'Tis the season start! I: Ligue Un

Hello everyone!

And welcome to the first in a series of previews relating to the major European football leagues (in this case, the so-called “Big Five” of England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain.) These leagues will be previewed in chronological order, thus leading me on to discussing the upcoming season in Ligue Un (which returns from its summer hiatus today, though Ligue Deux, the 2nd tier of French football which this season contains fallen giants Nantes, resumed last weekend.)

Aside from the sad absence of Nantes (and their excellent Beaujoire stadium) from this year’s top flight (though the side was admittedly lamentable and deserved to go down), many of the talking points for the new French season will undoubtedly centre around champions Lyon, who approach this season with much less of a swigger than in previous years; out go coach Gérard Houllier (this will surprise no Liverpool fans, but this is no great loss, particularly given how fractious the dressing room was when he left the club), as well as left-back Éric Abidal to Barcelona and Florent Malouda to Chelsea (much greater losses, I think you’ll agree.) Though Lyon do have an impressive new coach at the helm in the form of Alain Perrin (who was rather unfairly portrayed as a Cluesoesque figure during his time in England with Portsmouth, and who is a rather more canny coach than he’s given credit for) and a number of good new players (notably Mathieu Bodmer and Kader Keita from Lille, two of Ligue Un’s better players of recent years, not to mention Fabio Grosso from Inter, a World Cup winner no less and, despite a poor season at Inter last year, someone who was probably too swiftly discarded by the Nerazzurri), it’s hard to imagine them being anything like as formidable as they have been over the last 3-4 years; for one thing, the squad still lacks an outstanding striker (the talented young striker Karim Benzema is still too young to lead the line, Govou is better as a winger, while Baroš and Fred are not top class finishers, making it all the more regrettable that rumours linking Nicolas Anelka to the Gerland proved to be unfounded) and there seems to be no adequate replacement in the squad for Malouda (given that the only recognised left-sided attacker in the squad, Hatem Ben Arfa, is still raw.) These problems, along with the lingering uncertainty over Kim Källström’s future (he has been repeatedly linked with a move to Valencia), give reason to believe that Lyon might be there for the taking this season.

Of course, OL were arguably there for the taking during the 2nd part of last season, but the chasing pack were not good enough to exploit those deficiencies. However, at least one of the chasing pack ought to be able to challenge Lyon for the title this year, that team being France’s most successful ever (despite a 15 year title drought): Olympique de Marseille. At 1st glance, this statement may look ridiculous, particularly as OM lost Franck Ribéry (their star wing-man) to Bayern Munich this summer. However, OM managed to secure a €26m fee from Bayern for Ribéry, which has enabled them to go on a spending spree of their own and, by and large, they have spent well (Bolo Zenden being an obvious exception, of course); while Djibril Cissé can be profligate, his pace will still cause French defences problems, and the presence of excellent new playmaker Karim Ziani (from Sochaux, amid “tapping-up” controversy) and OM’s young starlet Samir Nasri (yet another player dubbed the “New Zidane”, though this one might actually live up to that billing, both in terms of background and talent) should ensure that Cissé has more than enough chances to score. Meanwhile, the defence has also been strengthened by the very astute signing of Gaël Givet from Monaco (who should form a solid centre-back pairing with fellow former Monegasque, Julien Rodriguez), while Taye Taiwo and Habib Beye remain. Add to that the equally impressive capture of Benoît Cheyrou (who should give the OM midfield stability) and one gets the impression that OM finally have a side to compete with Lyon (though, as ever, their greatest nemesis may well be themselves.)

The rest of the field doesn’t inspire confidence, though, suggesting that the French title battle may well be a 2 horse race: PSG (with Paul Le Guen in charge from the start) will certainly do better than last season, but their signings are rather less than awe-inspiring (particularly Peguy Luyindula, who flopped at both Lyon and Marseille; seeing Didier Digard in his debut season at the top will be interesting, though); Monaco are still a shambles and have lost both Givet and Yaya Touré (to Barcelona), suggesting that another season of mid-table obscurity; Bordeaux’s new boss, Laurent Blanc, is embarking on his first managerial appointment, and the new arrivals at the Chaban-Delmas don’t look good enough to compensate for the departing Faubert and Mavuba; Toulouse will probably struggle to balance league and European commitments (despite holding onto last season’s revelation, Johan Elmander, and adding André-Pierre Gignac from Lorient); and Rennes & Sochaux arguably punched above their weight last year, and will struggle to match last season’s achievements (though Rennes may be a good bet for a UEFA cup slot.) Lens and Saint Étienne may be worth keeping an eye on, however: after dramatically missing out on a Champions League slot last year, Lens seem to have learned their lessons, tempting Guy Roux out of retirement and making a series of astute purchases (as ever, Lens have demonstrated their keen eye for talented young African players, bringing in Kanga Akalé and Bonaventure Kalou for surprisingly meagre fees, not to mention former Saint Étienne skipper Julien Sablé; these additions should be capable of securing a Champions League place for Les Sang et Or.) Les Verts, meanwhile, have some of the most exciting younsters in the country (including the likes of the newly-acquired Blaise Matuidi from Troyes and David Gigliotti from Monaco, not to mention home-grown forward Bafe Gomis, of whom big things are expected) and, while a Champions League spot may ultimately prove beyond them, a UEFA Cup place certainly shouldn’t.

Finally, a quick word on the relegation battle: the turbulence at Strasbourg (with the departure of Jean-Pierre Papin as coach to be replaced by Jean-Marc Furlan) and the lack of quality at Caen mean that these 2 yo-yo clubs of recent years should be making a swift return to Ligue Deux. However, Metz ought to have enough about them to survive, which should mean a battle between Nice (who were fortunate to escape the drop last year) and Valenciennes (who are too dependent on Steve Savidan’s goals) to avoid the final relegation berth.

OK, that’s all from this first season preview. I’m now going to put my metaphorical money where my mouth is with my predictions for the coming year; in the meantime, any comments regarding this piece (or how you think the French season will pan out) are more than welcome:

• Champions – Marseille (will steal a march on Lyon, due to Coupet’s long injury lay-off and uncertainties over Lyon’s first XI; that should be enough to see them win it.)

• 2nd place (and automatic CL slot) – Lyon (not the force they were, but still much better than the rest of the field.)

• Other CL slot – Lens (smart additions and a savvy coach should see them secure that Champions League slot.)

• UEFA Cup slots – Toulouse, PSG, Saint Étienne (though PSG and Saint Étienne’s chances of qualifying may be affected by the outcome in the Cup competitions.)

• Relegation – Caen (too little quality), Strasbourg (too fragile), Valenciennes (if Savidan stays fit for the whole season, they may worry Nice; if he gets injured at any point, they definitely won’t.)