Wally with a Brolly

I might be French but I'll be the first one to admit that La Ligue 1 hasn't set the world alight for a while, probably since the heydays of l'OM and PSG in the mid-90s. Lyon dominated afterwards and actually put French football on the map with some superb performances in the Champions' League, most notably dismantling Real Madrid a few days. Had their team possessed a decent striker then they would have been an outside bet for European glory. After all they did field a team consisting of Coupet, Reveillere, Cris, Cacapa, Abidal, Juninho, Mahamadou Diarra, Essien, Govou and Malouda with previously mentioned failure of a striker (most notably a young Nilmar!). Lyon were close to the top, very close.

But the league itself was poor. Dwarfed by Lyon, very few teams dared to show their colours, notably in Europe. French football was dragged back by defensive tactics and a total focus on the league rather than attempts at glory in Europe. Sure the rest of UEFA heard of a few players making waves such as Yoann Gourcuff in 2008-2009, but nobody really cared. The usual big clubs such as Marseille and PSG were too embroiled in turmoil to mount a serious challenge.

Cabaye: an example of Ligue 1's youth set-up even when its teams fail at European level.

But whilst the league has been poor, France has kept producing players, and has kept exporting them. A typical example in mind is Yohan Cabaye. Highly rated in France, with over 200 appearances for Lille by the time he was 23, Yohan proved through his inspired play last season for Newcastle that the Ligue 1 was still capable of producing tactically aware and technical sound players. But nobody cared for Ligue 1 still. Oh how this is about to change.

In a move reminiscent of Manchester City's gradual conquest of the Premier League, another Middle East Prince/sheikh/whatever their title is has invested in a football club. And when you think they saw potential in Manchester City, it's easy to understand why PSG had a certain appeal. Indeed, PSG is remarkably the only team to represent Paris in the top flight. So you're looking at a potential of around 7 million fans, more if you include the infamous banlieues where PSG have historically enjoyed great support.

Leonardo and Ancelotti: putting their reputations on the line

And, again reminiscent of Man City, PSG have gone about their business in what I like to call 'Phase 1 of the Nouveaux Riches': this means buying a ridiculous amount of players in a short space of time, stacking up on players to show your new strength. Man City did that under Eriksson and Hughes before calming down. PSG still have money fever and are led by an amateur in Leonardo.

Menez, Pastore, Alex, Lavezzi, Matuidi, Diego Lugano, Salvatore Sirigu. Whilst these are undoubtedly good players, they didn't set the world alight and PSG fans didn't exactly have stars in their eyes. BUt this all changed with the arrival of the incomparable Zlatan Ibrahimovic and, to a lesser extent, Thiago Silva, both of AC Milan. Now PSG have world-class leaders in two important areas of the field and, judging from Zlatan's double in his first game, even when unfit, they will have an impact.

Zlatan at PSG: creepy smile apart, a great move by the Parisian club.

So does this mean PSG are a shoo-in for the title? Absolutely not. Lille have recruited intelligently with players used to Ligue 1, Lyon are still lurking in the shadows, especially after their capture of Milan Bisevac from PSG, Marseille could be a challenger and Montpellier have had the most low-key summer break of any champion. With growing pains due to their lack of cohesion PSG might find themselves with a mountain to climb. It's going to be an enjoyable season in Ligue 1.

(And, if you want to watch more Ligue 1 and discover some hidden gems, Youtube has signed a partnership with Ligue 1 and will show highlights for free. It's easy to access at http://www.youtube.com/user/ligue1official?feature=results_main)

THE TEAM TO FOLLOW

For obvious reasons this has to be PSG. Led by an egomaniac incapable of buying any player not Brazilian or playing in Serie A, the Parisian club are following no footprint to success whatsoever. Talk about assembling as many players as possible without creating a certain level of cohesion within the team. Not only that but most of their attacking players believe they are better than they actually are (take a bow Menez, Nene, Pastor and Lavezzi) and haven't seemed to grasp the concept of passing the football. It's going to get interesting in Paris, and you've got to wonder how long both Ancelotti and Leonardo will stay at the club. Fireworks to be expected.



THE TEAM TO SUPPORT

If there is one single team on limited means which has done superbly in Europe recently, it has to be the LOSC, known in England as Lille. After years of climbing up the table on a modest budget under Claude Puel, Lille have turned to Rudi Garcia, selling expensively before buying up-and-coming Ligue 1 players. For every Gervinho, Moussa Sow, Cabaye, Adil Rami and Eden Hazard, sold for around 60 mil combined in the last 2 seasons, Lille have managed to buy players such as Marvin Martin, Dimitri Payet, Benoit Pedretti and Nolan Roux for much lesser money. This has enabled them to build a magnificent new 50,000 seater stadium to go along with their pristine training ground of Luchin. Combine this financial modesty and realism with an excellent youth system and a competitive team for Ligue 1 standards, and Lille have reached the upper echelons of Ligue 1 in the last few years, culminating in the holy grail of winning the damn league in 2010-2011. PSG's only serious contenders.

Lille's new stadium. The Borussia Dortmunds of France.

Not only is the LOSC an example of a well-run club, but the city and people there are very welcoming (just ask Joe Cole!) and it's close to the UK. If you ever cross the Channel and pass by Lille, catch a game there and follow the team.


COMING TO A CLUB NEAR YOU

French football has always produced good players who have found their way abroad. Even distinctly average ones managed to make their way to the Prem (hello Franck Queudrue, Sebastien Schemmel and Noe Pamarot). So who are the players you might and should hear about in the coming months?

RYAD BOUDEBOUZ (Sochaux)

Sochaux have always produced good technical Ligue 1 players through the years but Ryad Boudebouz might be more than that. A left-footed winger capable of playing on both wings or behind the striker, the 22 year-old has already amassed an impressive pedigree, playing 130 games in Ligue 1 and scoring 20 goals. He has also played for Algeria at the 2010 Wold Cup, most notably against England, and has 13 caps to his name. He has rightly been linked to Liverpool and other English clubs. It's a question of when not if for Ryad, and knowing the price probably won't be too high (a maximum of 7-8 mil) he's a risk worth taking.

Boudebouz: silky dribbler

Ideal for: Fulham, Liverpool
Could end up at: Newcastle

ANDRE AYEW (Marseille)

'Dede' Ayew was a star in his native Ghana before he had even played for Marseille. The son of national football icon Abedi Pele (who also played for l'OM), he had led the Ghanaian U-20 to an unprecedented victory in the U-20 World Cup in 2009. After a season at Arles-Avignon in Ligue 2 where he learnt the rigours of professional football, he came back to l'OM with a renewed focus and understanding of what was asked of him. Showcasing superb ability in the 2010 World Cup with the entertaining Black Stars, Dede became an undisupted starter for l'OM from 2010 onwards. And boy has the Marseille crowd been rewarded. Playing either on the left wing or in centre midfield, Ayew has recorded an impressive 19 goals in 63 Ligue 1 games. He even drew plaudits from Sir Alex Ferguson when OM played Manchester United in the Champions' League. A player destined for a top club, and still only 22. A powerful runner with a good left foot and an eye for goal. Who wouldn't want that?

'Dede' Ayew: powerful.

Ideal for: Arsenal, Manchester United
Could end up at: Arsenal, Manchester United.

LUDOVIC OBRANIAK (Bordeaux)

Obraniak is the French equivalent of Scott Parker; a man who has made his way to the top of his league by starting at the (relative) bottom. After graduating from yo-yo club Metz, Ludovic moved to successful Lille and helped them to their highest finishes. Originally a starter for Rudi Garcia's team, he gradually took on the role of super-sub with the emergence of Eden Hazard and the arrivals of Joe Cole and Dimitri Payet. With a silky left foot, and capable of playing on both wings or centre midfield, Obraniak is a great player to have in your squad. His arrival at Bordeaux in January 2012 helped push them towards the top of the table as he scored 4 goals in 17 games and had countless assists. At 27 he should be at the peak of his powers and could be a relatively low-risk purchase. If not, watch him organise Bordeaux's midfield on Youtube.

Obraniak: skilful

Ideal for: Newcastle, Sunderland, Fulham, Aston Villa
Could end up at: Fulham, Newcastle

NICOLAS ISIMAT-MIRIN (Valenciennes)

Now this one is clearly based on potential, but his pedigree so far is quite impressive. The young man graduated from the impressive academy of Clairefontaine and moved to perennial strugglers Valenciennes where he played for their reserves for two years. In 2010 he finally made his debut and has had a growing influence within the team, playing close to 40 games and earning rave reviews for his maturity and physical build. An impressive 6 ft 2 and possessing decent pace, his inclusion in the Valenciennes team is even more impressive considering his club continuously fight against relegation and Ligue 1 doesn't always play its youngsters. Still 20, he's clearly one for the future and numerous clubs will keep an eye on him.

Isimat Mirin: one for the future

Ideal for: probably not moving for another year or two, but Arsenal, West Ham and Swansea could be looking at him.
Could end up at: West Ham, Tottenham

MAXIME GONALONS (Lyon)

At 23, Gonalons is already Lyon's captain and that in itself is quite an achievement, even for a club heading downwards. A composed and cultured holding midfielder with a good 6 ft 2 build and decent pace, Maxime already has played more than 60 games in Ligue 1 for Lyon, and even scored in the Champions' League against Liverpool. An ever-present figure for Lyon last season, his play has been rewarded with 3 caps already and he seems to be in new France coach Didier Deschamps' long term plans. With Lyon's financial situation being quite poor, a respectable bid could incite president Jean-Michel Aulas to let him go.

Gonalons: Tactically intelligent

Ideal for: Arsenal, Tottenham
Could end up at: Arsenal

YOUNES BELHANDA (Montpellier)

Similarly to Sochaux, Montpellier have always had a very good youth set-up. Having won the Coupe Gambardella (Youth Cup) in 2008-2009 alongside fellow graduates Stambouli (see below), Cabella and El Kaoutari (all promising), Belhanda was finally given a chance in Ligue 1 of all places during the 2009-2010 team. Since then he has gradually improved and proven durable, playing an impressive total of 97 Ligue 1 games in 3 seasons. But last year was when he finally showed us his full potential. Positioned behind striker Olivier Giroud (now of Arsenal), Belhanda was influential in helping Montpellier become more assured in possession. Armed with impressive creativity and composure for his age, the 22 year-old actively participated in the conquest of the title, scoring 12 goals and providing 4 assists in 28 games. Blessed with the ability to play on both wings as well, Younes Belhanda has also become a full Moroccan international, earning 14 caps already and playing at the CAN in 2012. An exciting prospect. A player in the Sessegnon mould.

Belhanda: Exciting

Ideal for: Liverpool, Everton, Sunderland
Could end up at: Everton

ALAIN TRAORE (Lorient)

Alain Traore was one of those players who looked good on Football Manager yet never really produced. After being sent on loan to Brest and producing (3 goals in 14 games) for a team starved of goals, Traore came back to Auxerre with a vengeance and was the sole shining light in a disappointing season which ended with relegation. Playing as a second striker, Traore scored 9 goals in 27 starts and added 3 assists, but it wasn't enough to prevent his club sliding towards Ligue 2. Now freed from the toxic atmosphere at l'Abbee-Deschamps, and under the expert tutelage of Christian Gourcuff, Traore is setting himself up for an exciting season. Judging by his performance in the 2-2 draw against PSG where he combined well with Aliadiere (more on him later), he might prove to be a good signing for Lorient, the usual stepping-stone team. Still only 23, he has a decent future ahead of him.

Traoré: fulfilling his talent

Ideal for: Wigan, Aston Villa, Swansea, Southampton
Could end up at: Wigan, Fulham, West Brom

ETIENNE CAPOUE (Toulouse)

A big and strong holding midfielder only aged 24, Etienne Capoue is getting close to his peak. He has been an ever-present member of the most successful Toulouse team in years and has already played around 110 games as an undisputed starter since the 2008 season. Relatively quick, and a fan of a strong tone-setting challenge, Capoue has shown loyalty to the club which taught him the fundamentals. More a Makelele type than a Vieira clone, he is efficient and his distribution, whilst simple, is excellent. He is the archetype of the player who plays within his means, and that is not a criticism. Capoue knows his role on the pitch (break up attacks, defend) and does it very well. He has just been rewarded with his 1st cap for France under Deschamps. An attractive proposition considering he probably won't cost too much money.

Capoue: solid

Ideal for: Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham, QPR
Could end up at: Arsenal, QPR

MARVIN MARTIN (Lille)

Marvin Martin is one of those very good young French players who have managed to fly under the radar. This is despite the fact that he has now managed to amass 15 caps for France, scoring 2 goals in the process. I remember mentioning him to mates whenever France was playing, and it always was a unanimous reaction which consisted of:
  1) who the hell is he?
  2) what a ridiculous name!

Whilst I agree with the second reaction, I'm not a fan of the first. Playing for a struggling Sochaux side, his partnership with Ryad Boudebouz helped the club end the season in the top half of the table for a change. In that season, playing in an advanced role, Martin recorded an impressive 17 assists to go with his 3 goals in Ligue1. Whilst the following season was more eventful and more difficult, Martin was once again impressive, finishing the year with 8 assists despite dropping down from playing in the hole to playing in centre midfield. This performance was also notable due to the fact Martin had to battle niggling injuries throughout the year. Now 24, and having recently joined Lille, Martin definitely has a look of the new Cabaye about him. A comparison which should cast interested glances from the Premier League.

              2010-2011 season game Sochaux-Nice: admire the 2nd and 3rd goals by Boudebouz and Martin      

Ideal for: Arsenal, Tottenham, Liverpool, Everton
Could end up at: Arsenal

BENJAMIN STAMBOULI (Montpellier)

Another graduate of the impressive Coupe Gambardella-winning Montpellier team, Benjamin Stambouli, whose father Henri was a notable manager, also made his debut under Rene Girard in the 2010 season. Equally comfortable as a ball-playing centre-back or a solid defensive midfielder, Benjamin has accumulated 37 games for Montpellier in the last two seaons. He compensates his slight build (5 ft 11 in) with a good reading of the game, and has drawn comparisons with Laurent Koscielny. Benjamin also already has 12 U-21 caps for France and is highly rated by Monpellier manager Rene Girard, who himself used to be U-21 manager between 2004 and 2008. Considering what Girard has achieved with a young Montpellier squad, the inclusion of Stambouli is testament to the young man's abilities.

Stambouli: versatile

Ideal for: Tottenham, Everton, Fulham
Could end up at: Everton, Tottenham

STEPHANE RUFFIER (Saint Etienne)

France has recently been blessed with very good young goalkeepers. Whilst Lloris (world class), Mandanda and Carrasso have grabbed many of the headlines in France and abroad due to their exposure to Champions' League football, Stephane Ruffier remains unknown outside France. Still only 25, the young man has already accumulated nearly 150 games in Ligue 1 for Monaco and St Etienne. A supberly athletic shot-stopper, especially impressive on his line with superb reflexes, Ruffier only has one cap to his name but this shouldn't be a stain on his reputation. He would easily be England's number 2 for example, and has performed admirably for all his club. Ruffier is also unafraid of taking responsibility as he was captain at Monaco and continuously vocal about their poor performances which ultimately led to relegation, for which he was one of the very few to rigthfully escape any blame. Considering St Etienne do not have a great history as a selling club, Ruffier could be available for very little money when compared to the ridiculous amounts thrown at Jack Butland recently. With Lloris probably leaving Lyon, Ruffier has been mentioned as a possible successor, and he wouldn't look out of place in a club with a great recent goalkeeping tradition (Coupet, Lloris).



Ideal for: Everton, Sunderland, Tottenham, Aston Villa
Could end up at: Everton


CLEMENT CHANTOME (PSG)

Clement Chantome is a prime example of what PSG are doing right, but not in the way you might be thinking. Still only 24, with 120 Ligue 1 games under his belt, Chantome should be one of the young French players PSG should build around whilst adding world-class players like Ibrahimovic. Unfortunately, rumour has it that Chantome's days are numbered, despite Ancelotti's appreciation of the young man's talent. If Chantome were to leave then Premier League clubs could be attracted by Clement's versatility. Originally trained as a holding midfielder, Chantome considerably expanded his repertoire by developing the ability to play on the wings or in the hole. A cultured and technically sound midfielder, Chantome's prime ability resides in the fact he plays within his means and within the system. A valuable player to have on your team.

Chantome: can adapt.

Ideal for: Everton, West Brom
Could end up at: Everton

Special mentions to: Bruno Ecuele Manga (Lorient), Moussa Sissoko (Toulouse), Romain Alessandrini (Rennes), Romain Hamouma (St Etienne), Remy Cabella (Montpellier), Vincent Aboubakar (Valenciennes),


REMEMBER THEM?

ADRIAN MUTU (AC Ajaccio)

This transfer hasn't been confirmed but apparently AC Ajaccio, the Corsican minnows, have agreed in principle to sign Adrian Mutu from Cesena. It will be interesting to see how he will perform, and I personally expect him to score beautiful goals whilst chatting to the Corsican mafia. He should settle well.

Mutu and the Corsican mafia: a match made in heaven.

JEREMIE ALIADIERE (Lorient)

PSG's draw against Lorient in the first game of the season didn't just shock people due to the difference in the quality of players, but also because we witnessed a goal by someone we had thought lost to football. At one point in the game, Jeremie Aliadiere picked up the ball on the left wing and cut the defence apart, dribbling past 4 PSG players before placing the ball beautifully in the corner of Nicolas Douchez's goal. This had come 10 years too late, but it was finally a glimpse of what could have been for Aliadiere. Partnered with Alain Traore in Les Merlus' attacks, Aliadiere has already scored 2 in 2 and looked very sharp.




PREDICTIONS

1. Lille
2. PSG
3. Lyon
4. Bordeaux
5. Toulouse
6. Montpellier
7. Marseille
8. Rennes
9. St Etienne
10. Nancy
11. Lorient
12. Nice
13. Valenciennes
14. Brest
15. Sochaux
16. AC Ajaccio
17. Bastia
18. Reims
19. Evian TG
20. Troyes