29th round prospects performances… Top 3/ Flop 3

By: Evilo | March 23rd, 2009

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.