Best XI At Midpoint of the Season

[midknight]

Not entirely on topic as I was talking originally about the 2007/08 season, but apparently the team of 2007 has been elected by french sports newspaper L'Equipe as follows:

Coupet
Sagna, Cris, Puygrenier, Abidal
Govou, Juninho, Toulalan, Malouda
Elmander, Benzema

Seems pretty fair from what I have read, but surprised Coupet is in there having barely played this season. Cris got injured back in August as well, didn't he?


i somehow suspect its for the calendar year and not for the 2007-2008 season, because malouda probably wouldn't be up there either.

My god 8 Lyon or ex Lyon players out of 11...Did Everybody loves Raymod pick this team ? :D

[blackjack]

In my opinion, Niang, Gakpe, and Gouffran all need to at least be considered.

[tebthereb]

i somehow suspect its for the calendar year and not for the 2007-2008 season

Yep that is correct, it is for 2007:

I was talking originally about the 2007/08 season, but apparently the team of 2007 has been elected by french sports newspaper L'Equipe as follows

I just thought I would mention it as was vaguely related to this. I think Malouda has done OK at Chelsea myself but was surprised to see him on there too.

Gakpe and Gouffran are not really the finished articles as yet, I thought?

[Catel]

My god 8 Lyon or ex Lyon players out of 11...Did Everybody loves Raymod pick this team ? :D
Who was champion with 17 points ahead of the 2nd, and why ?

[midknight]

Who was champion with 17 points ahead of the 2nd, and why ?

Lyon...with a rhythm of a relegable team in the second half of the season
...because the rest of Ligue 1 was crap...:rolleyes:

[midknight]

Pierre Menes Ligue 1 A and B team for the first half of the season...

A team

----------Mandanda-----------
Fanni-Puygrenier-Planus-Wendel
-----------Kallstrom-----------
----Juninho-----------Rothen
------------Ben Arfa-----------
----Benzema------------Niang

B team
--------------Lloris------------------
Chretien-----Squillaci-------Traore------
Gavanon--Fernando--Toulalan----Abriel
-------Govou------------Kim-----------
--------------Elmander---------------

Too lazy to translate all of his explanations...

[SportBoy333]

Pierre Menes Ligue 1 A and B team for the first half of the season...

A team

----------Mandanda-----------
Fanni-Puygrenier-Planus-Wendel
-----------Kallstrom-----------
----Juninho-----------Rothen
------------Ben Arfa-----------
----Benzema------------Niang

B team
--------------Lloris------------------
Chretien-----Squillaci-------Traore------
Gavanon--Fernando--Toulalan----Abriel
-------Govou------------Kim-----------
--------------Elmander---------------

Too lazy to translate all of his explanations...

Bellion and Del Melo didnt even make the 2nd team. Wow. If this really is a midpoint of the season team Elmander doesnt belong there. He's had a injury riddled sub par season for his standards. Not to mention his team have been poor.

[SuperSebGrimaldi]

That's kinda harsh on Elmander. Keep in mind that he has scored all of Toulouse's goals in the month of December, and man, that's a lot of goals! 7, to be precise, but I think he also deserves credit since with Gignac injured he's the only goal threat they have. Coaches devise game plans to attempt to shut him down, yet he's kept on scoring, and to me, well, that's enough to deserve to be on the best XI.

Then again, I'll admit that I'm partial to Elmander if you'll admit that you're biased on Bellion and de Melo. ;)

Oh, fwiw, I'm not crazy about Pierre Menes' teams either.

Anyway, it will be interesting to see who among this best XI actually stays in Ligue 1.

[tebthereb]

A bit harsh?! He has missed four league games for his team all season, and scored 10 in 15. I don't understand how that is indicative of a below par season for anyone, or of an injury riddled season. He broke the record for most goals scored in a month in Ligue 1 from the team lying 12th in the league!

Am I missing something glaringly obvious about him? Everything I see and hear about him suggests he is in top top form.

[guignol]

Lyon...with a rhythm of a relegable team in the second half of the season
...because the rest of Ligue 1 was crap...:rolleyes:les cahiers du football had a very interesting number about the 2007 calendar year, here are the standings for the period:

http://www.cahiersdufootball.net/images2/2008_01/classement_2007.jpg

lyon actually was FOURTH in the second half last year (only 3 pts behind marseille), but the teams that did better, OM, TFC and rennes, couldn't follow up with a convincing autumn. even before their nov-dec meltdown, rennes was only second.

[guignol]

sorry that this is off topic, but i think you'll be interested and it doesn't really deserve a thread of its own...

standings (brutto points)
LYON 560
BORDEAUX 435
AUXERRE 416
MONACO 415
MARSEILLE 410
LILLE 408
PARIS SG 405
LENS 403
RENNES 377
NANTES 349
SOCHAUX 340
NICE 281
TOULOUSE 246
STRASBOURG 218
BASTIA 213
SAINT ETIENNE 208
TROYES 202
METZ 198
GUINGAMP 179
LE MANS 169
SEDAN 162
AJACCIO 157
NANCY 132
MONTPELLIER 111
LORIENT 107
CAEN 73
VALENCIENNES 72
LE HAVRE 38
ISTRES 32


these are all the points won in D1/L1 since 2000/1 up to now (i would have included the second half of 1999/2000 but hard to find compiled stats)

i looked at the average per season as well which gives

LYON 74,67
BORDEAUX 58,00
AUXERRE 55,47
MONACO 55,33
MARSEILLE 54,67
LILLE 54,40
PARIS SG 54,00
LENS 53,73
NANTES 53,69
NANCY 52,80
SOCHAUX 52,31
NICE 51,09
RENNES 50,27
CAEN 48,67
LE MANS 48,29
VALENCIENNES 48,00
GUINGAMP 44,75
TOULOUSE 44,73
LORIENT 42,80
BASTIA 42,60
SEDAN 40,50
TROYES 40,40
STRASBOURG 39,64
AJACCIO 39,25
LE HAVRE 38,00
SAINT ETIENNE 37,82
MONTPELLIER 37,00
METZ 36,00
ISTRES 32,00


the teams in bold have been the whole 7.5 seasons in L1. the curiosities are:

- rennes who has had more success at avoiding relegation than nice, sochaux or nantes.

- nancy who with far and away the best haul of points among clubs with less than 5 complete season (only 2.5 for them) shows they are no yoyo team.

- 3 teams with 5.5 seasons have average point totals in relegation waters: strasbourg (39.64), saint étienne (37.82) and metz (36.00)... when you consider that caen and bastia went down in 2004 with 42 & 41 pts, and that the no team has ever stayed up with less than 39 (not counting the year D1 went from 18 to 20 teams) you wonder at their luck.

[midknight]

Pierre Menes Ligue 1 A and B team for the first half of the season...

A team

----------Mandanda-----------
Fanni-Puygrenier-Planus-Wendel
-----------Kallstrom-----------
----Juninho-----------Rothen
------------Ben Arfa-----------
----Benzema------------Niang

B team
--------------Lloris------------------
Chretien-----Squillaci-------Traore------
Gavanon--Fernando--Toulalan----Abriel
-------Govou------------Kim-----------
--------------Elmander---------------

Too lazy to translate all of his explanations...

My new year's resolution is not to be lazy...

Mandanda : The revelation of the league in this position. Good on his line, impeccable in the air, he is irreplaceable today at OM.

Fanni : Even during Rennes torment, he has emerged through his physical capacities, his power and his offensive contribution . A real specialist in the position as we sorely lack in France.

Puygrenier : 2 years now that the Big Bald One is at the top of his game. Flawless with his marking, imperial in the air, he posesses an excellent first pass and always brings an offensive edge with his percuting charges and his climbs on free kicks and corners.

Planus : Sober, good first passer, intelligent... Marc Planus accumulates a lot of qualities but its first and foremost by his regularity as the Bordeaux defender stabilises the Girondin backline.

Wendel : I know its not his real position, but he is still very good there. In any case, no matter where he's put, Wendel is good, and his shot is one of the most limpid of the entire league...

Källström : After a somewhat pale last season, he has earned his starting place this year at Lyon thanks to a very complete game, combining technical finesse, physical impact and sobriety. Kallstrom is huge...

Juninho : In absolute value, he remains the best player of Ligue 1. Goalscorer, passer, playmaker, Juni is also a real leader for OL. He was sulking a bit at the start of the season but his winner's temperament soon returned. Without him, OL isn't really OL.

Rothen : Its simple. he's the only one to stay afloat at PSG since the start of the season. Unreproachable despite the sometimes abyssmal vacuity of the PSG game, Jerome has equally shown his character and reclaimed his place with the Blues. A very good year end for him.

Ben Arfa : Immense talent. I find everyone very severe with him. People accuse him of complicating life or trying too hard, but frankly, no other player in Ligue 1 is capable of making certain of his passes. For me he's a pure jewel...

Niang : Like Rothen at Paris, Niang is the only unreproachable player at OM these last five months (with Mandanda). Not only does he keep on grinding out decisive goals (50% of OM's goals), but he does colossal work in the Olympian attack. Indispensable.

Benzema : THE number 1 star of th eLeague. Elegant, explosive, Karim invents with the ball at his feet and is proving each week that he has what it takes to be one of the best strikers in Europe. All he needs to do is to confirm this in the big matches, like he showed against Rangers in Glasgow...

-------

Lloris : Him being hurt for a good part of the season cost him his place in the A team. But for me, there is no doubt that Hugo Lloris is today, the best French goalkeeper. Besides his footwoork, a bit deficient, he has everything and I can't wait to see him at the highest level.

Chrétien : Here's one of the main reasons for Nancy's defensive solidarity. Very few errors, an immense sobriety, and additionally he was ery good with Morocco against France..

Squillaci : Very consistent since the start of the season. Nevermind the fact that his task hasn't been simplified being partnered with on and off Bodmer and Cleber Anderson, he has been able to fill the holes and become the boss of the Rhodanian defense.

Traoré : I am sure the presence of the former Parisian will either make some scream or laugh hysterically but I take full responsibility. Since his arrival at Auxerre, Sammy has transfigured the Bourgignon team, on and off the field.

Gavanon : Often decisive, a real free kick specialist, Gavanon is one of these players that one barely notices but who often make the difference.

Fernando : Less brilliant than last season, the Bordelais remains nevertheless one of the best central midfielders of Ligue 1. As at ease defensively as on the offensive he fluidifies the Girondin game.

Toulalan : Everyone knows himm now. His above average productivity and capacity for recovery make him a "bonificateur de jeu" for his partners, in particular Källström and Juninho.

Abriel : Season 05-06 : 38 games. Season 06-07 : 38 games. Season 07-08 : 19 games. This guy is tireless, he plays simply, but always intelligently. What a coach really likes to have...

Govou : I hesitated for a long time to put him in the A squad. He is fast, does enormous defensive work..And he can score! Probably the best season of his career...

Kim : His speed executing with the ball at his feet is impressive, his technique brilliant and yet it doesn't stop him from working for the totality. He was shocking last saturday on the skating rink of Marcel Picot, against Lyon.

Elmander : He has often been injured, but his performances since his return are incredible - 7 goals in 4 games. Without him, Toulouse would be fighting relegation...

[SuperSebGrimaldi]

Wow, awesome post buddy, that is some good stuff to base your team on.

I'd argue against Källström being in the best XI, though because he's had some not very good matches in my opinion, though he's also had some man of the match performances. I like him, though if we're basing this on consistency and not ability, I don't know if he's deserving. Also, how could he be in team A when Toulalan is in team B?

I agree that Rothen and Niang have often been the only guys who have shown up for their team, but being an MVP for your team is different than being the best in your class. That's why I'd argue to have another Lyonnais instead of Rothen and Elmander over Niang, though hey, only my opinion.

I'm not laughing at Sammy Traoré's inclusion because I've seen he's been Auxerre's best defender, but he's part of a defense that has conceded more goals than anyone in L1. Well, except Metz. Marko Basa to me has been as good, and he's obviously a superior player as well (in terms of ability).

Though hey, awesome job defending your, or rather, Pierre Menes' team as it's hard to reproach any of your arguments.

[guignol]

just switch toulalan and källström and show me where to sign. great analysis.

[midknight]

Wow, awesome post buddy, that is some good stuff to base your team on.

I'd argue against Källström being in the best XI, though because he's had some not very good matches in my opinion, though he's also had some man of the match performances. I like him, though if we're basing this on consistency and not ability, I don't know if he's deserving. Also, how could he be in team A when Toulalan is in team B?

I agree that Rothen and Niang have often been the only guys who have shown up for their team, but being an MVP for your team is different than being the best in your class. That's why I'd argue to have another Lyonnais instead of Rothen and Elmander over Niang, though hey, only my opinion.

I'm not laughing at Sammy Traoré's inclusion because I've seen he's been Auxerre's best defender, but he's part of a defense that has conceded more goals than anyone in L1. Well, except Metz. Marko Basa to me has been as good, and he's obviously a superior player as well (in terms of ability).

Though hey, awesome job defending your, or rather, Pierre Menes' team as it's hard to reproach any of your arguments.

just switch toulalan and källström and show me where to sign. great analysis.

Oh my. thanks guys, but i can't take any credit for this. This was actually the translation of Pierre Menes' justification that i got the strenght to do after all. Sorry if i didn't make it clear. If you really want to applaud though, I didn't even use babelfish just once :cool:

On the subject of Kallalan. He actually used the presence of Toulalan in the B team to build up anticipation for the A team ("Sign in tomorrow to see who kept Toulalan out of the A team").

I personally haven't seen enough L1 to make any kind of detailed analysis. I think that the only real justification for Kallstrom ahead of Toulalan might lie in the time that Toulalan was out because of injury...but its jsut a guess.

[Inara]

Kallalan! That's priceless!