | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments »

Ligue 1 Matchday 16: What did we learn?

Posted on December 6, 2010 by Dave Trotter

For our American "Craig Ferguson" fans. Just Google it...

Another week of Ligue 1 action, and another week of questions answered and unanswered. So, what did we learn this week? Lets dive right into to.

Lille has a powerful offense – I don’t know what it is in the air around this time of the year in Lille, but for some reason when winter starts, Lille’s offense kicks it up a notch and goes into high gear. And they proved that yet again with a 6-3 victory over Lorient. Yes, the Lorient keeper Fabien Audard might have been red carded, but he had already allowed four goals before that time.

In addition to Lille showing their stuff, Moussa Sow has shown that he is one of the top players in Ligue 1 right now. Sow recorded a hat-trick, giving him 13 goals on the season. Oh, and if you are wondering if he might be shooting for a Ligue 1 record, he isn’t. Marseille’s Jisop Skoblar scored 44 goals in the 1970-71 season.
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Filed under: AS Monaco FC, AS Saint-Etienne, Girondins de Bordeaux, LOSC Lille, Olympique Lyonnais, Stade Brestois 29 | Tagged: , , , , , , , | 4 Comments »

Ligue 1 Matchday 15: What did we learn?

Posted on November 30, 2010 by Dave Trotter

Time for Coupet to return to the PSG goal.

First of all, I am sorry that I haven’t written in the last few days. Both work and school set me back, and I had a number of deadlines due today. But anyway, I am back now and ready to write.

So, we had a number of interesting matches last weekend in Ligue 1. From top to bottom, these matches were pretty even, with any team really having a chance to beat any other team. Therefore, it seemed as if we could learn something from this week possibly more than we can in other weeks. But, on a weekly basis, I plan on doing a “what did we learn” section. So, what did we learn in Matchday 15?

1. Marseille are back – after a slow start to the season, Marseille seems to have their stuff together. What they have learned is that they really don’t need Andre-Pierre Gignac to win. What they need is production from Lucho and Mathieu Valbuena along with some stellar play from their defense, which took a blow with Cesar Azpilicueta’s injury, which will keep him off the team for six months.
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Filed under: AJ Auxerre, Olympique Lyonnais, Olympique Marseille, Paris Saint Germain, Stade Brestois 29 | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Is the EPL or Ligue 1 the best move for Loic Remy?

Posted on July 15, 2010 by Dave Trotter

According to L’Equipe in France, Nice striker Loic Remy will be making his decision on where he will be spending his footballing career.

While we have heard rumors from a number of teams in the last few months, it now looks like a transfer to the British Isles are in the cards for the on-and-off French international striker.

In the last few days, there was talk about him moving to a number of Ligue 1 teams. First in the news was talk about him moving to Bordeaux. In fact, Remy said as late as last week that he would prefer a move to Bordeaux over other teams that were mentioned at the time. In addition to Bordeaux, there was also talk that he might go back Lyon, where he started off as a youth player at the age of 11.

Rennes has also been considered as a possible new home for Remy as well, being a possible replacement for Jimmy Briand or if Asamoah Gyan leaves for another team.
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Filed under: Girondins de Bordeaux, OGC Nice, Olympique Lyonnais, Stade Rennais FC | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments »

Ligue 1 All-Star Team: Strikers

Posted on December 15, 2009 by Dave Trotter

Lisandro is our top vote-getter. Are you really surprised?

For years, Ligue 1 has been known as a defensive league. With 1-0 scores being common, hat tricks were far from common.

Last year, Andre-Pierre Gignac scored an unheard of 24 goals. Both Karim Benzema and Guillaume Hoarau where seven goals behind. And in the last year, and especially how this year is going, fans and observers alike are starting to ask if Ligue 1 is starting to become the next big scoring powerhouse.

And while the defense is strong in Ligue 1, the offense has improved quite a bit in the last few year. One can easily make the argument that Ligue 1 has become the most complete league in the world, accommodating to both sides of the ball.

So, with that said, here is our choices of strikers for our Ligue 1 All-Star team. While the vote was very close, and there was a tie for second place, there was no doubt about who was considered number one in the eyes of our voters.
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Filed under: Olympique Lyonnais, Stade Rennais FC | Tagged: , , , , , , , | 3 Comments »

Ligue 1 Fantasy Football Guide

Posted on November 27, 2009 by Dave Trotter

I know there are many people out there who are English-speaking that try to play as many online fantasy football games as possible. Heck, I even play fantasy basketball from time to time, having no idea what I am doing. And with many websites, like Yahoo, offering French fantasy football, some fans need guidance on how the pick their starting line up for their team.

I have been involved with fantasy sports since 1988, when I played in a fantasy hockey league on an internet program called Q-Link, which was available for the Commodore 64. I have won my fair share of championships throughout the years. And, hopefully, this site can help you with your starting lineup if you are in a French football fantasy league, but have no idea who to start.

We will be doing this every week, and hopefully you will enjoy it!

And if you have a question about starting players, leave a comment and we can get back to you.

So, on to Matchday 15. Who to play and who not to play is the question. And to start off, I will give you my starters for the week.

But just a note before we start…make sure you do not start any Monaco or Montpellier players as that game has been postponed due to swine flu.
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Filed under: Fantasy Football | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments »

Two Ligue 1 teams in CL knockouts!

Posted on November 4, 2009 by Dave Trotter

fr-lyonAfter a hair-rasing game, Lyon get a late equalizer by Lisandro Lopez as the Rhone side advance to their 8th straight trip to the Champions League knockout stage.

Throughout most of the game, Lyon had look quite weak. While the team did start the game off with some energy, after the 15th minute it was all Liverpool. And it looked as if Liverpool were going to take the three points away as a late goal by substitute Ryan Babel gave The Reds a 1-0 lead.

But, again, Lisandro comes to the rescue.
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Filed under: Girondins de Bordeaux, Olympique Lyonnais, Olympique Marseille | Tagged: , , | Comments Off

Champions League Preview – Lyon vs. Fiorentina

Posted on September 16, 2009 by Dave Trotter

0Well, another day in the Champions League and another French team will take on an Italian side. This time, these are two teams that know each other, as Fiorentina and Lyon played  in last year’s group stage. In their meetings, Lyon was the more impressive of the two teams, taking a 2-1 win in Italy and coming back from a 2-0 deficit in Lyon to draw the game 2-2.

But this is a different year, and Lyon is a different team. With the addition of Lisandro Lopez, Bafétimbi Gomis and Michel Bastos, OL has built a team that is, quite possibly,  stronger than last year’s team, which made it to the knock-out stage, only to be defeated by eventual champions Barcelona. Fiorentina coach Cesare Prandelli understands this as well. “Lyon are a very strong team, well-organised and blessed with quality individuals. I think Lyon as a team are better than last year. That’s why we’ll have to start the game with the right enthusiasm, courage and spirit. But we are here to have fun as well and show we can win’” said Prandelli.

Even with a stronger team, Lyon will have their work cut out for them. At home, OL have not had the best of luck against Serie A teams. The last four times a Serie A steam has visited Stade Gerland, Lyon failed to win. This will be a stat that, i’m sure, will be stuck in the minds of every Fiorentina player and staff member.

In addition to that, Lyon manager Claude Puel said that his team might have a more difficult time against Fiorentina because his team is different from last year, unlike Fiorentina, which remains relatively the same. “It’s a new season for us. We have made a number of changes to our squad while Fiorentina have kept practically the same team. They know each other really well, so it will be difficult for us. We have made a good start this season, but you have to wait before judging us, you need a full season before drawing conclusions,” said Puel.

Lyon has been quite impressive this season, scoring 18 goals in 7 game (both Ligue 1 and Champions League qualification), and yet to have concede a loss. Still, on the other hand, Fiorentina are just as impressive. Three games into the Serie A campaign, they have two wins and a draw, without a loss. 

Lyon will be playing without some of their big names today. Ederson (ankle) and Jean-Alain Boumsong (questionable) will be out of today’s matchup. Lisandro Lopez, Ligue 1′s Player of the Month, is listed as questionable, due to a groin injury. At yesterday’s press conference, Puel said that Lisandro’s return will be a game-time decision. With four goals in UEFA competition for Lyon, Lisandro will be the key to a Lyon win. If he is not able to make it, watch for Michel Bastos to take his place as the team technical leader.

Lyon ran a 4-3-3 against Anderlecht, but if Lisandro doesn’t make it, this could possibly change. “Whatever the system, I focus on the players, the form of time, the opponent. Some players are more comfortable in a 4-3-3 system, others in another. The goal is to achieve good things’” said Puel.

Here are the twenty players that will make the trip to Fiorentina…Lloris, Vercoutre, Réveillère, Cris, Clerc, Bodmer, Cissokho, Seguin, Toulalan, Kallstrom, Pjanic, Makoun, Gonalons, Belfodil, Ederson Govou, Delgado Gomis, Bastos, Lisandro. By game time, we will see who suits up for OL.

Filed under: Olympique Lyonnais, UEFA Champions League | Tagged: , , , | 3 Comments »

Lyon with another impressive win

Posted on August 25, 2009 by Dave Trotter

In the second leg match against Alderlecht, Lisandro Lopez was the story. If anyone was wondering if he was a good replacement for Karim Benzema, his hat trick within the first half pretty much answered that question.

Lopez had three impressive strikes, including intercepting a clearing pass on his first goal (even if it was not intended).

Including other recent signings, Lyon looks poised to possibly take back their place in the top spot at Ligue 1. With the arrival of Didier Deschamps and a number of players at Marseille, not many people paid any attention to Lyon, who had the third highest transfer spending spree behind Real Madrid and Manchester City.

Therefore, is Lyon the real deal? Seems to be so far, even with a draw with Lens last week.

Saturday, Lyon will be hosting Nancy Lorraine, which will surely be a match to watch.

I will have more on today’s game and last weeks games tomorrow as my internet has been acting up all day today. Sorry everyone! I will write a lot more tomorrow.

Filed under: Ligue 1 Commentary | Tagged: , | Comments Off

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