Here’s a review of the latest round of L1 games and of course this week’s Top 3 and Flop 3.

U22 in bold.

Rennes 1-1 Marseille
Big tough physical game here. For Rennes, I was dying to see young Mvila’s first game. Well he didn’t disappoint. He was stunning for a first game. Extremely solid defensively, he brought danger offensively too. Leroy and Fanni were also very good and Lemoine had a decent game.
For Marseille, Ben Arfa was invisible in the first half and he didn’t see a minute in the second. Niang managed another important goal.

Auxerre 0-3 Lyon
Ndinga and Narry had a good first 30 minutes and Ndinga could (should?) have scored only to be denied by a great save by Lloris. After that though, they were dismantled.
For Lyon, Pjanic (1 goal) and Mounier (1 assist) were excellent.

Monaco 2-0 Lorient
Monaco’s front 4 was once again very good. Bakar worked hard, Nene scored a beauty on a free kick, Nimani scored a goal and Alonso was very dangerous. Mongongu had a solid game too.
For Lorient, Gameiro missed a couple of good chances.

Le Mans 2-1 Nancy
Lamah, Helstad and Le Tallec were very good up front and Goulon was dominant in midfield. Corchia wasn’t tested much.
For Nancy, Dia was the best player on his team. Not enough though.

Valenciennes 2-3 PSG
For VA, Tiéné and Samassa were the best player on their team I thought. Bong played the second half and was horrible, resulting in a goal.
For PSG, Erding was very good, Sakho was solid.

Montpellier 2-0 Sochaux
Belhanda had another good game and Aït-Fana managed to score in injury time.
For Sochaux, Nogueira had a bad game for once, while Maurice-Belay and Martin were decent on the wings. Charlie Davies had a decent game but he really lacks physical impact.

St Etienne 0-1 Boulogne
Payet is really not good enough. I’m sorry but he is a waste of a roster spot in most games. Rivière and Sanogo at least tried hard. Matuidi didn’t take things into his own hands enough. He should use his shot more. Andreu was comfortable.

Bordeaux 4-0 Sochaux
How can I say I was not impressed by Gourcuff? Well I think he isn’t at his best and yet he has 4 goals and 2 assists in 3 games. Phew… Ciani was impressive and Bordeaux was lucky to have scored first.
For Nice, Rémy was the best on his team but should have scored early in the game. You can’t blame Ospina for any goal, but it has to be said that he touches the first goal (so he could have done something) and commits too early on the second.

Lille 1-1 Toulouse
Hazard was once again the best player on the pitch. Cabaye was once again underwhelming.
For Toulouse, M’Bengué scored the equalizer after a tough game, Capoue was average and Sissoko was his team’s best player.

Grenoble 1-2 Lens
Paillot once again had a tough game. He tends to be a little heavy. Ljuboja was his team’s only threat.
For Lens, Boukari scored again, this time with his head (beating Paillot). Monnet-Paquet had a couple of nice plays, but should do more with what he has.

Top 3 :
1- Hazard : fantastic player
2- Aït-Fana : decisive.
3- Erding : goal, assist, solid game.
Honorable mention to lots of players who had good games : Goulon, Rémy, Sissoko, Boukari, Pjanic, Mounier, Nimani, Belhanda and the young Mvila.

Flop 3 :
1- Ben Arfa : horrible game.
2- Payet : horrible game Part II.
3- Bong : OUCH!

Bonus :
translation of an article in L’Equipe about Hazard :
“We don’t know how long Ligue 1 will have the pleasure to host Eden Hazard (…) but it’s hard to imagine it will last until the end of his contract, 2012. Consistently scouted by the best european teams, every game he makes everything look stunningly easy, even if his game needs polishing. Thanks to his controls, his low center of gravity and his acceleration, he creates unbalance for the other team. On the left, right or center, he was yesterday Lille’s best player offensively. Without a doubt L1’s best youngster can develop in the upcoming months as one of the biggest talents of our league. Even at 18. So let’s enjoy his rare moves in our stadiums with our own eyes before, once again, having to watch it only on TV.”

This week, U22 players have had a word in 10 out of 27 goals (Pjanic’s goal, Mounier’s assist, Nimani’s goal, Goulon’s assist, Erding’s goal, Erding’s assist, Aït-Fana’s penalty created, Aït-Fana’s goal, M’Bengué’s goal and Boukari’s goal), better than last week (8/30) and Week 1 (6/27).

Here’s a review of the latest round of L1 games and of course this week’s Top 3 and Flop 3.

Prospects in bold.

Sochaux 2-3 Bordeaux
For Sochaux, Nogueira has another solid outing though not as good as last week’s. Martin (who played wide) and Maurice-Belay both were dangerous, mostly in the second half and this will please US fans, Charlie Davies came in at halftime and managed to score 2 goals and was man of the match for his side.
For Bordeaux, Gourcuff anf Chamakh worked their magic on set plays twice and that would kill any team.

Nancy 4-0 Monaco
Dia (goal, penalty obtained for the second week in a row) and Alo’o Efoulou worked their magical speed in this game and finally we saw what they’re capable of. Féret was once again very impressive.
For Monaco, Mollo, Nkoulou, Bakar and Mongongu were all underwhelming and Pino was the only Monaco player to play half decently.

Lyon 1-0 Valenciennes
Lisandro was once again impressive and Lloris and Cissokho got the job done very well. Pjanic had a solid game and Gomis scored a very nice goal on a nice team play after a Bastos pass.
For VA, Samassa weighed heavily on Lyon’s defense, and Tiéné made some good plays.

Lorient 2-2 Montpellier
Lorient came from 2-0 down after another goal from Gameiro from the header, and a Koscielny late goal.
For Montpellier, Costa scored a beauty (and had an assist) and Jourdren had a solid game.

Toulouse 3-1 St Etienne
Gignac scored another great goal, as did Moussa Sissoko. Capoue had an underwhelming game and M’Bengue had a solid game.
For Les Verts, Andreu, Matuidi and Payet had decent games and Rivière scored his first goal of the season.

Lens 2-0 Auxerre
Both goals were scored by prospects : Boukari and Monnet-Paquet. Both had decent but not great games, but scored important goals. Ndinga was arguably the best Auxerre player.

PSG 3-1 Le Mans
Erding scored a beauty on a solo effort. Sessegnon was dangerous all around but Sakho and Traoré didn’t play well together. Coupet made some nice saves late in the game.
For Le Mans, I thought Maiga was very good (and he got one assist), he worked hard, espeically defensively. Coutadeur wasn’t as good as last week and Goulon was once again a tough customer. Corchia has some trouble but did well. I also liked Lamah’s play when he came in.

Marseille 1-0 Lille
For OM, Ben Arfa had an average game but managed an assist. Abriel-Cheyrou-Cissé was once again very good, and Mandanda saved OM late in the game. Heinze was horrible.
For Lille, Garcia made a weird choice and put Aubameyang and Obraniak and kept Hazard and Gervinho on the bench. Well bad move. Lille was nowhere to be seen in the first half and when the two playmakers came in, they were immidiately dangerous with Hazard toying with OM’s defense. He almost scored and Chedjou missed the easy chance very late.

Boulogne 2-1 Grenoble
First L1 game, 1st L1 goal and 1st L1 win for Boulogne. Thil scored twice and Boulogne totally deserved the win against a very weak Grenoble squad.
Paillot had his worst pro game by far I’d say. Only Ljuboja had a decent game (and he scored a goal).

Nice 1-1 Rennes
Rémy had a decent game, Ben Saada scored a beauty and Mabiala once again was solid for Nice. Ospina did what he had to do with calm and poise.
For Rennes, the central defense was very good (Mangane-Hansson) but the rest of the team was average. It’s worth noting that Kembo came in the last 20 minutes and got fouled in the penalty area. The ref miraculously didn’t see anything.

Top 3
1- Erding : spectacular AND important goal !
2- Dia : goal and another penalty obtained.
3- Sissoko : spectacular goal !

Flop 3
1- Paillot : horrible all game long.
2- Sakho : no big mistake but shaky all game long with Traoré.
3- Monaco’s youngsters : Pino aside, they were all horrible

It’s worth noting that U22 players scored or created 8 goals out of 30 this weekend (Erding, Dia’s goal and penalty, Sissoko, Boukari, Monnet-Paquet, Rivière, and Ben Arfa’s assist). Up from 6 out of 27 goals last week.

Here’s a quick review of the last two sunday games and of course this week’s Top 3 and Flop 3…
Prospects in bold.

Lille 1-2 Lorient
Obviously Gameiro scored the all important first goal and was a poison all around. The guy is so smart with on the pitch. He plays very well with Vahirua and could benefit from Monterrubio’s crosses.
For Lille, Hazard and Obraniak were the only players to create anything dangerous. You see guys like Balmont and co give up the ball quickly to these two playmakers. Gervinho was suspended, we should see him next weekend. I was really disappointed by Cabaye. But it’s just one game.

Bordeaux 4-1 Lens
Gourcuff is really on a class of his own in Ligue 1. 2 goals, Bordeaux with a 12th straight win. Wendel with a beauty, Chamakh with possibly his last Bordeaux goal.
Lens wasn’t ridiculous though and Boukari scored a goal that could have changed everything if the ref had taken the right decision, but he decided to wave it off instead. Monnet-Paquet didn’t show anything valuable.

Top 3
1- Rémy : dominant performance, features in both of his team’s goals.
2- Sakho : dominant all around performance.
3- Nogueira : what an inspired game for the oft-injured prospect

Flop 3
1- Erding : too many missed opportunities.
2- Mirallas : yet another poor game.
3- Payet : ditto, poor game.

Here’s a round up of the U22 performances in this weekend of Ligue 1 action.

Nancy 1-2 Marseille
Dia (4) as usual worked a lot for no end product.

Bordeaux 1-0 Monaco
Nkoulou (5) had a very solid game against Chamakh. Too bad he couldn’t handle him on the goal. Mongongu (6) was very good as well and sound defensively. Mangani (4) stuggled more but overall did a good job. Nimani (3) was invisible. Haruna (6) came at his place at halftime and was really impressive. The guy is 19 and has a great future. Too bad he managed to get a red card ATFER the final whistle. Pino (5) was very good, I know idea why he’s rated so low. He was fantastic at times, made a few bad choices sometimes, but overall, he was the best offensive player on the pitch yesterday and that includes Gourcuff and Chamakh.

Lyon 3-1 Caen
Benzema (7) was yesterday the REAL Benzema. Strong with the ball, dribbling with ease, always a threat. He scored two goals, but one was disallowed for offside.
For Caen, Yatabaré may or may not have touched the ball on the goal. In any case, it was his presence that created the goal.

Valenciennes 2-1 PSG
Sakho (6) was the best PSG player yet again. His physical impact and leadership are really difference makers. And he’s 19!

Nice 0-2 Toulouse
Ospina (4) was beaten twice, and you can’t blame him too much. He didn’t make any great save either. Rémy (5) missed a few plays, but tried a lot. Modeste (5) was more of the same, lots of will, no impact.
For Toulouse, Sissoko (6) and Capoue (6) were ruling the midfield all night long.

Sochaux 2-1 Nantes
Martin (6) had a good game and finished with two assists thanks to his precious set plays. Erding (7) scored a beauty to open the score.

Le Mans 1-1 Grenoble
Bouhours (4) struggled all night long. Goulon (4) was tough to play against but made some bad choices in his passes. Gervinho (7) was the most dangerous player on the pitch with Le Tallec (who has 3 goals in 2 games and also hit the bar).

Auxerre 1-0 St Etienne
Andreu (5) had a good game defensively. He didn’t bring much otherwise, but he did what he had to do. Benalouane (5) featured in the lone goal, but you can’t really blame him. He also tried to bring the danger up front. Mirallas (4) and Payet (4) disappeared as the game progressed.

Rennes 3-1 Lorient
Lemoine (6) had a solid game defensively. Could still bring more offensively. Kembo (5) scored a brilliant goal.
For Lorient, Gameiro (5) tried a lot but didn’t feature on the score sheet.

Le Havre 0-1 Lille
Kana-Biyik (6) had a solide game, talking with his size and muscles.
Hazard (6) was technically the best player on the pitch once again. He’s 18.

Top 3
1- Benzema : strong game for Karim, like he’s capable of doing.
2- Erding : key goal in a key game on a beautiful diving header.
3- Pino : good performance against a big opponent.

Flop 3
1- Mirallas : no end product when his team needs some.
2- Payet : ditto.
3- Nimani : you have to wonder if he was on the pitch.

Here’s a round up of the U22 performances in this weekend of Ligue 1 action and a quick report of the Rennes/Caen game earlier this week.

Since I was at the game, I can’t comment on the other games.

The game was really boring and Rennes had no more than a few opportunities. Caen on the other hand only had one. For a team desperate to stay in L1, they didn’t show much passion. Not many players stood out.
However, it’s worth noting that Marveaux was Rennes’ most dangerous player. Planté made a few nice saves for Caen. Once again, I liked Yatabaré’s play. He brings a new dimension to Caen’s attacks and is extremely useful.

Time to comment about this weekend’s action :

Grenoble 0-0 Nancy
During what was undoubtably the worst game of the year, Dia (4) was, like the other players, sleeping for 2 hours.

Caen 2-0 Sochaux
Yatabaré (5) brought his qualities but didn’t impress me this time. He made some bad choices and was subed early.
For Sochaux, Martin (4), who had a great game in mid-week was lost in Caen’s midfield this time. Erding (4) should have been rated higher. He didn’t have the ball much but he was a constant danger and even hit the post.

St Etienne 2-2 Toulouse
Mirallas (5) scored a nice goal earlier this week but couldn’t produce anything worthy against Toulouse.
Sissoko (6) managed to foul Monsoreau in order to receive a pass and then dribble to the goal and score. That goal shouldn’t have counted, but Sissoko made a nice play with the ball.
It’s worth noting that Emmanuel Rivière also scored against Le Havre.

Lorient 1-1 Le Havre
After scoring twice earlier in the week, Gameiro (5) was much less noticeable.
For Le Havre, Placide (5) made a few nice stops, but was beaten on a hard to judge free kick by Vahirua. Still he should have been rated higher. Kana-Biyik (6) was very solid and physically imposing.

Bordeaux 3-2 Le Mans
Sertic (6) was really impressive on set plays I thought. The guy’s 19 and he takes every free kick and corner, using both feet. He really is starting to play without pressure and I like what I see from him.
For Le Mans, Gervinho (7) had a couple of good runs and a nice assist, but he still could do much more than this, especially since he never helps defensively. Goulon (6) was very solid and had a physical impact.
Worth noting that Gourcuff was the main contributor to all Bordeaux’ goals. He has 6 goals and 2 assists in the last 5 games.

Monaco 1-1 Valenciennes
Mangani, Nkoulou and Mongongu (6, 5, 6) were all very solid for Monaco’s defense. Nimani (4) and Gakpe (5) didn’t create anything that could have resulted in a goal.

PSG 1-2 Auxerre
Sakho (6) was brilliant I thought. Extremely solid, and you can see his natural leadership.

Nantes 1-1 Rennes
Vainqueur (5) was OK, but I’ve seen him play much better. He has what it takes to made the difference in a central midfield role.
Lemoine (4) didn’t show anything worth noting.

Lille 1-1 Nice
What more can be said about Eden Hazard (7)? He’s a phenom. He’s already at age 18 one of the only players in the league that makes something happen on every single touch. He’s among the only players that can make plays time and time again, who can dribble and throw off balance an entire team. He’s just a phenom.
Ospina (6) had a solid game but made a mistake on Lille’s goal. Rémy (7) played on the wing and did well. He’s on a roll. Modeste (7) scored after a great Sablé pass. He had a few good plays and protects the ball very well.

Marseille 1-3 Lyon
Ben Arfa (4) made the difference only once in that game. That’s not enough. It was a game tailor-made for him.
Benzema (8) wasn’t so impressive, but he managed two goals on a penalty and some awful OM defending. He was good but he’s still very far from his level from a year ago.
For those who still had doubts over the Lloris/Mandanda comparisons, watch that game and you’ll agree with me : Lloris is a top top goalie, Mandanda is not there yet.

Top 3
1- Hazard : as usual.
2- Benzema : for his two goals more than his performance.
3- Sakho : National team bound. And he’s 19!

Flop 3
1- Ben Arfa : he had to come up big and he didn’t.
2- Lemoine : when you play a weak opponent, you should do better.
3- Gameiro : Come on, it’s Le Havre!

Here’s a round up of the U22 performances in this weekend of Ligue 1 action.

Marseille 2-2 Toulouse
For OM, Ben Arfa (5) came in at halftime and was the impact player Gerets hoped he’d be. No idea why he’s marked so low, because he was the reason for OM’s comeback.
For Toulouse, Sissoko (5) was impressive physically. He really is tough to contain.

St Etienne 0-0 Nancy
Audreu (5) played a solid game, on both sides on the field. Benalouane (6) was once again very solid. My favourite brains (or not) Kévin Mirallas (5) had a decent game, but played out of position as usual. Payet (6) had a good game with a goal that was wrongly ruled offside.
For Nancy, N’Diaye (5) once again made his physical side do the talking. Dia (6) once again was very active without any end result.

Valenciennes 2-0 Lyon
Mounier (4) didn’t create anything worth noting and Benzema (5) spent more time whining about his teammates than trying to get a decent ball.

Caen 3-1 Le Mans
Gervinho (3) sucked ONCE again, and in a big game to boot. Frustrating. Lamah (5) was decent, but didn’t make the good choices. Goulon (5) was half-decent, with good physical impact, but low awareness in offensive plays.

Lorient 3-1 Lille
Ayew (4) managed to shoot the crossbar on his only opportunity. Gameiro (6) didn’t score but you could see in this game how a forward can contribute for his team even if he isn’t on the scoresheet. This guy is really a good player.
Hazard (5) played in a weird position, alone up front. And he still managed to do well, as he almost scored (nice save from Cappone).

Grenoble 0-0 Nice
Paillot (6) had another very good game, extremely solid on his position, he doesn’t back down from any contact. He was once again easily the best Lyon player this week. Except he’s playing for Grenoble for another 3 weeks.
Ospina (6) made a couple of huge saves and was thus IMO the man of the match. Rémy (5) tried a lot without much success. But as I’ve said lately, I’ve liked his mindset since his NT callup.

Monaco 0-1 Auxerre
Nkoulou (5) had a very solid game. I like when his mind set is agressive enough. Mollo left early with an injury and Gakpe (4) moved a lot without making any impact.

PSG 0-1 Rennes
Sakho (4) was obviously disappointed with his deflection on the only goal of the game. His game was still above average.
For Rennes, Lemoine (7) was very active defensively, but he always slows things down offensively, and I’m fed up with that.

Nantes 1-2 Le Havre
Placide (6) was excellent and made a couple of nice saves, especially on Da Rocha’s shot. Kana-Biyik was struggling until he injured himself.

Bordeaux 2-0 Sochaux
Sertic (7) made his second consecutive start in less than a week, and he manages a splendid shot for the opener. Franky, he didn’t do much after that, but his efforts all along the game, his constant running, allows him to be our player of the week.
For Sochaux, Boudebouz (6) was the most dangerous player for his team, always a threat with the ball and he also hit the crossbar cleanly with a nice header. Erding (6) is always dangerous and he’s proving it week after week. With more support, he could score 15+.

Top 3
1- Sertic : nice start to his pro career.
2- Placide : goalie of the future for Le Havre most likely
3- Ben Arfa : really lifted his team.

Flop 3
1- Gervinho : same old, same old.
2- Benzema : stop whining like your hero Henry.
3- Mirallas : just because he’s my favourite target.

Highlights :

Sertic’s goal :

Here’s a round up of the U22 performances in this weekend of Ligue 1 action.

Lyon 0-0 PSG
Pjanic (4) had a solid game but couldn’t break PSG’s defense. He had Armand and Sakho on his side and that’s tough. Mounier (6) showed some energy and willingness to fight, but couldn’t create much danger either. The biggest opportunity for Lyon came from Benzema (5) who hit the post. He did have plenty of space in this game becaue Camara would let him go down to take the ball without following him since he didn’t want to be outrun by Benz. Yet even with speed and facing the goal, Benzema didn’t create.
For PSG, Sakho (6) was IMO the best non-goalie on the pitch. Solid, calm, poised, and obviously extremely tough on his man. He has what it takes to be a great great defenseman.

Toulouse 1-1 Lorient
E. Capoue (6) was very solid in midfield but left injured. Sissoko (5) tried hard but made some bad choices. For Lorient Gameiro (7) was the best player on the field and should have scored a couple of goals. Obertan (3) played like a ghost and was replaced by Ayew, who managed to score after some good work off the ball.

Nice 3-1 St Etienne
Ospina (6) had a solid game with a huge save on Gomis. Couldn’t do anything on Ilan’s goal. Rémy (7) has continued his great form and managed an assist and a very good game. Man of the match probably.
For Les Verts, their best defenseman, Benalouane (4) had a poor game (even though it was “better” than the other 3). Who wants to make fun of Kévin Mirallas (3) and his career choices? He could be Lille’s starting striker right now and instead he either plays out of position or sits on the bench for the relegation zone St Etienne. Another awful game for him anyway.

Le Mans 0-1 Monaco
Corchia (6) worked very hard and had a solid outing. Gervinho (4) was once again disappointing. I don’t know what’s wrong with him, maybe he wants to leave, but he has been way too inconsistant this season.
For Monaco, Nkoulou (5) had a solid calm game. Good to see him back on track. Mollo (7) was dangerous on his side. Pino (7) was IMO the best player on the pitch and the most dangerous offensive player. Nimani (4) was not fitted for a counter attack game and he was rightfully replavec by Gakpe, who needed a couple of minutes to show his stuff with an assist on the game’s lone goal. Good to see he still has some talent left.

Auxerre 2-1 Caen
Yatabaré (4), 89 born BTW, had a solid game. He’s very useful to keep the ball, he’s mobile and I like his movement off the ball. Really, this guy has some similarities with Adebayor.

Le Havre 0-1 Grenoble
Paillot (5) had a solid no brainer game. He should come back with Lyon next year and be a prime backup.

Sochaux 1-1 Valenciennes
Boudebouz (5) was good but not great before being subed for a goalie after Richert’s red card. Martin (5) came in at the 42nd and showed his skills without any end product. Better choices would help him. Erding (6) was close on a few occasions but couldn’t score a goal.

Nancy 2-0 Nantes
N’Diaye (6) worked hard. I’d like him to play more going forward though when he plays midfielder. Dia (6) managed to create the penalty and the free kick that brought the two goals.
For Nantes, Vainqueur (4) made a stupid foul that created the first goal. Too bad because his game wasn’t horrible.

Lille 1-2 Marseille
Guess who was the top player in this game? 18 year old Eden Hazard (7) obviously! He scored a nice goal after a counter attack and was dangerous all around. Super star in the making people!

Top 3
1- Hazard : best player against the L1 leaders.
2- Sakho : best player against the 7 time champs.
3- Rémy : I really like his attitude since his NT callup.

Flop 3
1- Mirallas : clap your hands say boo.
2- Gervinho : this guy needs to be shaken up. Too much talent, not enough results.
3- Benzema : with the space he had (and he likes to have space), he should have done better.

Here’s a round up of the U22 performances in this weekend of Ligue 1 action.

Marseille 2-0 Nantes
Ben Arfa (6) played the second half and was very interesting. He really hurt Nantes and was key in the second goal.
Vainqueur (6) was once again impressive, I really like this guy’s technical package. He’s very subtle and quick.

Le Havre 0-3 Bordeaux
Sambou (3) and Kana-Biyik (4) were both lost in this game. They look shaky, unsure of themselves. That does happen when you’re playing on a team without any confidence. Ducasse (3) got a rare start but was really unimpressive, missing simple passes and looking rusty.

Auxerre 2-0 Le Mans
Narry (6) had a great game, completely dominating Le Mans’ midfield with Pedretti.
For Le Mans, Bouhours (5) did OK I thought, without many mistakes. A solid game. Gervinho (3) and Lamah (3) were awfulo, missing every offensive move and being everything but dangerous.

Lille 2-1 Grenoble
Hazard (7) was once again impressive. The guy never ceases to amaze me by his constant good decisions with the ball. How many 18 year old keep the ball too long, try to be too fancy, pass the ball too quickly or too late? Not this guy. He plays a great individual but also collective game every match. He was key on Lille’s second goal by sending Bastos to the goal exactly at the right time to avoid the offside and yet kill the defense.
For Grenoble, Paillot (7) was once again impressive as well. He scored YET AGAIN (!!!), his 4th in 12 games. He got the job done defensively as well.
Grandin (3) did nothing except scoring an offside goal (and you can’t be offside in this situation when you need a goal on a scramble).

Rennes 0-0 Valenciennes
Lemoine (4) didn’t bring much. A few won balls, solid defensive presence, but nothing in offensive situations. I hate when he’s too passive and it tends to happen too often these last few months.

Nice 2-2 Caen
Ospina (6) was great I thought. He saved Nice a couple of times. Traoré (5) was noticable this time, mainly because he missed a sure goal. He doesn’t have what it takes to start in this league. Rémy (6) on the other hand, finally had a good game, and he scored a nice goal. He really hurt Caen’s defense by playing to his strength : quickness when controlling the ball, turns around very fast behind the defenseman and tough to tach in the open field he creates.
I more or less joked about Yatabaré the other day, but he was mighty impressive this time again. He really was key in Caen’s turnaround. He is fairly quick, has a big physical presence and feels the game well. Very smart guy.

Nancy 0-1 Monaco
Helder (3) is a guy I like a lot, but this time, he was lost out there. He really should be played at RB and his postion was supposed to be RW. N’Diaye (5) was solid, but still doesn’t bring enough in transition and offensive plays.
For Monaco, Mongongu (4) and Nkoulou (4) were both unimpressive, shaky and really out of character. Mollo (7) had a solid game. He could probably bring more offensively, but as long as he plays with his teammates, I’m happy. Pino (6) was always dangerous and he obviously made a superb cross for Park’s goal.

Lyon 2-0 Sochaux
Benzema (4) was horrible. I don’t know what’s wrong with him, if he’s bothered by his injury or what, but he hasn’t been this bad since coming into the league. Mounier scored the second goal.
For Sochaux, Erding (4) was dynamic I thought, but could not beat the best goalie in L1, and among the best in the world, Hugo Lloris, who earned a 9 in L’Equipe’s ratings.

Toulouse 4-1 PSG
M’Bengue (7) was very good and he finished with an assist. He’s getting better and better. Capoue (7) dominated the midfield. His strong physical presence can hurt an opponent. Sissoko (7) was everywhere and scored a beauty.
For PSG, Mabiala (4) was lost defensively, but managed to score a goal. Makonda (5) replaced the injured Armand in the second half and played out of position. He was OK.

Lorient 3-1 St Etienne
Gameiro (6) managed two assist in 30 seconds and was key in Lorient’s 3rd goal. He now has 8 assists (3rd in the league) and all Lorient’s offense goes through him. Obertan came in late.
For les Verts, Benalouane (6) was the best player for his team, scored a goal and played well defensively. Mirallas (6) was very good but could have done better with better judgment. That’ll come with age and L1 minutes.

Top 3
1- Toulouse’s tough 3 : M’Bengue, Sissoko and Capoue rocked PSG.
2- Gameiro : he comes through yet again.
3- Hazard : he’s going to be a world class player VERY soon.

Flop 3
1- Benzema : no impact, he’s a ghost out there. Frankly, he should not start right now.
2- Gervinho : he should do more, this season has been a let down so far.
3- Ducasse : gets a start against the worst team in the league and plays without any interest.

Here’s a round up of the U22 performances in this weekend of Ligue 1 action.

Monaco 3-2 Toulouse
Nkoulou (5) was solid although he’ll take some blame on Toulouse’s first goal. Gakpe (4) was once again useless. Except for a few easy passes, he was invisible. Mollo (7) was once again very good. He seems to follow his usual path : good game, gets some praise, then bad game, plays without his teammates, then good game again, etc… Nimani (6) had an average game but still scored an important goal by placing himself very well and reacting quickly after a set play.
For Toulouse M’Bengue (4) was solid but made a dangerous tackle on Alonso. He should be suspended. Capoue (6) was arguably Toulouse’s best player. Very solid guy they have there.

Le Mans 2-2 Rennes
Corchia (7) was great. He was very active and solid defensively. Goulon (7) started his first game and the guy IMPRESSED. He is a rock defensively and can develop into a nice player. Big guy too. Gervinho (7) FINALLY had a good game and scored a beauty. Lamah (6) was extremely important because of his fine technique. Late in the game, he was Le Mans’ most useful player, taking away passing lanes and keeping the ball as much as possible (though not enough it seems).
For Rennes, Kembo came in late and scored a huge blast. Lemoine was Rennes’ best player really, he was very active on both sides of the ball.

Bordeaux 2-1 Nice
Ospina (5) had a solid game despite his 2 goals against. He saved a couple of nice opportunities. Rémy (3) had some real chances and blew them. He needs a change of attitude. Traoré (3) was worthless, as usual.

Sochaux 2-1 Nancy
Tulasne (5) replaced Carlao at the half and hit the crossbar. Boudebouz (6) is really a guy I like to see play. He scored a nice goal and had a very good first half. Erding (6) managed to miss a VERY important penalty (with the game tied at 1) and I was ready to get flame him, but his superb assist on Sverkos’ winning goal will make me forgive him. He also assisted on Boudebouz’s goal.

Caen 0-1 Lille
No U22 prospect in that game.

Nantes 1-1 Lorient
Vainqueur (6) was back saturday and played a good game. This guy really has an interesting package. He is smooth with the ball, makes intelligent passes and is a tough customer in the middle.
Gameiro (5) was useful to his team as always thanks to his speed, but he never really has a good scoring chance.

Valenciennes 3-2 Le Havre
Sambou (4) had another under-average game. He was beaten in key situations and never seemed at ease with the ball.

Lyon 0-2 Auxerre
Benzema (4) never had a good opportunity. As long as Lyon attacks with a single player, as good as he is, he’ll have trouble.
I was very impressed with the first L1 start of Ndinga (6). Extremely useful, and he also played a key role in the first goal.

PSG 1-3 Marseille
Sakho (4) had a dominant first half coming off his injury, but struggled in the second.

Grenoble 1-0 St Etienne
Paillot (5) was rock solid defensively, as usual. He didn’t score this time though. Grandin (6) created danger a few times but always missed the last play.
For Les Verts, Benalouane (6) was back to his solid self. Mirallas (5) scored a nice JPP style goal but for some obscure reason, it was disallowed (whistled as a foul, but weak weak call). Payet (4) was useless.

Top 3
1/ Ndinga : first start, and awesome game !
2/ Le Mans youngsters : Gervinho, Corchia and Gouron had very good performances
3/ Boudebouz : important goal and a good performance

Flop 3
1/ Rémy : disappointing is the word.
2/ Traoré : why is he even starting? Because of two lucky goals off deflections? Come on !
3/ Gakpe and Payet : talented, but lazy.

Here’s a round up of the U22 performances in this weekend of Ligue 1 action.

Lille 2-0 Lyon
Hazard only came up late after his world class performance in Cup action in the middle of the week. Against the same opponents, he finished with 1 goal, 2 assists and a dominant performance at age 18!
For Lyon, Benzema (5) left early because of his injury. It’s worth noting that Yannis Tafer, Lyon’s deadly young striker played a few minutes and missed an opportunity (he won’t miss many).

Lorient 0-1 PSG
Gameiro (6) hurt PSG defense and showed a lot of will. But he couldn’t score that important goal.

Nice 0-0 Monaco
Ospina (6) made some good saves in the second half. Traoré (5) didn’t show much once again. Rémy (5) missed what he tried. He lacks focus in key situations.
For Monaco, Mongongu (5) was sent off for two yellow in a minute. Ridiculous. Haruna (3) had his first start, but I hope he manages to forget it. Mollo (5) got back to his bad habit : play for his own and forget his teammates. It seems every time he scores a goal, he forgets this the following week. Nimani (4) was alone in front and never got good balls.

Toulouse 3-0 Bordeaux
M’Bengue (6) had another solid outing. Traoré (3) didn’t exist on his side. Capoue (7) was a rock and managed Gourcuff quite well. Sissoko came in late and scored the 3rd goal.

Grenoble 2-1 Caen
Paillot (7) was once again wonderful and scored yet another goal (his 3rd). Grandin (5) tried a lot without much success.
For Caen, Yatabaré came in late and on his first touch, 2 seconds after his sub, he managed a nice assist. Nice.

Marseille 0-0 Valenciennes
Ben Arfa (6) had a solid game but his teammates seemed to sleep.

Nancy 2-2 Le Mans
Helder (5) had a good game, always useful in offensive situations. N’Diaye (4) is partly responsible for an opponent goal. That’s never good. Corchia (4) managed an assist on Helstad’s goal, but the rest of his game was forgettable. Bouhours (5) was IMO doing well until his sending off, which was harsh. Lamah (5) was dangerous a couple of times, but should do more with his ability.

St Etienne 2-1 Nantes
Matuidi (6) played a solid game as usual, the guy’s on a mission. Payet (5) was invisible IMO.

Le Havre 2-1 Sochaux
Kana-Biyik (5) was good until a huge mistake late in the game that luckily for him didn’t turn into a goal thanks to Erding’s (5) putrid finish. Boli came in late and seemed to try as much as possible to make the bad choices. Le HAC needed to keep the ball and he would start dribbling 5 guys even though Sochaux was a man down. Boudebouz (6) was very interesting offensively. He’s gaining confidence and trying nice moves.

Rennes 2-0 Auxerre
Lemoine (6) was very good this time, always important defensively, but bringing danger offensively. Nice complete game. Narry (4) was lost in the Rennes domination and couldn’t weigh on the game.

Top 3
1- Yatabaré : First touch in his first L1 game = assist!
2- Paillot : he’s on a roll baby!
3- Matuidi : true leader.

Flop 3
1- Traoré (Bordeaux) : awful performance
2- Mollo : he’s frustrating. Needs maturing.
3- Erding : this is a game he should have dominated.