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CL Debate: Renaissance Of Ligue 1 Continues As Olympique Lyonnais Humble Real Madrid
Goal.com’s Robin Bairner looks at the dramatic rise of the French club game after Lyon’s sensational Champions League success over Real Madrid...
| Bet: | Returns: | Nancy £25.50 | Draw £30.00 | Toulouse FC £28.75 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | Nancy £25.00 | Draw £32.00 | Toulouse FC £28.00 |
|
| Bet: | Returns: | Nancy £26.00 | Draw £30.00 | Toulouse FC £27.50 |
|
| Bet: | Returns: | Nancy £25.00 | Draw £32.00 | Toulouse FC £28.00 |
|
| Bet: | Returns: | Nancy £25.00 | Draw £31.00 | Toulouse FC £26.50 |
|
Mar 11, 2010 10:45:00 AM
By Robin Bairner
AJ Auxerre, AS Monaco, AS Nancy-Lorraine, AS Saint-Etienne, Bordeaux, FC Lorient, FC Sochaux, Grenoble Foot 38, Le Mans UC 72, LOSC Lille Métropole, Montpellier HSC, OGC Nice, Olympique de Marseille, Olympique Lyonnais, Paris Saint-Germain, RC Lens, Stade Rennais FC, Toulouse FC, US Boulogne, Valenciennes FC
Olympique Lyonnais’ 2-1 aggregate success over Real Madrid on Wednesday evening signalled the greatest achievement by a French club side since les Gones progressed through to the quarter-finals of the Champions League last in 2005-06.
But OL are not the only French club blazing an impressive trail through the continent’s finest; Girondins de Bordeaux stand a good chance of progressing to the last eight of the elite competition, while Olympique de Marseille will attempt to replicate the achievement in the Europa League.
France now stands on the very brink of its finest European season ever, and the strength in depth of football in l’Hexagone is now arguably as strong as it has ever been, with the Ligue 1 title race set to be ferociously contested until the very conclusion of the season.
For a couple of seasons, French clubs have threatened to break loose, with the rise of Bordeaux and Marseille acting as a catalyst for all round improvement. When Laurent Blanc took the reins of the Stade Chaban-Delmas club, the domestic game in France was drifting somewhat. Lyon’s stature in Europe was shrinking on the back of repeated knockout round failures, while OM, one UEFA Cup final appearance in 2003-04 aside, constantly flopped on the continent.
Concurrently, Bordeaux raised the bar in the domestic game by breeding a team capable of breaking Lyon’s monopoly on the league title at relatively low cost, while exuberant Marseille finally started to work out their on field problems, with Erik Gerets arguably the club’s most influential coach of the last decade.
Improvement at home has equated to improvement on the continent, with the most notable jump in recent times coming for les Girondins, who before this campaign were previously unheralded abroad but are now considered one of Europe’s finest outfits.
Spectacularly recording five wins in six Champions League group stage games, Laurent Blanc’s unit came to prominence on the back of victories over Bayern Munich and Juventus, while Lyon more than played their part in knocking a fancied Liverpool side out at the same phase.
Meanwhile, Marseille may not have managed to break through to the knockout stage in the elite competition, again frustrated into third, but they did give Milan an almighty scare at the San Siro, drawing a game 1-1 they would have won but for a horrendous miss from erratic striker Brandao. Had the Brazilian’s close range effort found the net, France might well have had three teams in the last 16.
But success has not simply been confined to an elite few.
Fuelled by their ability to bring in talented imports at a relatively cheap price and export them at a profit, Ligue 1’s light heavyweights have followed the example of the country’s leading lights. Stade Rennais and Lille have been able to spend €10 million plus on individual players over the course of the last year, showing that there is the muscle and desire to compete with the big clubs further down the Championnat scale.
The results have been somewhat mixed, with the Bretons struggling to mount a late charge for Europe, while les Dogues have manufactured a unit capable of challenging for a Champions League spot and one doubtless ready to show their worth against Liverpool in Europa League action.
Youth has also provided a fertile ground for some top flight clubs, with the most obvious example Montpellier. La Paillade, who only won promotion to the top flight on the final day of last season, are tied level on points with Bordeaux going into the last two months of the season, yet they didn’t spend a penny last summer.
This heartening story is made all the more remarkable when it is revealed that no other Championnat side boasts as many home-grown players as the Stade de la Mosson club. Led by wonderfully talented winger Karim Ait Fana, MHSC have cultivated a group of youngsters capable of holding their own with clubs who are busy proving themselves to be amongst the best on the continent.
With only 11 rounds of Ligue 1 action remaining, any one of six sides could very realistically claim the league crown. The top six are separated by a measly four points, which promises an unforgettable domestic conclusion to match a European campaign that may yet prove equally strong. It may be a little premature to declare this the beginning of a golden era for the French domestic game, but the performance of the nation’s clubs promises much and is strangely juxtaposed by the miserable displays from les Bleus in recent months.
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But OL are not the only French club blazing an impressive trail through the continent’s finest; Girondins de Bordeaux stand a good chance of progressing to the last eight of the elite competition, while Olympique de Marseille will attempt to replicate the achievement in the Europa League.
France now stands on the very brink of its finest European season ever, and the strength in depth of football in l’Hexagone is now arguably as strong as it has ever been, with the Ligue 1 title race set to be ferociously contested until the very conclusion of the season.
For a couple of seasons, French clubs have threatened to break loose, with the rise of Bordeaux and Marseille acting as a catalyst for all round improvement. When Laurent Blanc took the reins of the Stade Chaban-Delmas club, the domestic game in France was drifting somewhat. Lyon’s stature in Europe was shrinking on the back of repeated knockout round failures, while OM, one UEFA Cup final appearance in 2003-04 aside, constantly flopped on the continent.
Concurrently, Bordeaux raised the bar in the domestic game by breeding a team capable of breaking Lyon’s monopoly on the league title at relatively low cost, while exuberant Marseille finally started to work out their on field problems, with Erik Gerets arguably the club’s most influential coach of the last decade.
Improvement at home has equated to improvement on the continent, with the most notable jump in recent times coming for les Girondins, who before this campaign were previously unheralded abroad but are now considered one of Europe’s finest outfits.
Spectacularly recording five wins in six Champions League group stage games, Laurent Blanc’s unit came to prominence on the back of victories over Bayern Munich and Juventus, while Lyon more than played their part in knocking a fancied Liverpool side out at the same phase.
Smiles All Round | French Football Is On A High
Meanwhile, Marseille may not have managed to break through to the knockout stage in the elite competition, again frustrated into third, but they did give Milan an almighty scare at the San Siro, drawing a game 1-1 they would have won but for a horrendous miss from erratic striker Brandao. Had the Brazilian’s close range effort found the net, France might well have had three teams in the last 16.
But success has not simply been confined to an elite few.
Fuelled by their ability to bring in talented imports at a relatively cheap price and export them at a profit, Ligue 1’s light heavyweights have followed the example of the country’s leading lights. Stade Rennais and Lille have been able to spend €10 million plus on individual players over the course of the last year, showing that there is the muscle and desire to compete with the big clubs further down the Championnat scale.
The results have been somewhat mixed, with the Bretons struggling to mount a late charge for Europe, while les Dogues have manufactured a unit capable of challenging for a Champions League spot and one doubtless ready to show their worth against Liverpool in Europa League action.
Youth has also provided a fertile ground for some top flight clubs, with the most obvious example Montpellier. La Paillade, who only won promotion to the top flight on the final day of last season, are tied level on points with Bordeaux going into the last two months of the season, yet they didn’t spend a penny last summer.
This heartening story is made all the more remarkable when it is revealed that no other Championnat side boasts as many home-grown players as the Stade de la Mosson club. Led by wonderfully talented winger Karim Ait Fana, MHSC have cultivated a group of youngsters capable of holding their own with clubs who are busy proving themselves to be amongst the best on the continent.
With only 11 rounds of Ligue 1 action remaining, any one of six sides could very realistically claim the league crown. The top six are separated by a measly four points, which promises an unforgettable domestic conclusion to match a European campaign that may yet prove equally strong. It may be a little premature to declare this the beginning of a golden era for the French domestic game, but the performance of the nation’s clubs promises much and is strangely juxtaposed by the miserable displays from les Bleus in recent months.
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2/15/12
And with that, we're going to call it a night, folks.
We've had two tremendous matches today, so lets hope the intensity keeps up in the next clashes!
Until next time, this is LIVE commentator Stephen Crawford signing off.
From everyone here at Goal.com, thanks for joining us!
We've had two tremendous matches today, so lets hope the intensity keeps up in the next clashes!
Until next time, this is LIVE commentator Stephen Crawford signing off.
From everyone here at Goal.com, thanks for joining us!
2/15/12
All this focus on the Arsenal and Milan game should not take away from another cracker earlier tonight between Zenit and Benfica. The Russians came from a goal down to lead 2-1 in the closing minutes before Oscar Cardozo levelled things for Benfica, but it wasn't over there as Roman Shirokov won the game for Zenit in the 88th minute.
Here's the thoughts of Benfica coach Jorge Jesus, who felt his side deserved a point from the game.
Here's the thoughts of Benfica coach Jorge Jesus, who felt his side deserved a point from the game.
2/15/12
Arsenal keeper Wojciech Szczesny bemoaned his side's luck tonight but refused to give up. Here's some of his quotes:
"They were the better team on the night and that's the story of the day.
"We have to keep fighting, pick ourselves up, get the confidence back and challenge in the other competitions and in the second leg of this tie too.
"They punished us on every occasion; they scored some quality goals and they deserved to win."
Full story HERE
"They were the better team on the night and that's the story of the day.
"We have to keep fighting, pick ourselves up, get the confidence back and challenge in the other competitions and in the second leg of this tie too.
"They punished us on every occasion; they scored some quality goals and they deserved to win."
Full story HERE
2/15/12
Another Milan player who was willing to share his thoughts after the match was Mark van Bommel, who has urged caution ahead of the second leg in London.
“The score made it look like it was an easy game, but it certainly wasn't.
(Strange... it looked pretty easy from where I was sitting, but hey.)
“I do not think it's over yet. I remember a clash between Milan and Deportivo la Coruna when Milan was also ahead by four goals, and in the end Deportivo eliminated Milan.
“I went into the Arsenal dressing room after the match to speak to Robin van Persie. I had agreed with him to swap shirts – my sons are big fans of his and he brought two for them. They will be delighted.
Van Bommel went on to talk about a possible move to PSV in the future, but was quick to point out his terms for the move.
“I've spoken with PSV, but we don't have an agreement yet. The club has to decide what they want.
“If Louis van Gaal turns out to be the new coach, I won't go.”
“The score made it look like it was an easy game, but it certainly wasn't.
(Strange... it looked pretty easy from where I was sitting, but hey.)
“I do not think it's over yet. I remember a clash between Milan and Deportivo la Coruna when Milan was also ahead by four goals, and in the end Deportivo eliminated Milan.
“I went into the Arsenal dressing room after the match to speak to Robin van Persie. I had agreed with him to swap shirts – my sons are big fans of his and he brought two for them. They will be delighted.
Van Bommel went on to talk about a possible move to PSV in the future, but was quick to point out his terms for the move.
“I've spoken with PSV, but we don't have an agreement yet. The club has to decide what they want.
“If Louis van Gaal turns out to be the new coach, I won't go.”
2/15/12
Next up is the Milan maestro Clarence Seedorf. He only managed 12 minutes on the pitch, but watching from the sidelines he was delighted at how his team mates had dominated the game.
"Tonight everything went in the right direction and we did a very good match. You don't start a match thinking to win 4-0, but at the end i think we deserved it coz we played very well."
"Tonight everything went in the right direction and we did a very good match. You don't start a match thinking to win 4-0, but at the end i think we deserved it coz we played very well."
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