French Ligue 1 Thread

acmilan4ever

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4 points seperate first place and tenth place. this is such an exciting league. my bet is on lyon to take it.
 

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Ligue 1 Team Of The Season so far

Goalkeeper

Steve Mandanda (Olympique de Marseille): Named in Laurent Blanc’s best five French players of 2010 last week, Mandanda has made a more assured start to the Ligue 1 campaign than great rival Hugo Lloris. The big Congo-born custodian can divide opinion, but he’s been near-flawless in the opening half of the domestic campaign, oozing assurance and making a number of big saves for his club.



Defence

Mathieu Debuchy (Lille): Free-scoring Lille are not readily associated with defensive steadiness, but Debuchy has enjoyed a strong start to the campaign at right-back. Always ready to raid forward to help the more attacking sectors of les Dogues, Debuchy displays calmness in possession and will regularly try to play his way out of trouble, epitomising the mentality given to the team by Rudi Garcia. When asked to defend, he is a reliable figure and has been touted for France recognition.


Souleymane Diawara (Olympique de Marseille): It’s been something of a frustrating season for former Bordeaux defender Diawara for one reason or another. Injuries and suspensions have curtailed his playing time, but when he’s been involved the rugged defender has excelled in the heart of the Marseille defence. Adds extra assurance to the OM rearguard, and his sheer muscle is a useful weapon in itself.


Kader Mangane (Stade Rennais): Third-placed Rennes have built much of their early season success on having the strongest defence in the league. Mangane has been a rock for the Breton club in the centre of their rearguard, often having to guide untested partners through the game because of injuries or suspensions elsewhere. A thoroughly uncompromising character, the former Racing Club de Lens man is enjoying a terrific campaign.


Benoit Tremoulinas (Girondins de Bordeaux): Arguably the outstanding French left-back of the moment, even if he is still waiting on his first international cap, Tremoulinas continues to shine even in a depleted Bordeaux side. Without Marouane Chamakh to hit in the air, his superb crosses have not always had the reception they’ve deserved, but the full-back continues to offer a major threat down his flank. When it comes to the defensive side of the game, he is utterly reliable.



Midfield

Dimitri Payet (Saint-Etienne): Made a wonderful start to the season on the right side of Saint-Etienne’s midfield, scoring freely for les Verts. Payet’s most memorable contribution was a stunning winner against Lyon in the Derby du Rhone, which helped the Reunion-born 23-year-old into the national set-up. Has been a pivotal figure in Sainte’s rise from relegation candidates to European hopefuls, even if his form has tailed off recently.


Alou Diarra (Girondins de Bordeaux): Strongly linked with a move to Marseille in the summer, Diarra has been outstanding in the heart of Bordeaux’s midfield. Made captain of the France international side, the former Lyon man has been the key player for the erratic Girondins, giving them a steady base with his consistent performances in front of a defence that has been depleted since the season’s outset. One of the few remaining stars at the Stade Chaban-Delmas, and aside from one moment of madness against Caen has totally justified his billing.


Marvin Martin (Sochaux): The archetypal attacking midfielder to come out of the French academy system, 22-year-old Martin has been outstanding for les Lionceaux this term. With eight assists to his name this term, no-one has created more goals than the former Under-21 international, who has constantly proven his ability off both feet and propensity to pick the correct pass. But his game is not all about setting up others, he has a couple of goals for himself, including the best of the season to date in Ligue 1: a stunning chip against Nice.


Nene (Paris Saint-Germain): Signed from Monaco in the summer, PSG might have expected Nene to take some time to settle down in the capital. This hasn’t been the case at all as he has exploded into life, scoring 13 times in total and contributing massively to les Parisiens’ cause. Showed he can provide touches of class on the big stage when he set-up Guillaume Hoarau in the Derby de France win over Marseille and has also performed in clutch situations, for example striking a superb late winner against Valenciennes. Player of the season to date.



Attack

Lisandro Lopez (Olympique Lyonnais): Lyon’s record signing has been a consistently excellent for les Gones, often lifting them above the mediocre to dig them out of a difficult situation. Shifted to the left wing in recent times, ‘Licha’ has thrived in this new role at the Stade Gerland, linking up effectively with Bafetimbi Gomis and really giving what was an ailing campaign fresh impetus. Worrying for Lisandro’s Ligue 1 opponents, he appears to be gaining momentum as the season goes on, so expect fireworks in 2011. Has struck eight times in only nine league starts this season.


Moussa Sow (Lille): When Lille snapped up Moussa Sow on a free transfer from Rennes in the summer, they would not have dreamed of the kind of impact he would make. A mere back-up in Brittany, the powerful Senegalese forward has quickly established himself as a vital component of the league leader’s side. His running may be selfless, but his finishing has been positively greedy, striking 13 times in 14 matches, including two hat-tricks. Last season Lille were lacking in a prolific striker to earn them Champions League football; it seems they have him now.



Mandanda

Debuchy – Diawara - Mangane – Tremoulinas

Payet - A. Diarra - Martin - Nene

Lisandro - Sow​
 

acmilan4ever

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Robin Bairner’s French Revelations: Why Real Madrid & Bayern Munich Are Chasing Stade Rennais Prodigy Yann M’Vila
There are only a few days of transfer dealing left to be done before the winter market for 2011 finally closes, and significant movement in Ligue 1 has been virtually nil. Resigned to the fact that none of the major French clubs are willing and/or able to make a big swoop, the domestic media has largely been looking towards potential summer switches.

Lorient’s Kevin Gameiro has been a hot topic, of course, but it’s the case of Stade Rennais prodigy Yann M’Vila that is perhaps the most interesting.

A first-teamer with the Bretons for less than 18 months, the 20-year-old midfielder has enjoyed a terrific rise in prominence over that period, growing into an invaluable member of les Rouge et Noir’s squad who is now valued by his club at a jaw-dropping €20 million.

It may seem like a lot of money for a player still wet behind the ears, but this young Frenchman is a player equipped to make great strides in the game, having already tasted international football on several occasions under Laurent Blanc.

Even with his hefty price-tag, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Liverpool and a handful of others have been associated with the Amiens-born player, who has already shown too much class to stay with a relatively provincial side for much longer.

M’Vila is a player who has a wide range of abilities and is capable of functioning in several different capacities in the centre of the pitch. Initially with Rennes he was used as a midfield battler, providing energy and a sturdy presence in the engine room, but it would be wrong to simply label the No.17 as merely another player in the Claude Makelele mould.

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Increasingly, the offensive aspects of M’Vila’s game have become apparent, perhaps even surprising himself. In December, he joked to France Football: “Once I’ve scored I’ll leave!”

Little over a month later, he would boast his first two goals for the club, including his first strike in Le Championnat.

Coach Frederic Antonetti seems to have encouraged greater mobility in the internationalists’ play over the course of recent weeks, and these two strikes were just reward for the impressive ability of the player to cover large areas of the pitch yet find himself in the correct position at the opportune moment.

What takes M’Vila’s game above the level of the average box-to-box midfielder are his technical qualities. His first touch is sound, he has few problems dribbling out of danger, and his passing, particularly when given time, can be defence-splitting.

His attitude has been questioned in the past by abrasive coach Guy Lacombe, but under Antonetti’s wing, 20-year-old has flourished. In the right environment, it’s no great leap to suggest he could do so with one of Europe’s biggest sides.


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Physically, he is strong enough to play in the Premier League, technically he could fit into Real Madrid in a deep-lying position (an upgrade on Lassana Diarra?) and he has the all-round ability to play in the Bundesliga. Maturity isn’t a problem either, as he’s already settled down with two children.

M’Vila, however, has asserted that he would like to play until 2012 with Rennes. Firstly, he believes that will maximise his chances of playing in the European Championships, should les Bleus qualify, and secondly he thinks his development could be harmed if he is forced to spend a long period on the bench at a new club.

Olympique Lyonnais and Olympique de Marseille have not been dismissed by the young Frenchman, but it’s likely that he’ll go straight to the very top after leaving Rennes, which appears likely to come at a time of his choosing.

The new 'Claude Makalele', what do you guys think, where should he go and why?
 

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Just hope this story not ended tragic like Jonathan de Guzman.
 

acmilan4ever

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Just hope this story not ended tragic like Jonathan de Guzman.

Nah it wont, De Guzman didn't join a club where he could excel and prove himself more. He joined a mediocre club. This guy is already at a mediocre club that produces good talent, his next step would be an European Elite.
 

acmilan4ever

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Good weekend for Marseille and Lille

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Ten Ligue 1 talents on the move

The current row over TV rights in French soccer might not have made the news across Europe but its consequences soon will. Orange has dropped out of the bidding for next season's rights -- it paid the French league €200 million ($288M) to show one game a week for the last three seasons -- leaving Canal Plus as the sole bidder. Canal has shown a willingness to pay something similar to its current deal, worth €450 million ($650M), but whatever happens, it will not make up the huge shortfall caused by Orange's drop-out.

A smaller revenue for the French league therefore means less for the clubs themselves, and before too long they will be unable to keep their star players on big salaries. Last season, the likes of Yoann Gourcuff (€23.5M/$33M), Loic Remy (€15M/$21.6M) and Andre-Pierre Gignac (€18M/$25.9M) all made big-money summer moves within Ligue 1.

That pattern is unlikely to repeat itself this summer, so here are some of the stars, in no specific order, who could be leaving Ligue 1 at the end of the season:

Kevin Gameiro, F, Lorient
Price: €12 million ($17.3M)
Interested clubs: Valencia, Arsenal, Juventus, AC Milan, Newcastle, Sunderland, Tottenham Hotspur.

Gameiro almost moved to Valencia in January but Lorient rejected its €8 million ($11.5M) offer for the 23-year-old France international forward, considering him worth more. As if to prove the decision right, Gameiro scored nine goals in his next five games, including a hat trick against Bordeaux, which also tried to buy him. He has compared his ability to find space in the box to David Villa, and admitted that his time with Lorient is coming to an end.

"I'm very mobile, not very big, and I look to go deep behind the defense without being too selfish," he told Journal du Dimanche. "I've learned how to become smarter, as you have to be intelligent when you're up against bigger guys than you."
Ligue 1 defenders will be glad to see the back of him.

Eden Hazard, M, Lille
Price: €20 million+ ($28M)
Interested clubs: Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United, Barcelona, Real Madrid.

Hazard is the jewel in the Ligue 1 crown, its most coveted player as Lille targets its first title since 1954. Despite signing a new contract with Lille last month that runs until 2015, club officials have accepted that a mega-money bid would be hard to turn down.

"He could leave if we get a super offer," coach Rudi Garcia told L'Equipe. "He's good enough to play for any club in the world."

The Belgium winger, 20, has been compared to Lionel Messi (by Lyon coach Claude Puel and former Marseille boss Rolland Courbis) while Zinedine Zidane told Marca, "I'd sign him for Real Madrid with my eyes closed."

He has the talent to win matches on his own (as this brilliant goal in the victory against Marseille shows) and a hard-working personality that should help integration to another league. But he will only move if the money is right. One more season at Lille, especially if it is in the Champions League, would not be a disaster. Lille president Michel Seydoux's wish for Hazard to play in the club's new stadium, opening in 2012, is a step too far.

Yann M'Vila, M, Rennes
Price: €15 million ($21.6M)
Interested clubs: Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal, Aston Villa, Juventus, Roma.

M'Vila had his breakout campaign last season and was close to a place in France's 2010 World Cup 23-man squad; coach Raymond Domenech told SI.com that he was No. 24 on his list. This season has been a natural progression, with the 20-year-old defensive midfielder the only player to start new France boss Laurent Blanc's first three games. He is now a regular in the France setup, and has been instrumental in this young Rennes side's Champions League qualification efforts.

Last December, he insisted that he would remain at Rennes for one more year, but he left his options open in a more recent interview.

"I'll talk about my future at the end of the season, and won't decide anything until then," he told RMC in February.

As the links with Premier League clubs continue, Rennes fans cling to his relationship with coach Frederic Antonetti, who threw him into the team at 18 (after predecessor Guy Lacombe wanted him out). The charismatic Antonetti extended his contract last week, and he will want to persuade his protégé to do the same.

Hugo Lloris, GK, Lyon
Price: €18 million ($25.9M)
Interested clubs: Juventus, Atletico Madrid.

When Lloris left Nice in 2008, he chose to join Lyon, reasonably expecting a decent chance of trophies, given that the club had won the previous seven Ligue 1 titles. Three seasons later, Lloris is still waiting, though Lyon's drought is in no way down to him. The 24-year-old has been named Goalkeeper of the Year for the last two seasons and cemented his position as France No. 1.

"He always forces the striker to do more and he eases the pressure on his defenders," his coach Claude Puel told SI.com. "It's a bit like what we saw with Fabien Barthez when he was at his best."

But his frustration at Lyon seems real. Last week he was caught on camera yelling about being fed up and shouting that his teammates "crapped themselves" after conceding two injury-time goals in a 2-2 draw with Nice. He dodged questions about his future in a recent France Football interview, saying his only focus was helping Lyon reach the Champions League next season -- but by then, he might be long gone.

Blaise Matuidi, M, Saint-Etienne
Price: €10 million ($14.4M)
Interested clubs: Genoa, Everton, Arsenal, Liverpool.

It feels like Matuidi, a 24-year-old Clairefontaine graduate, has been linked with a move to Arsenal for the last three summers, but so far Saint-Etienne have been unwilling sellers -- until now, that is. Matuidi has won two France caps under new coach Laurent Blanc (increasing his value) and has spoken of his desire to test himself in the Champions League. The defensive midfielder won favorable comparisons with Claude Makelele after outplaying the Paris Saint-Germain veteran last season. "He wins a lot of balls in front of defense, he's quick to set things in motion, he reads the game fast and he's a left-footer, which is an added plus," said Marseille coach Didier Deschamps. This season, the statistics show he has won more tackles than any other player in Ligue 1, which has attracted the interest of Liverpool sports director Damien Comolli (also former sporting director of Saint-Etienne). "That's an extraordinary strong point," he told France Football this week. "When the team is pushing up and playing high up the field, that can mean a goal scoring chance."

Michel Bastos, M/D, Lyon
Price: €15 million ($21.6M)
Interested clubs: Juventus, Roma, AC Milan.

Bastos has come a long way since playing alongside Salomon Kalou and Robin van Persie for Feyenoord feeder club Excelsior Rotterdam back in 2001. He was Brazil's left back at the 2010 World Cup, even though he had been playing on the right wing for Lyon. He helped Lyon reach the Champions League semifinals last season, with a goal in the quarterfinal win over Bordeaux, but has scored only five goals this season, his lowest tally since his debut season in France, at Lille in 2006. A knee injury has curtailed this season early and Lyon is now ready to cash in on the Brazilian -- in typical Jean-Michel Aulas style, for no less than the €15M it paid Lille in 2009. Juventus are in pole position to sign Bastos, who was quoted as telling Gazzetta dello Sport, "No player can turn down the Juventus shirt." But other teams in Serie A are also interested.

Mamadou Sakho, D, Paris Saint-Germain
Price: €16 million ($23.1M)
Interested clubs: AC Milan, Barcelona, Arsenal, Liverpool.

When Paul Le Guen was struggling to get the best out of his players at Paris Saint-Germain, back in October 2007, he took dramatic action. He dropped four senior players to the bench (among them Pedro Pauleta, Peguy Luyindula, and Sylvain Armand) and appointed a 17-year-old defender making his first league start for the club as captain. That player was Mamadou Sakho: four years and two senior France appearances later, Sakho is set for the armband on a permanent basis if Claude Makelele, as expected, hangs up his boots. The strategy is clear: PSG is trying to offer Sakho an incentive to stay, but it might not be enough. The club continues to underachieve, and Sakho's star has risen since Arsenal first made an approach in summer 2008. "Back then, Sakho was earning €25,000 ($36,000) per month, but when he was approached by Arsenal, I increased his salary to €100,000 ($144,000)," former president Charles Villeneuve told Le 10 Sport last month. Sakho has already tripled that figure but, at 21, now might be the time for a new sporting challenge.

Moussa Sissoko, M, Toulouse
Price: €14 million ($20.1M)
Interested clubs: Liverpool, Manchester City, Genoa, Fiorentina, Shakhtar Donetsk.
Sissoko upset Toulouse last month by admitting he wants to leave this summer and pursue his dream of Champions League soccer. Coach Alain Casanova responded by saying his form this season does not warrant a move while president Olivier Sadran bemoaned his "average season." But with the 21-year-old midfielder desperate for a new challenge, a parting of the ways would suit everyone -- if the price is right. Sissoko's physique and power has been compared to former Lyon midfielder Mahamadou Diarra, but Under-21 boss Erik Mombaerts says his "humility, explosiveness and ability on the break" reminds him of Michael Essien.

To be continued...
 

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Taye Taiwo, D, Marseille
Price: Free agent
Interested clubs: AC Milan, Real Madrid, Benfica.

The Nigerian left back excites and infuriates in equal measure. His swashbuckling runs down the flank and his sweet left-foot, which has scored with a few 30-meter strikes, make Taiwo great to watch and a seemingly perfect fit for the helter-skelter of the Premier League. But Marseille coach Didier Deschamps has been driven to distraction by his lack of tactical rigor, and his habit of playing opposing strikers onside at critical moments in a match (that explains why Taiwo sat out Marseille's Champions League first leg tie against Manchester United, but was back for the second, when it needed an away goal). His agents have leaked stories about interest from Real Madrid but the most concrete link is with AC Milan. Latest reports from Marseille suggest Taiwo could confirm a deal with Milan soon.

Alou Diarra, M, Bordeaux
Price: €8 million ($11.5M)
Interested clubs: AC Milan, Manchester City, Newcastle, Everton, Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur, Roma.

Diarra turns 30 this summer and is the last star from Bordeaux's 2009 Ligue 1-winning side still there. The question is, will the midfielder follow the path of Yoann Gourcuff (Lyon) and stay in France, where Marseille and PSG are both interested, or follow Marouane Chamakh (Arsenal) and embark on another foreign adventure? Before Bordeaux, Diarra had played for eight different clubs in eight years -- including two years at Bayern Munich, where he was on the bench six times but never made the first team and another two at Liverpool spent on loan at Le Havre and Bastia. He reportedly turned down the chance to join Manchester City from Lyon in 2007, but since then has become a France regular, and is coach Laurent Blanc's preferred captain. His buyout clause of €8M reflects his age, and minimal sell-on value, but in the last three years he has averaged over 40 matches per season. Ex-France boss Raymond Domenech once compared Diarra to a young Patrick Vieira, just one reason City could come back for him: what better way to replace the old Vieira than with the new one?

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/20.../16/ligue1.prospects/index.html#ixzz1Jt8cn3BO
 

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Why Lille can hope to keep Eden Hazard and Lyon will struggle to buy – Ligue 1’s mixed financial position

As the league season in France approaches what promises to be a thrilling crescendo, attention is already being increasingly turned towards the summer transfer window and the potential moves that could be made by the country’s biggest sides.

Of course, it is not only notoriety and league position that determine who the likes of Lyon and Marseille can move for, but also financial clout.

For this reason, a report released by the DNGC – French professional football’s financial watchdog – this week makes for particularly interesting reading and begins to tell a narrative of what the coming transfer window could hold.

Remarkably, the summer transfer window in France hasn’t even been fixed yet. There are some presidents who are happy to wait for the traditional June start, but other clubs, anxious about their finances, are tellingly eager for the market to open as soon as the league concludes. Due to Fifa legislation, such a move would mean the window in France would slam shut with around a week of August remaining, potentially allowing foreign clubs to swoop into Ligue 1 and pinch players who could then not be replaced until January.

Olympique Lyonnais, one of the powerhouses of the game in France, are reportedly one of the clubs pushing for an early opening of the window, and the DNGC’s report shows why.

Taking figures from the 2009-10 season, it is shown that French top flight clubs amassed a loss of €130 million, nearly four-times the €34m figures of the previous campaign.

With Michel Platini, ironically a Frenchman, pushing for financial fair play in the European game, such figures are alarming.

“The damage is profound,” Frederic Thieirez, president of the LFP (French Football League), explained in his statement, though he was also keen to note that the English Premier League’s performance in particular was “abysmal” – losing over €1 billion – while even the much vaunted Bundesliga, often held up as a paradigm of excellence when it comes to marketing, stumbled to a combined loss of €100m, having made €30m of a surplus in the preceding 12 months.

The Problems

Lyon proved to be the big losers in Ligue 1 last season, building up a deficit of over €30 million, despite reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League.

France’s relatively poor performance has been explained by the clubs’ over-reliance on the transfer market. Just as the world economy toiled during the year, football clubs from the traditional Ligue 1 marketplaces of England and Spain were less inclined to buy expensive players. This is played out by figures that show the total transfer income of Le Championnat fell €30m below its projected value – hitting a four-year low.

Despite enjoying a season in Europe in which Lyon and Bordeaux were ranked fourth and sixth best performers on a continent-wide basis, France’s clubs had been stung badly by the global recession, which had impacted on the volatile transfer market.

But there were other factors hindering top flight clubs too, most notably wage bills that were not tailored sufficiently. Nancy were one of the big losers due to their large squad, spending almost a figure equivalent to their entire income on wages, and though they were the worst offenders, they were by no means the sole culprits.

Additionally, France’s squads are at a competitive disadvantage to their continental rivals due to what UCPF president Jean-Pierre Louvel described as an “archaic” entertainment tax, meaning that clubs need to pay players a greater gross salary so that their take-home pay is equal to that they could receive in Europe’s other big leagues.

The government did not help the situation in October 2009, when the removal of the rights to the collective image were stripped from clubs.

Further bad news could loom as the Ligue 1 television rights are auctioned later this year. Almost universally leagues are seeing their media revenue decrease, and with France’s clubs reliant on this source of revenue to make up a huge portion of their budget, this represents worrying news. Championnat sides receive 55 per cent of their income from this source, according to Uefa, with only Italian sides more dependent on this stream.

This all paints a rather bleak picture for the future of the French domestic game, but the DNGC are eager that this is not the case. Euro 2016, which will be held in France, is a wonderful opportunity to regenerate the country’s crumbling stadia, it is argued optimistically and repeatedly by the various contributors to the report.

Various other measures, including the playing of the Trophee des Champions abroad, are also having a very positive impact.

Moreover, sides have already taken quick measures to cut their wage bills over the course of the last year, which would suggest that next season’s report won’t be quite so bleak, particularly as clubs get used to the newly frugal transfer market.

But what do these facts and figures actually mean for the average fan?

Lyon registered the heaviest losses of all the top flight teams and have already indicated that they won’t be spending big over the course of the summer. Present title-holders Marseille have done likewise.

"The arrival of a new stadium in 2012 will allow the club to fill its operating deficit and therefore establish its ambitious policy of balancing their books without taking into account transfers." - DNGC Though Lorient, Bordeaux and four other sides all made profit, perhaps the club with the healthiest medium-term outlook at present is also the one topping the standings with seven matches remaining. Not only are Lille going along nicely on the field, they are also steadily positioned off it.

Losses of little over €1m are dismissed by the DNGC in the comprehensive report, largely thanks to the new stadium the Nord-Pas de Calais club are building ready for 2012.

Describing Lille’s financial state as “healthy”, a footnote suggests that the new stadium and the associated income will allow the club to “establish its ambitious policy of reaching economic equilibrium without transferring players.”

This is particularly happy news for head coach Rudi Garcia has he approaches the summer transfer window with two of France’s most sought-after talents. Only on Friday, Zinedine Zidane was advising former club Juventus to move for prodigious winger Eden Hazard, while flashy wideman Gervinho is attracting equal amounts of interest after a stellar campaign.

Lille, it would appear, will be under no obligation to allow their star players to leave this summer, and with the pair both tied down to long-term deals, it could be that they are both plying their trade for the northern outfit in the Champions League next season, which could only be a good thing for a side that has reinvented itself intelligently over the course of the last three or four seasons.

As Lille are a side growing, Lyon, previously credited with being France’s shrewdest team in the business world, will seemingly continue to rely on the philanthropy of president Jean-Michel Aulas until they too have their new stadium.

It must be considered that these figures are somewhat muddied by the fact that the Rhone giants conducted an especially large investment in the transfer market in the summer of 2009, while Paris Saint-Germain, who lost nearly €22m, did likewise.

Arguably, it is teams like Sochaux, Valenciennes and most especially Nancy who have to more intelligently cut their cloth, as all made losses of over €10m, which are particularly alarming figures given the relatively modest size of these clubs.

The outlook overall is mixed. Medium-term concerns over clubs’ ability to sell at a reasonable price, plus worries over wage bills are the greatest reasons for pessimism, though the latter of these issues is a problem that clubs appear to be getting a handle on after the relatively abrupt crash in the global financial markets caught teams with experienced players on large long-term deals napping.

These worries, however, are tempered by the long-term optimism that Euro 2016 is giving to France’s Championnat sides, all of whom appear keen to meet the challenges of the future, though some, like Lille and Lorient, are bettered prepared than others.

http://www.goal.com/en/news/90/fran...o-keep-eden-hazard-and-lyon-will-struggle-to-
 

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Is Taiwo available to play against Nice tonight or has been already suspended?
 

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Is Taiwo available to play against Nice tonight or has been already suspended?

Your planning to watch arent you? ;)

I havent heard anything about his suspension yet, ill have a look and let you know.
 

acmilan4ever

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PARIS: Nigeria international Taye Taiwo has been summoned to a May 5 hearing by National Ethics Council (CNE) to explain his foul-mouthed outburst at the League Cup final, the French Football Federation (FFF) announced Wednesday.

Taiwo scored the winning goal as league champions Marseille beat Montpellier 1-0 to win the trophy last weekend.

But moments after the triumph the big defender went from hero to villain as he grabbed a microphone and unleashed a verbal volley at Marseille's bitter league rivals Paris Saint Germain.

As Taiwo celebrated near the Marseille fans he was heard proclaiming: "Marseille are coming up to Paris to (expletive) PSG."

The next day France's Professional Football League (LFP) said it would probe Taiwo's behaviour, which has now reached the CNE.

Teammate Stephane Mbia has also been summoned to the hearing for the role he played in the incident.

Taiwo has since made a public apology to PSG via Marseille's television channel, and widened that apology in a press release Monday.

Marseille coach Didier Deschamps said: "He shouldn't have done that. He's made a huge blunder, but he didn't think it would reach such proportions.

"He knows it now, and is very sorry."

Marseille are only two points behind league leaders Lille, with a game in hand.

Losing Taiwo, one of Marseille's most influential players, to a ban could theoretically damage their chances of defending the league title.

Marseille will resume their fight to regain the Ligue 1 title when they entertain Nice on Wednesday.

Taiwo is likely to be involved in the fixture but a suspension could be placed upon the Nigerian in time for their game against Auxerre next weekend.

These came out today and y'day so i dont think hes heard anything yet about his ban. 99 percent chance that he will feature tonight.
 

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Your planning to watch arent you? ;)

I havent heard anything about his suspension yet, ill have a look and let you know.

Yes I am, its in 2 & a half hours time.. good appetizer for El Clasico. ;)
 

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These came out today and y'day so i dont think hes heard anything yet about his ban. 99 percent chance that he will feature tonight.

Great!
 

acmilan4ever

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I love French football streams, they run so smooth.

Taiwo has been good, that was a nice tackle by him early on.
 

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And now a bit of late tackle :D
 

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And now a bit of late tackle :D

That was nice though, he just took his man out.

Next season we will have a very physical team in the CL and SA :)
 

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That was nice though, he just took his man out.

Next season we will have a very physical team in the CL and SA :)

Yup, Mexes and Taiwo looks physical and less technical.
 

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Wow, that ref is blind or what? How could he not give that?

Edit: 1:0 Marseille deserve it, title will probably be theirs again.
 
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