THE
2012/2013 FOOTBALL SEASON: THE FRENCH LIGUE 1 CONTENDERS
The French Ligue 1 Contenders entails a postulation and analysis of the teams that could make up the top 5 at the end of the league. The current campaign which kicked off on Friday, 10 August 2012 has so far had some surprising results that has got every match of the season to be one to look forward to and predictions and betting, an act to be consciously attempted.
The Contenders Rating Scale is the approach employed in having a postulation and analysis of the French Ligue 1 and all tiers of football league around the world, having put into consideration the teams that made it through the the top 5 spot in the last 5 years of the league in question. These teams are referred to as the Contenders and they are Montpellier, Paris Saint Germaine, Lyon, Marseille, Bordeaux and Lille. The transfers made by these contenders will be closely looked at to aid analysis.
However, to understand how the Contenders Rating Scale (CRS) works, please follow the link; http://taiwokehinde-mymind.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-20122013-football-season-contenders.html
With 4 matches played and the defending Champions, Montpellier and runner up PSG placed in 13th and 9th place respectively, the 2012/2013 French Ligue 1 season will witness a more thrilling twist and turns than the 2011/2012 season did.
In the write up; the twists and turns of the
2012 “beautiful game” season: Ligue 1 (series 2), I stated “that
with the 2012/2013 season to kick off on Friday, 10 August 2012, one will
expect another twist to the French league with another team winning it which
would make it 5 different teams in 5 years.”
It is high time we discussed the 2012/2013 French Ligue 1 Contenders.
THE CONTENDERS
As earlier stated, the Contenders for the 2012/2013 French Ligue 1 are Montpellier, Lille, Olympique Marseille, Bordeaux, Olympique Lyon and Paris Saint Germain.
It is high time we discussed the 2012/2013 French Ligue 1 Contenders.
THE CONTENDERS
As earlier stated, the Contenders for the 2012/2013 French Ligue 1 are Montpellier, Lille, Olympique Marseille, Bordeaux, Olympique Lyon and Paris Saint Germain.
MONTPELLIER
Montpellier is the
current holders of the French Ligue 1. The 2011/2012 Ligue 1 winners were in the second
tier of French football ligue in the 2008/2009 season.
Montpellier winning the
league in the 2011/2012 season was an achievement that got many astonished.
With big spenders Paris Saint Germaine widely tipped to win the league,
Montpellier showed a tenacity of a kind all the way till the final match day of
the campaign on 20 May, 2012.
However, the 2011/2012
season triumph by Montpellier is their first in their history and with the
current campaign on the move, the defending champions will be tipped to fight
for a title challenge that may grant them a consecutive league triumph or at
worst a top 4 finish.
However, with 4 matches
played so far and 34 matches left, Montpellier is currently lying in 13th
place with 4 points.
*Facts
i. Montpellier has won the French ligue 1
once.
ii. In the last 5 seasons (2008/09 - 2011/12),
Montpellier have had a top 5 finish twice.
2012/2013
MONTPELLIER SUMMER TRANSFER LIST…
IN (CLUB PURCHASED OR “LOANED”
FROM):
Emanuel HERRERA
(Unión
Española)
Anthony MOUNIER
(OGC Nice)
Daniel CONGRÉ
(Toulouse)
Gaetan CHARBONNIER
(Angers)
J MARTIN (Amiens
SC)
G LEGRAS (FC
Martigues)
B. KOITA (RC
Lens)
MEZAGUE (RC
Lens)
OUT (CLUB
SOLD OR “LOANED” TO):
Olivier GIROUD (Arsenal)
G. LACOMBE (Clermont
Foot)
W. AHOU ABOU (AC Arles
Avignon)
B. KOITA (Havre AC “Loan”)
G. DERNIS (Stade Brestois 29 "Contract Expired")
Entry and Exit Transfer Pick:
Emanuel HERRERA
Little known Chilean
striker Emanuel Herrera is a player with a rich pedigree. While playing for Unión
Española in his native country, Chile, he scored 11 goals in 17 matches. This
indeed is the brilliance that got Montpellier moving for his signature and
deeming him as perhaps the right player to fill the gap left by Olivier Giroud,
the 2011/2012 Ligue 1 top goal scorer.
So far in 4 league
games for the Ligue 1 defending champions, Herrera has scored 2 goals (Not a
bad start to me).
Olivier
GIROUD
According to Wikipedia,
Olivier Giroud scored 33 league goals in 73 games for Montpellier. In his first
season with Montpellier, precisely the 2010/2011 season, Giroud found the back
of the net 12 times with 2 assists. In the following season which happened to
be his last, he had 21 Goals and 7 assists, a feat that got him winning the
Ligue 1 golden boot in the 2010/2011 campaign which further caught the eyes of
Arsene Wenger, the Arsenal gaffer.
No doubt with these
accomplishment by Giroud in his second season, his exit is one that Montpellier
will feel but the duration to which they will feel it would be dependent on how
all players in the club exude the tenacity that got them winning the 2011/2012
French Ligue 1.
Lille have so far won
the French Ligue 1 three times with the last being won in the 2010/2011 season.
Prequel to the 2010/2011 season, Lille won the Ligue in the 1946 and 1954
season.
Apart from winning the
league in the 2010/2011 Ligue, the club also won the Coupe de France title.
Though it has been 2
years since Lille last won the league, they are certainly no pushovers to give
a fight for the 2012/2013 Ligue 1 title.
In 4 matches played so
far, Lille have garnered 5 points and are placed in 12th place. Though too
early to conclude bearing in mind that there are still 34 games to play, I
opine that Lille will have a good ending to the current campaign.
*Facts
i. Lille have won the French ligue 3
times.
ii. In the last 5 seasons (2008/09 - 2011/12),
Lille have had a top 5 finish twice 4 times.
2012/2013
LILLE SUMMER TRANSFER LIST…
IN (CLUB PURCHASED OR “LOANED”
FROM):
Salomon KALOU
(Chelsea)
Ryan MENDES
(Havre AC)
Marvin MARTIN
(Sochaux)
Steeve ELANA (Stade
Brestois 29)
Djibril
SIDIBÉ (ESTAC Troyes)
Viktor KLONARIDIS
(AEK Athens FC)
Jerry VANDAM (Caen “Returning from
loan”)
Omar WADE (Boluspor Kulübü
“Returning from loan”)
OUT (CLUB
SOLD OR “LOANED” TO):
Eden HAZARD (Chelsea)
Jugurtha DOMRANE (RE Mouscron)
Joe COLE (Liverpool “Returning
after loan”)
Mauro
Darío JESÚS CETTO
(US Città di Palermo “Returning
after loan”)
Vincent ENYEAMA (Maccabi
Tel Aviv FC “Loan”)
P. SOUARE (Stade de
Reims “Loan”)
Arnaud SOUQUET (RE Mouscron
“Loan”)
Alexandre
OUKIDJA (RE Mouscron “Loan”)
Salomon KALOU
The Ivorian International signed from Chelsea sequel to winning the UEFA Champions League. The UEFA Champions League is the biggest club competition as far as European club football is concerned. Also, Kalou won the English FA Cup in his final season, making it a double season triumph for him.
That said, Lille
signing the Ivorian International will be a big spur to them having a
successful campaign as he will carry his winning mentality to the club. In three
games so far, Kalou has found the back of the net once.
While at Chelsea, Kalou
won the English premier league and League cup once apiece, the FA cup, 4 times
and of course the Champions League once.
Eden HAZARD
At 21 years old, Eden
has established himself as a footballer to be reckoned with. Having had a
successful senior international career with Lille, he left the club on a high
note.
In the 2010/2011 Ligue
Triumph of Lille, Eden was instrumental to that being history which was
complemented with him adjudged to be the UNFP Ligue 1 player of the year. In
achieving this, at just 20years old, he became the youngest player to win the
award. Also, in the following season, 2011/2012 he also won the award. Prequel
to winning the award, he was in the 2008/09 and 2009/2010 season awarded the
UNFP Ligue 1 young player of the year.
The versatile
midfielder no doubt is a talent any club will wish to have, which primarily
accounts for why Chelsea quickly swooped on pouching him to Stanford Bridge.
OLYMPIQUE MARSEILLE
In the French league 1 history, one of the most
successful clubs is Olympique Marseille. Both
Marseille and Saint-Étienne have won
the Ligue 1 ten times apiece. Olympique Marseille last won the Ligue 1 in the
2009-2010 season.
Olympique Marseille have for long been a force to reckon with in the
French Ligue 1. After having 12 points from 4 matches so far in the 2012/13
campaign, Marseille is the only club to have a 100 percent record in the French
top tier football Ligue.
*Facts
i. Marseille have won the French ligue 10
times.
ii. In the last 5 seasons (2007/08 -
2011/12), Marseille have had a top 5 finish twice 4 times.
2012/2013 OLYMPIQUE
MARSEILLE SUMMER TRANSFER LIST…
IN (CLUB PURCHASED OR “LOANED”
FROM):
Joey BARTON (Queens Park Rangers FC “Loan”)
Florian RASPENTINO (FC Nantes)
Kassim ABDALLAH (CS Sedan)
Lucas
MENDES (Coritiba)
Leyti N’DIAYE (AC Ajaccio “Returning after loan”)
P. MBOW (Mons “Returning after loan”)
K. OSEI (AVIRON, BAYONNAIS “Returning after loan”)
A.
N'DOUMBOU (US Orléans “Returning
after loan”)
OUT (CLUB
SOLD OR “LOANED” TO):
César Azpilicuenta
(Chelsea)
A. DIARRA (West Ham United FC)
MBIA (Queens Park Rangers FC)
BRANDAO (AS SAINT – ETIENNE “CONTRACT EXPIRED”)
Djimi
TRAORE (CONTRACT EXPIRED)
SABO (CONTRACT EXPIRED)
ANDRADE (CONTRACT EXPIRED)
C.
GADI (US Boulogne CO)
Entry and Exit Transfer Pick:
Joey
BARTON
Of all the signings
made by Olympique Marseille for the 2012/2013 season, Joey Barton is one that
must have gotten many eye brows raised.
Barton, though a very
talented midfielder has had a career marked with controversies. Among the many
controversies that have dented the smooth career of the 30 year old is the
2011/2012 English premier league final match-day fixture between his club, QPR
and Manchester City. In this match Barton was involved in a melee with Carlos
Tevez and Sergio Arguero, a ridiculous act by him that almost cost QPR a
premier league survival. Due to his act, he was given a 12 match ban by the
English Premier league but with his season at QPR not seeming green, the call by
Marseille on his services considering the fact that the 12 match ban will be
carried over to the French Ligue 1 shows that he is indeed a talent that should
never be undermined. To this end, his French ligue 1 debut will be delayed till
November 8 when Marseille face Bordeaux. Barton has a rich pedigree which
includes Manchester City and Newcastle United.
César AZPILICUENTA
The 23 year old Spanish
right back left Olympique Marseille on a fly. After having a debut season with
15 appearances in the 2010/2011 French Ligue 1 year, the 2011/2012 campaign was
a more successful one as he had 30 appearances and a goal to his credit. Not
all defenders score. Prior to catching the eyes of Marseille, he spent 4 years
playing for Osasuna in his native country. In all César had 99 appearances for
Osasuna within a space of 4 years. This number of appearances is not bad for a
lad who started his career at the age of 17.
BORDEAUX
The last time Bordeaux
won the French Ligue 1 was the 2008/2009 season. Currently lying in fourth
place after match day 4 of the French football ligue, having a top 4 finish is
likely for the club. In the last 5 years, Bordeaux have had a top 5 finish 3
times.
Of all 6 contenders to
be analyzed, Bordeaux were the least busy team as they had no new signing
except the loan returnee, M. Poundje. Asides Maxime
Poundje Bordeaux had no influx of players.
*Bordeaux have won the
French Ligue 1 6 times.
*In the last 5 seasons
(2008/09 - 2011/12), Marseille have had a top 5 finish twice 3 times.
2012/2013 BORDEAUX SUMMER TRANSFER LIST…
IN (CLUB PURCHASED OR “LOANED”
FROM):
Maxime
POUNDJE (Nîmes Olympique “Returning
from loan”)
OUT (CLUB
SOLD OR “LOANED” TO)
Michaël CIANI (Lazio)
Salif SANE (AS Nancy Lorraine)
Grzegorz
KRYCHOWIAK (Stade de Reims)
Anthony
MODESTE (SC Bastia “Loaned out”)
V.
SAVIC (SG Dynamo Dresden “Loaned
out”)
E.
CHEVALIER (GFC Ajaccio)
SALA
(US
Orléans)
Entry and Exit Transfer Pick:
Maxime
POUNDJE
At 20 years of age,
Maxime Poundje still has many more years to establish himself as a defender to
be dreaded by strikers.
In the 2011/2012
campaign, the French defender was loaned to Nîmes
Olympique, a sojourn in the French Ligue 2 outfit that was undertaken to grant
him more playing time, thereby improving his game.
However,
in four matches so far in the 2012/13 season, Maxime Poundje has had only a 12 minute
playing time, courtesy a 78 minute substitute entry in Bordeaux’s season
opening match against newly promoted side Evian Thonon Gaillard.
Maxime
Poundje is no doubt a player to be closely followed as he gets himself
established as a defender to reckon with beyond the boundaries of the French
Ligue.
Michaël CIANIIn 2009, Ciani joined Bordeaux from French Ligue 1 club Lorient. The highly rated heavily built centre back had a terrific time with Bordeaux. In his 3 years at Bordeaux, the 28 years old defender had 90 appearances for the club which got him establishing himself as “a box 18 wall to hard to fall.”
Ciani, prior to leaving Bordeaux for Lazio played 3 of the 4
matches so far played in the French first tier club football league
competition.
Now without Michaël Ciani, Bordeaux will no doubt miss his services
due to his consistency of good performances.
OLYMPIQUE LYONNAIS
The 7 times French
Ligue 1 champions had an unprecedented feat in clinching the French Ligue
1 title. In achieving this, they had a remarkable 7 straight league victories, a
feat that got the club establishing itself as a force to be reckoned with in
the French ligue 1. It is noteworthy to point out that prequel to the 7
indomitable years of the French Ligue 1 by Olympique Lyon, they had not won the
most coveted French ligue title.
However, since the invincible
years of Lyon which ended in the 2007/2008 football year, four (4) different
teams have won the league.
These teams are
Bordeaux (2008/2009); Marseille (2009/2010); Lille (2010/2011 and most recently
Montpellier (2011/2012).
*Facts
i. Olympique Lyon have won the French
Ligue 7 times.
ii. In the last 5 seasons (2008/09 -
2011/12), Lyon have had a top 5 finish twice 5 times.
2012/2013 OLYMPIQUE LYONNAIS SUMMER TRANSFER LIST…
IN (CLUB PURCHASED OR “LOANED”
FROM):
Milan
BISEVAC (Paris Saint-Germain)
MVUEMBA
(FC
Lorient)
MONZON
(OGC Nice)
Steed
MALBRANQUE (AS Saint – Etienne)
YATTARA
(AC Arles Avignon “Returning
after loan”)
H.
NOVILLO (Havre AC “Returning
after loan”)
M.
GORGELIN (Red Star FC 93 “Returning
from loan”)
L.
ABENZOAR (Vannes OC “Returning
from loan”)
OUT (CLUB
SOLD OR “LOANED” TO):
H.
LLORIS (Tottenham Hotspur FC)
J.
PIED (OGC Nice)
A.
CISSOKHO (Valencia CF)
E.
REALE (FC Lorient)
KÄLLSTRÖM
(FC Spartak Moskva)
CRIS
Cristiano (Galatasaray SK)
J.
MENSAH
I.
BELFODIL (Parma FC)
N.
SEGUIN (Tours FC)
T.
KOLODZIECZAK (OGC Nice)
TOUNCARA
(Clermont Foot)
T.
FONTAINE (Tours FC)
EDERSON
(Contract Expired)
YATTARA
(ESTAC Troyes “Loaned out”)
Milan BISEVAC
Bisevac is a player
with a significant experience in the French ligue 1. The Serbian footballer has
played for RC Lens, Valenciennes and most recently, Paris Saint-Germain.
With such an avalanche
of experience, it is expected that Milan Bisevac will be a strong protector of
the Lyon goalkeeper in the 2012/2013 season and an added factor to ensuring that 7 time Ligue 1 champions have a good defensive approach to their games.
Hugo Lloris
The French number 1
goal keeper is unquestionably a world class goalkeeper. Lloris signed for Lyon
prior to the 2008/2009 season and spent 4 years with the club which ended with
his exit to English premier league club, Tottenham Hotspur.
No doubt, the season is
still young for the perfect replacement to be made by Lyon and as thus, with 4
matches played so far, only time will be needed for the right leg to fit the
shoes left by Lloris.
With Remi Vercoutre,
Mathieu Gorgelin and Anthony Lopez all in line for the “vacant” first choice
goal keeper role, it is expected that all 3 goalies will give their best
whenever they are called on duty to man the goal post.
Already, 32 year old
Remi Vercoutre has been called upon to man the goal post while Anthony Lopez,
21, and Mathieu Gorgelin, 22, must be patiently waiting for their turn to show
that they have what it takes to be the first choice goalkeeper for the 7time
French Ligue champions.
PARIS SAINT GERMAIN
As far as transfers entry
in the French Ligue is concerned, PSG has been the biggest spenders in recent
years. The 2012/2013 transfer market got PSG continuing from they stopped in
the 2011/2012 season.
According to sportsbusinessdaily.com,
“Paris St. Germain has accounted for 70% of the transfer money that has been
spent by league clubs this summer, according to SPORTUNE.fr. If the club is
boosting the football economy in France, "it is the only one able to do
so." When counting the transfer deal for Brazilian player Lucas Moura who
will be joining the club in January, PSG has spent €140M ($171.9M) of the €196
($240.7M) that has been spent by Ligue 1 this summer. When looking at the
transfers more closely, PSG paid €82M for Thiago Silva and his countryman Lucas
Moura, plus €21M for Zlatan Ibrahimovic, €26M for Lavezzi and €11M for Veratti.
The next closest clubs in Ligue 1 are Lille who has spent €12.8M and defending
champions Montpellier €12.5M.”
With 4 matches played, PSG are
placed in 9th position with 6 points. Though seeming to be a
disappointing start for a club with such a heavy investment, I opine that PSG
will be one of the biggest contenders for the League this season and the new
signings will need time to adapt to their new team mates and of course, the PSG style of play that might have been different from what obtains in their previous clubs.
2012/2013 PARIS SAINT GERMAIN TRANSFER LIST…
IN (CLUB PURCHASED OR “LOANED”
FROM)
Zlatan
IBRAHIMOVIC (AC
Milan)
Thiago
SILVA (AC Milan)
Ezequiel Iván LAVEZZI (SS. Napoli)
Gregory VAN DER WIEL (AFC Ajax)
Marco VERRATTI (Pescara)
OUT (CLUB
SOLD OR “LOANED” TO)
Milan BISEVAC (Olympique
Lyonnais)
J.
KAMGHAIN (KV Courtrai)
Granddi NGOYI (ESTAC Troyes)
M.
SALAMONE (Evian TG FC)
CEARA
(CONTRACT EXPIRED)
Loïck LANDRE (GFC Ajaccio “Loaned out”)
J.
MAURICE (Le Mans FC “Loaned
out”)
BAHEBECK
(ESTAC Troyes)
N.
KEBANO (SM Caen)
Entry and Exit Transfer Pick:
Zlantan Ibrahimovich
Zlatan Ibrahimovich is
one player that never disappoints when he is on the field of play. A very
versatile and skillful player with a high accuracy level for getting the ball
in the back of the net gets the opposing team scrambling and confused as his
next move is usually lethal and could be to the detriment of the opposing team.
The Swede has so far had a flourishing career with a pedigree that includes
Ajax, Juventus, Internazional, Barcelona and AC Milan.
In the 2011/12 Italian
Serie A campaign, Ibrahimovich scored 28 goals in 32 matches for former club AC
Milan. With these feat and his eye for goal, Zlatan could just be that player
that will land the Ligue 1 shield in the Paris based club for the first time
since the 1993/1994 season.
So far in 3 games
played, Zlatan Ibrahimovich has scored 4 goals and interestingly, all four
goals are the total goals scored by PSG so far in 4 games played in the French
ligue 1.
Milan Bisevac made 19
appearances for PSG in the just concluded 2011/2012 season. The aforesaid
season was his first and sole season with the big spenders. Prior to being a
PSG player, Bisevac played for Len between the 2006/07 and 2007/08 season, then
Valenciennes in the 2008/2009 season and 2010/2011.
With his 6 years of
French football experience, he is a player whose contribution and quality was
not felt by PSG.
My final match day Ligue 1 Table :
Having analyzed the Contenders courtesy the Contenders Rating Scale, I predict that the 2012/13 French Ligue 1 table will have PSG being the Ligue 1 champions and the other teams having the following position as shown in the table below;
From the table, one team is obviously missing. The team is the
2011/12 champions, Montpellier. That said, these are my choices and I enjoin you
lovers of French Football league to make your selection and come May 26, 2013, we will see whose guess is
right or at least who got very close to being right.
Please take note that of the 6 Contenders used in the Ligue
1, it is expected that 4 will make the top 5 spot.
What this means is that the CRS give room for inconsistency
in team performance. Due to this, there could be a surprise entry into the top 5 further entailing the displacement of one of the contenders by the Contenders Rating Scale.
I bet with the Contenders Rating Scale, the French Ligue just got more excited. The English Premier League, German Bundesliga, Spanish La Liga and Italian Serie A to follow...
Watch out!!!
Watch out!!!
References:
“Emanuel Herrera” Wikipedia
9 Sep. 2012 <http://www.goal.com/en-ng/people/argentina/67770/emanuel-herrera>
“French Ligue 1 Table” ESPNFC 1 Sep. 2012. <http://soccernet.espn.go.com/tables/_/league/fra.1/french-ligue-1?cc=3888>
“Hugo Lloris” Wikipedia
9 Sep. 2012 < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_Lloris>
“List of French football champions” Wikipedia
11 Sep. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_French_football_champions>
“Maxime Poundje” Football database.eu 10 Sep.
2012
“Olivier Giroud” Wikipedia
9 Sep. 2012 <
http://www.goal.com/en-ng/people/argentina/67770/emanuel-herrera>
“PSG Has Accounted For 70% Of Ligue 1 Transfer Money Spent This Summer” Sport Business 17 Aug. 2012. 11 Sep. 2012.
“PSG Has Accounted For 70% Of Ligue 1 Transfer Money Spent This Summer” Sport Business 17 Aug. 2012. 11 Sep. 2012.
Transfers – Summer, Season 2012/2013 Wikipedia
5 Sep. 2012 <http://www.ligue1.com/ligue1/transferts/ete>
“Salomon Kalou” Wikipedia
9 Sep. 2012 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salomon_Kalou>
“Zlatan Ibrahimovich” Wikipedia 9 Sep. 2012 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zlatan_Ibrahimovi%C4%87>
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