Best XI At Midpoint of the Season

[tebthereb]

As we are coming up to the halfway through the season, was wondering what people's best XI's would be from Ligue 1?

I have been reading good things about Lloris, Grosso, Planus, Squillaci, Ben Arfa, Elmander, Kallstrom, Benzema.

Are my sources awful (:D)and can people help me complete the team of the season so far...?

[SuperSebGrimaldi]

That's not a bad one if we're basing it on ability. On form, though, Grosso and arguably Squillaci aren't deserving. I would say based on performance and not ability, the team should be:

Benzema - Elmander
Ben Arfa - Romaric - Toulalan - Feindouno
Wendel - Puygrenier - Basa - Chrétien
Lloris/Mandanda

[SportBoy333]

That's not a bad one if we're basing it on ability. On form, though, Grosso and arguably Squillaci aren't deserving. I would say based on performance and not ability, the team should be:

Benzema - Elmander
Ben Arfa - Romaric - Toulalan - Feindouno
Wendel - Puygrenier - Basa - Chrétien
Lloris/Mandanda


Must put Bellion and de Melo on there somewhere if youre basing it on form over ability.

[SuperSebGrimaldi]

I don't know. Obviously no one's going to kick Benzema out of this best XI, and Bellion/de Melo have not meant as much to their club this season as Elmander has, since he basically is Toulouse. Besides, arguably Gervinho has been better than de Melo and Bellion isn't as hot now as he was earlier in the season.

Some glaring omissions on my part though have to include Juninho, Alou Diarra and Govou. Though I tried to keep the team as balanced as I could, as in, I didn't want it to be all-OL.

[SportBoy333]

If Bordeaux were mid table then I wouldnt put him on the team but they are doing well and that is a big factor for me. Find a spot for Elmander in midfield. Romaric ? Come on now, how many Le Mans matches have you actually seen ? Theres no way you could have watched and studied him enough for him to warrant a place on the team. Thats not as knock on you its just that Le Mans get like very little attention and exposure

[SuperSebGrimaldi]

Dude, I'm basing this best XI off my glancing over every Sunday of L'Équipe and other magazines, nothing more. Based on that, Romaric's been the best player on Le Mans, which is actually something as they've been doing well.

Besides, I mean, wouldn't de Melo also be on Le Mans?

[tebthereb]

Cheers for the replies lads.

I have heard about Tulio, sounds pretty good but I think I have only seen him making headlines on account of his goalscoring. Romaric on the other hand I have heard little about, I guess this is because Le Mans is not one of the well covered teams as has been mentioned.

Heard a lot about Puygrenier and should have mentioned him. Hear he has a passing resemblance to Jaap Stam! I also heard that Planus is the best uncapped French centre half...?

[SuperSebGrimaldi]

Yeah, and Planus can be a right back as well, I think. Romaric's a defensive midfielder (though he does score goals), so he doesn't grab headlines though he's definitely done well. I mean, since we're not doing this only on ability, I think he deserves his spot. If we considered form and ability, I think that the team would be almost all-OL except the back line.

[NicolasN.]

Yeah, and Planus can be a right back as well, I think. Romaric's a defensive midfielder (though he does score goals), so he doesn't grab headlines though he's definitely done well. I mean, since we're not doing this only on ability, I think he deserves his spot. If we considered form and ability, I think that the team would be almost all-OL except the back line.

Romaric used to be an offensive midfielder but since the past season he is playing as a defensive midfielder. Like 2 years ago, he had some troubles with Hantz because of his unprofesionnal behavior. He has also been seriously injured in a car crash in 2005. From this time he improved a lot. Paris was interested in him 1 year ago. It'll be a big loss for Le Mans when he will leave for the African Cup of Nations.

[Catel]

Romaric yeah maybe, but Juninho is back on the tracks since 3 months ! 6 goals, 5 assists ! And Feindouno did nothing for weeks. Wendel isn't a left back but a left midfielder or winger.

--------Benzema-De Melo
Ben Arfa-Juninho-Toulalan-Valbuena
Grosso-Puygrenier-Squillaci-Chrétien
-----------Mandanda

I love Supermander, too. :)

[tebthereb]

If we considered form and ability, I think that the team would be almost all-OL except the back lineIs there really so few players outside the big teams playing well? I am surprised nobody has waded into this thread yet saying "can't believe you are not mentioning X or Y just because they are at a less fashionable club". I know the French transfer market is not quite the same as the one I know in England, but must be players that the big clubs are being linked to from the lesser sides...?

[Catel]

Is there really so few players outside the big teams playing well? I am surprised nobody has waded into this thread yet saying "can't believe you are not mentioning X or Y just because they are at a less fashionable club". I know the French transfer market is not quite the same as the one I know in England, but must be players that the big clubs are being linked to from the lesser sides...?
Probably there are (Leroy, Mouloungui, Gouffran, Koné...) but except Lyon, all French teams are very, very irregular because the difference between them is very thin. Win 3 matchs in a row, then loses 4, then 3 draws, and so on... So it's very difficult to find players who show a performances continuity.

[tebthereb]

Fair enough, but I notice a team like Nancy have been beaten less than any other team in the league. That suggests their defense is good of course (so can understand Chretien and Puygrenier being mentioned on this thread), but surely they must have some good players higher up the pitch supporting these guys? :D Gavanon for instance, seems to be an ever present in a winning side. Is it more a case of team spirit and organisation keeping Nancy in second rather than talent?

[Catel]

Fair enough, but I notice a team like Nancy have been beaten less than any other team in the league. That suggests their defense is good of course (so can understand Chretien and Puygrenier being mentioned on this thread), but surely they must have some good players higher up the pitch supporting these guys? :D Gavanon for instance, seems to be an ever present in a winning side. Is it more a case of team spirit and organisation keeping Nancy in second rather than talent?
Absolutely a team spirit and there's nothing new. Nancy is known well as the "we're not stars but we're united" team. Puygrenier, Kim, Fortuné may be good players but really nothing above other talents in Ligue 1 - though Kim was suddenly compared to Ronaldo when he scored 2 or 3 goals at the beginning of the season...

But the spirit of Nancy is made of players like Berenguer, Duchemin, Brison, Curbelo or Biancalani: nobody knows them. They're just workers. They don't have fans, they don't make their hair a Broadway show, they don't wear sunglasses, they drive a familial car and if you look for the definition of "glamor" in a dictionary, you'll probably read: "antonym: ex: AS Nancy Lorraine". But they're totally interdependent and the cohesiveness of the group is as much strong as Nancy is the only club to NOT have recruited last summer.

How could you even think a soccer player named "Emmanuel Duchemin" could become a world star player ? :confused: It's rather a name for a French character in a Hollywood movie ! :D

[Inara]

Yeah, the thing with Nancy is that they don't really have a single player that stands out above the others. So it's hard to put them in any Bext XI over the course of a season. But they work well together. Plus their coach Pablo Correa knows how to get the best out of his players. It's truly nothing short of amazing what he's done with his squad. At the beginning of the season, when Nancy first started doing well, I didn't expect them to last until October. And here we are in December, and they aren't even slowing down.

[SuperSebGrimaldi]

Issiar Dia would arguably be the "highlight reel" player at Nancy along with Kim, but he's developing. That is, he's not a finished product yet, though he does have speed and dribbling skill that is similar to Ribéry/Ménez. Bracigliano Nancy's goalkeeper, deserves plaudits to I think, though arguably Lloris/Mandanda are these days more important to team performance.

[midknight]

I'm suprised no one's mentioned Mahmadou Niang as yet.

[tebthereb]

Well he has been in good form, but would anyone really put him ahead of Tulio, Benzema, or Elmander?

I see Elmander has won the LFP Striker of the Month award for Decemberand broken the monthly record total for Ligue 1 with 7 goals! The more I read about this guy the more I like the sound of him. :D

[SuperSebGrimaldi]

I'm suprised no one's mentioned Mahmadou Niang as yet.

Sorry, we should have, though you know I'm pretty anti-OM in general. J/K, I tried to be as impartial as I could (I haven't mentioned any ASM players, though none arguably deserve singling out), and Mamadou has been the inspiration for Marseille this season, though he's not been as good as Benzema, while Mamadou actually receives support, Elmander gets almost none from his team.

Also, I know this isn't about skill, but I'd have to give the edge to Elmander on that as well since he's better all-around (has an aerial game, etc.).

[tebthereb]

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?