It’s been a busy week with the European games, but matchday 13 is already here!  It’s already November and the Ligue 1 table has already begun to take shape.  Bordeaux sits on top of the table with a two point lead– but Lyon is snapping at their heels in second place.  Monaco and Montpellier are a surprising third and fourth place.  Marseille sits in 7th place but have a game in hand with the Classico still to play.

Ligue 1 Table (as of November 6th)

While there is still grouping at the top, several teams at the bottom of the table are very close to being at the point of no return.  Now, let’s look at what we have to look forward to this weekend.

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Le Mans vs. Auxerre
Lorient vs. Boulogne-Sur-Mer
Monaco vs. Grenoble
Nancy vs. Saint-Etienne
Paris Saint-Germain vs. Nice
Valenciennes vs. Montpellier
Sochaux vs. Racing Club de Lens

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Lille vs. Girondins de Bordeaux
Toulouse vs. Stade Rennais
Olympique Lyonnais vs. Olympique de Marseille

Le Mans vs. Auxerre

Le Mans, though not playing bad football, are second from the bottom of the table (only above pointless Grenoble).  But, is playing good football worth anything if you aren’t winning points?  Apparently not– as Paulo Duarte’s job is on the line this weekend.

Auxerre, on the other hand, have managed to win both points and play great football over the last few months.  The surprise of the season, Auxerre has arguably been one of the most consistent and entertaining teams in the league this year.  Jelen will be hoping to extend his scoring streak, having already scored four goals in two games.

Even if they were playing against a lesser team, winning this game won’t be easy for Le Mans who will be without several of their key players.  Duarte can’t pick Geder (suspension) or Fredrik Stromstat (injury), but he will be glad to see the return of Gregroy Cerdan this weekend.  Though not to the same degree, Auxerre are also experiencing some casualties– Julien Quercia is nearing fitness, but Alexandre Licata and Kevin Lejeune remain injured.

Lorient vs. Boulogne-Sur-Mer

Lorient, who managed a terrific start to the season, have seen their performance drop over the past few weeks.  They haven’t managed a win in their last two games– having lost to Sochaux and only managing a draw with Lens last weekend.  Christian Gourcuff will be hoping to rejuvenate their season against Boulogne– though he will have to do it without Morel (adductor).

The newly promoted Boulogne is again facing a potential nightmare– with a significant percentage of their players sidelined with injuries.  While these injuries have caused holes all over the field– the strikers and offensive-minded players seem to be the largest problem.  In addition to the injuries, Boulogne will also be without Damien Marcq who is suspended for accumulation of yellow cards.  But, the team has two sources of hope this matchday– Matt Moussilou who had a bright performance last weekend and the return of Kevin Das Neves.

Monaco vs. Grenoble

Monaco dropped the ball last weekend when they had the chance to top the league chart.  Though their recent defeat to Bordeaux was a let-down, it should be a great source of motivation in this game.  If they want to restart their winning ways, they will have to do it without Nene (suspension), though they will welcome back Eidur Gudjohnsen and Juan-Pablo Pino

Grenoble, who remain pointless for the entire season, will look to start their season (better late than never, right?).  And it won’t be a moment too soon– if they lose this game they will equal the worst ever run in a single Ligue 1 season.  The team’s injury list continues to grow–   strikers Danijel Ljuboja and Pierre Boya were both withdrawn injured last weekend, adding to the club’s already horrible injury worries. David Jemmali is suspended.

Nancy vs. Saint-Etienne

Nancy are in the midst of a good spell at the moment– having won four of their last six games– including their last two fixtures.  However, St. Etienne will be much harder competition than Grenoble and Boulogne, especially after their hard defeat last weekend against Lyon.

If they are to defeat St. Etienne, they will do so without some of their key players including Hadji (injury), goalkeeper Bracigliano (injury), Michael Chretien and Florian Marange.

Sainte’s injury problems are far worse.  Their injury list now includes Cedric Varrault, Ilan has overcome swine flu and Boubacar Sanogo could also be available.

Paris Saint-Germain vs. Nice

Click here for a full preview… from Goal.com

Valenciennes vs. Montpellier

This game between two of that biggest surprises in Ligue should be exciting.  Both teams have managed to win while displaying flair, consistency and passion.  Something that has alluded some of the “big” teams in Ligue 1.

Valenciennes will be feeling confident after their 3-0 mauling of Rennes last weekend.  Fans should be looking forward to seeing their prolific and dangerous attacking unit– but also their defense, which has been improving the last couple of games.

Though starting our brightly, Montpellier have somewhat faded the last couple of games against Rennes and Auxerre.  Look for them to put their season back of track.   But, they are without Nenad Dzodic and Alberto Costa due to suspensions– so winning will be tough!

Sochaux vs. Racing Club de Lens

Click here for a full preview…from Goal.com

Check back later today for Sunday’s previews!

While Bordeaux, Lyon and Marseille have already been grabbing the headline this week with their performances in the Champion’s League, the attention now turns to Lille and Toulouse for their games in the Europa League.  I’ll be honest, given the Ligue 1 performances earlier this week, expectations are rising– will they be able to live up to them? 

Genoa vs. Lille

Lille sits in the top spot in Group B thanks to their 3-0 win in France two weeks ago against Genoa.  Genoa will hope they can avenge their biggest defeat in European competition when Lille visit them at home on Thursday.  While Genoa may have some extra motivation, Lille can travel to Italy with confidence having won all three of their previous matches in Italy…without even conceding a goal.  Despite their domestic blunders, Lille have been on fire in Europe this season, having won all six of their seven games thus far, winning six of their last seven away matches (the only loss was to MU in the first Champions League knock out stage in the 06/07 season), accumulating more than an average of two goals per game and maintaining a less than one goal conceded per game average.  This is not to say that Genoa is not stiff competition– with the exception of their away game against Lille, they have been tough opposition.  This is especially true when they have played at home, having won six of their last seven European home games (the loss was to Ajax in the UEFA Cup semi-final match in the 91/92 season).  Both teams need a win here to have a chance of getting out of the group– especially with their games against Valencia looming in the future.

Toulouse vs. Shakhtar Donetsk

Toulouse, who were humiliated two weeks ago by Shakhtar in a 4-0 defeat in Ukraine, will be hoping to register a win to keep their European chances alive.  This will be tough.  Shakhtar, the current title holders (at least UEFA Cup title holders), have the extra motivation of knowing that if they win this game they will have secured their passage to the knock out stages.  Shakhtar have demonstrated their ability to come to France and win– they have won three of their five games in France.  On top of that, Shakhtar have established an impressive shooting average this season, having scored at least 4 goals in each of their group games thus far and their only loss in Europe this season is the 1-0 loss they suffered against Barcelona in the Super Cup.  But, don’t count Toulouse out just yet.  They have been building momentum in their domestic games, and Moussa Sissoko has the ability to turn a game around in Toulouse’s favor.

So can Ligue 1 make it 3-0 today?  Bordeaux and Marseille both managed some amazing wins yesterdays with Bordeaux beating Munich 2-0 in Germany and Marseille crushing Zurich 6-1 at the Velodrome. Today Lyon are the last Ligue 1 team to play this week in the Champions League.  Be sure to check back tomorrow for my Europa preview. 

Lyon vs. Liverpool

Lyon  already managed to beat Liverpool at Anfield two weeks ago– now they just have to manage the same feat at home.  Sounds easy, right?  Well, except this is Liverpool– a team known for coming back strong when their backs are against the wall.  Rumor has it that Rafa’s back is so hard against the wall that if he doesn’t win this match, he will be clearing out his desk tomorrow.  Gerrard is out, and Torres is injured but they are so desperate that he may be called up anyways.  For more details– check out the Lyon-Offside for their preview.

Matchday 4 begins shortly (literally in almost an hour from the time of this post).  So let’s quickly rundown what Ligue 1 action is happening today. 

Marseille vs. Zurich

Marseille are once again in an all or nothing position where they have to win game 4 in order to have a chance of getting 3rd place (and maybe, a small possibility of 2nd place).  Zurich is facing the same consequences, though they are under less pressure with lower expectations.  It will be interesting to see how OM react– will they step up or wash out?

For a more extensive review– see the Offside-OM.

Bayern vs. Bordeaux

Bordeaux lead their group and are undefeated in Europe this season.  The same cannot be said for Bayern after losing to Bordeaux in game 3.  It will be interesting to see how Bayern react, especially in front of their home crowd.  Bayern are suffering some serious injury problems with Franck Ribéry (knee), Ivica Olić (calf), Breno (illness) and Christian Lell (illness) all out, as well as Arjen Robben (knee) and Edson Braafheid (ankle) looking doubtful.  Bordeaux are only expected to be missing Henrique (knee).  That being said, Bayern are unbeated in 8 games at home in Europe, while Bordeaux have lost three of their last four away games in Europe (though they managed a draw against Juventus in matchday 1).  For more details check out the UEFA preview.

First Place: When asked his thoughts about the schedule changes for small Ligue 1 sides due to the Classico rescheduling, Sochaux manager Francis Gillot  had this to say. “We and Boulogne are considered small. I know that we are taken for farmers. But we understand what’s going on, we’re not as stupid as we look.”

Second Place: When Jeremy Toulalan was confronted by Lyon manager Claude Puel about dribbling to much at halftime against Saint-Etienne, he began to give the typical elementary school response, “Just because you’ve never been able to dribble and don’t know how…” before being dragged away by former captain Sidney Govou.

Links to click while you watch one of the funniest youtube tributes ever (make sure the sound is on)…

1) Montpellier Chief uses Homophobic Slur to describe Benoit Pedretti. (Unprofessional Foul)

2) And the FFF are none to pleased. (Sports Illustrated)

3) Round 12: Africans in Ligue 1 (by former OM blogger Magnusson). (Goal.com)

4) Ligue 1 prepares for Financial Crisis: The repeal of the DIC. (Lens Offside)

5) Ilan is the latest Ligue 1 player to come down with H1n1. (AFP)

Moussa Sissoko (Toulouse), 27th minute, against Steve Mandanda

(first goal)
This spectacular long range effort from Sissoko silenced the Velodrome and bring his tally up to five league goals.

Yohan Cabaye (Lille), 27th minute (looking like a great minute), against Ronan Le Crom

(first goal)
Nice little one-two followed by a chest trap and volley, reminds me of this goal, although not quite as nice.

Gervinho (Lille), 90th minute, against Ronan Le Crom

(second goal)
In Gervinho’s second straight appearance in the poll, he goes on a miraculous dribbling rampage in which he completely dismantles the Grenoble defense before firing in from point blank range.

Fahid Ben Khalfallah (Valenciennes), 78th minute, against Nicolas Douchez (who is apparently the best player in Ligue 1)

(second goal)
Fahid Ben Khalfallah continued his inspired performance (he assisted the first goal) by dribbling from midfield into the center of the pitch and hitting a long, outside curving shot into the corner of Douchez’s net.

Brandao (Marseille), 75th minute, against Olivier Blondel

Brandao’s half-bike to tie up the game for OM barely makes the top 5, Pujol’s goal would have been here if it had actually crossed the line.

So, time to vote…

Who gets the prize for Goal of the Week: Round 12?(answers)

A few weeks ago, Thomas proposed his list of Ligue 1’s top 50 players.  While there were some suggested changes to move a few players a few slots up or down in the comments– in general the readers (or at least those who felt strongly enough to comment) seemed to agree with his list.  I had been thinking about this list myself when the Castrol rankings were revealed last week.  So, I thought– how would the “objective measurements” used in the Castrol rankings system compare to a more opinionated list that included less quantifiable types of measurements– such as beauty of performance, personality showed on and off the pitch, previous displays of ability in prior seasons, loyalty to team– qualities in players that inspires fans to buy tickets, watch games in rain or shine, buy their jerseys and demand to know more about them as people.

So What are the Castrol Rankings?

The Castrol index is based on the amount of points a player scores using a formula designed by “Castrol performance analysts”.  Points are calculated based on quantifiable, objective measurements which are taken during the course of the game.  Here are some examples of ways players can earn and lose points during the course of a game (please note that this list is not exhaustive).

Ways to Earn Points

• Successful tackles, interceptions and blocked shots (weighted based on how close it happens to the penalty box)
• Scoring a goal (all goals worth equal value)
• Successful pass completions (weighted based on where on the field the pass is made from and where it is received on the field so passes made within your own half are worth less points).
• Assisting a goal
• Creating chances (making a pass that allows a teammate to make an attempt on goal, includes goal assists)
• Goal Attempts (weighted so that on-target attempts are worth more points than off-target attempts)
• Winning a Duel (this includes getting the opponent to force a foul, winning an aerial duel and a successful dribble)
• Successful blocks (for goalies these points are weighted based on how the goalie blocked the goal– for example, forcing a corner would receive less points)
• Saving a shot (for goalies, these points are weighted based on how the goalie saves the shot– diving, standing, parry or catching the ball)
• Maintaining a clean sheet (goalies only)

Ways to Lose Points

• Unsuccessful Pass Completions (weighted based on where on the field the pass is intercepted)
• Losing a Duel (this includes forcing a foul, unsuccessful dribbling, unsuccessful tackling and being beaten in an aerial duel)
• Allowing a goal (goalie)
• Unsuccessful tackles, interceptions and blocked shots (weighted based on how close it happens to the penalty box)

To compile these points, the Castrol “performance analysts” review every movement and action performed in a game.  Once they have analyzed all the action, they are then able to assign each player a score out of 10 (higher scores indicate a better performance).

For these scores to be used in the ranking system, they first have to be crunched and weighted to take into consideration the importance of each match played.  For this system, European games are deemed to be more important, and thus worth more points, than regular league games.  Once the scores have been weighted, the points are then used in another formula to provide each player with an average of their playing ability over 90 minutes.  For more information on the formula’s used please visit Castrol’s website, particularly the FAQ, information on the index section, and information on the rankings section.

So What is Ligue 1’s weighted value?

As I mentioned before, the ranking system weights the leagues based on difficulty and strength.  The ranking of the leagues is:

1. UEFA Champions League Knockout stage
2. UEFA Champions League Group Stage
3. Spain La Liga Primera Division
4. England Premier league
5. Germany Bundesliga
6. Italy Serie A
7. France Ligue 1

Though these weights can be adjusted at the end of the season to reflect any changes in the strengths of the domestic leagues.

And how did Ligue 1 players Fare?

*Please note that the ranking column refers to the players ranking in the overall, aggregate Castrol rankings.  So, the highest placed Ligue 1 player, who is 24th in the aggregate rankings, would therefore be the number 1 player in Ligue 1 (according to the Castrol rankings system).

Castrol’s Top 20                                                                     The Offside’s Top 20

Notice any differences?  It gets even better the farther down the rankings we go…..

Castro’s 20-40                                                                       The Offside’s 20-40

Castro’s 41-50                                                                         The Offside’s 41-50

Most Shocking Difference?

So who were you shocked by when we looked at the “objective facts”?  Are there players that we overrated?  Or does the Castro system no take into account all the factors that make great players great?

Biggest shocks for me:  Chamakh (38 vs. 10), Diarawa (42 vs. 9), Sessegnon (50 vs. 8), Douchez (1 vs not even on our list!), Carrasso (2 vs. 28), Toulalan (not on Castro’s list vs. 7)

There was definitely a higher representation of goalies in the Castro list.

Europa Cup games were not counted.

Differences in Club Representation

Marseille:  10 in Castro’s list vs. 8 in the Offside’s list
PSG: 3 in Castro’s list vs. 5 in the Offside’s list
Lyon:  5 in Castro’s list vs. 9 in the Offside’s list
Bordeaux:  8 in Castro’s list vs. 6 in the Offside’s list
Toulouse: 4 in the Castro’s list vs. 4 in the Offside’s list
St. Etienne: 1 in the Castro’s list vs. 2 in the Offside’s list
Nice: 1 in the Castro’s listvs. 1 in the Offside’s list
Monaco: 2 in the Castro’s list vs. 2 in the Offside’s list
Auxerre: 4 in the Castro’s list vs. 2 in the Offside’s list
Sochaux: 1 in the Castro’s list vs. 0 in the Offside’s list
Boulogne: 1 in the Castro’s list v. 0 in the Offside’s list
Valencienne: 3 in the Castro’s list vs. 0 in the Offside’s list
Le Mans: 0 in the Castro’s list vs. 1 in the Offside’s list
Lille: 2 in the Castro’s list  vs. 3 in the Offside’s list
Lens: 0 in the Castro’s list vs. 1 in the Offside’s list
Lorient: 1 in the Castro’s list vs. 2 in the Offside’s list
Rennes: 2 in the Castro’s list vs. 2 in the Offside’s list
Other Clubs: 0 other players vs. the Offside’s 2 players from 2 different clubs (Montpellier and Nancy)

Rennes 0-3 Valenciennes

Rennes dominated from the off, having a Peter Hansson goal wrongly dissalowed, followed by numerous chances including an Ekoko shot that hit the bar. The first goal came a little way into the second half, when Valenciennes’ new center-back Dianbobo Balde headed in from close range. This was followed by two beautiful goals from Valenciennes, the first a superb long range individual effort from Fahid Ben Khalfallah, the second a stunning Gregory Pujol shot that hit the crossbar twice and than bounced out, crossing the goal line in the process. Needless to say, the Stade de la Route de Lorient was stunned.

Nice 1-0 Le Mans

This match turned sour early on when a scuffle for the ball between Mamadou Bagayoko and Geder resulted in a red card for the Le Mans defender. Le Mans dominated the chances, but it was Nice who broke the deadlock when Ismael Gace headed in a corner. Le Mans had several chances to tie it up but the match ended 1-0 to the delight of the fans at the Stade du Ray.

Sochaux 1-4 PSG

Check out the PSG Offside for a review later. I can guarantee you it’ll be there.

FC Girondins de Bordeaux 1-0 AS Monaco FC

This match, which happened to be a battle between first and second (which no one would have predicted at the beginning of the season), was much less exciting than last year’s version. Planus’ tap in off a Wendel free-kick kept Bordeaux in control of the top spot and allowed Lyon to overtake Monaco and move into second place.

US Boulogne Côte d’Opale 1-2 AS Nancy-Lorraine

I believe I predicted earlier that the only direction Boulogne were going was down. I think I was correct. USBCO fell to an unimpressive and inconsistent Nancy side who were without Gennaro Bracigliano, maintaining ASNL’s top ten position, and proving that Boulogne really are nothing more than a Ligue 2 side.

Grenoble Foot 38 0-2 LOSC Lille Métropole

An 11th straight defeat for Grenoble. They’re just way to unlucky. They hit the crossbar twice in this match, while Lille scored on each of their two shots. Mickael Landreau has returned from injury, starting in the net for LOSC, and Gervinho has continued to impress.

Racing Club de Lens 1-1 FC Lorient Bretagne Sud

Check out the Lens Offside for a full review.

Olympique de Marseille 1-1 Toulouse FC
Check out the Marseille Offside for a full review.

AS Saint-Etienne 0-1 Olympique Lyonnais

This was just the kind of storybook derby that I was expecting. Former Sainte favorite Bafetimbi Gomis started on the bench for Lyon, and the match remained pretty even until Gomis was brought in late on. Only minutes later, he put in the winning goal on a volley from a corner.