Ben Arfa Stretchered Off in Newcastle’s game versus Manchester City

And not under the best of circumstance.  Though it would have been hard to guess that he would be returning to France in worse condition than when he left.  When Hatem left, he boycotted training at Marseille to push forward a (previously agreed upon) loan to Newcastle.  A month later, he returns with leg fractured in two places. 

I didn’t agree with his decision to boycott- but I understood his frustration with Marseille.  And being a huge fan myself, I just wanted to see him play.  In Newcastle, he had an opportunity to pull the strings in the team without all the pressure he had at Lyon and Marseille.  He was doing well on the field and he was appreciated.  In only his 4th game (and 3rd start) for Newcastle this morning, he was barely getting started when Nigel De Jong took him out in 4th minute of the game.

According to RMC, who reportedly spoke to Ben Arfa’s advisor (Michel Ouazine), Ben Arfa has a double fracture on his left leg’s tibia-fibula.  He is scheduled to undergo an operation in Manchester, and not France as originally suggested, to avoid the risk of a blood clot.  Ben Arfa is expected to return to France to recover and isn’t not expected to be available again for Newcastle until February.

Since Ben Arfa is on loan to Newcastle, this lay-off will likely mean that he will not make enough appearances to trigger the automatic buy-out clause in the loan agreement (25 appearances).  That puts the midfielders future even more in limbo – Newcastle may still choose to purchase the player or he may be returning to Marseille. And while Ben Arfa has always been clear that he left because of differences with Deschamps (and not the club itself or the club’s fans), a return to Marseille would never give him the same opportunity of a “clean slate” that he had in Newcastle.

And I do hope that Newcastle don’t completely give up on him.  Its a big loss – and we don’t know if he will be the same player after (physically or psychologically).  But Hatem was willing to put his career on the line – and he literally did put his body on the line – to play for them.  I hope they can be patient enough to give him another chance.  But, then again – these days football is ruled by money.  And 3 games may not be enough for Newcastle to feel comfortable pulling the trigger on the purchase, especially if he only has a few months in the end to return to form.

All I can say is that I hope that this time off provides Hatem with some psychological relief instead of additional stress.  For a player who has always had skill and movement come so naturally to him – perhaps a few months where that ability is lost will give him some perspective.  Hatem has twice said he could quit football – I’ll be curious to see how he deals with not having a choice to play at all.  Its a cruel lesson to learn and I REALLY didn’t want it to be learned this way (afterall, he was flourishing at NUFC).  But, if something good was to come from this…

I’m not going to go into if this was a “fair” tackle or the “intent” of De Jong.  Sure, I could tout out all the evidence against De Jong such as his technique while defending against Xabi Alonso this summer in the World Cup finals.  But, at the end of the day, De Jong wasn’t even carded for his tackle on Hatem.  It was adjudicated to be fair and in the EPL those are the rules.

So, for all the Ligue 1 players who think they need to leave for the EPL to “make” their career – just remember the risk you are taking for a few extra bucks…

Ligue 1, Matchday 7 fixtures courtesy of the LFP

So many games, so little time!  Here are some recommendations of the games you don’t want to miss and why they matter!

Nice vs Rennes: Coming into this game, Rennes have the best defensive record in the league, only allowing in two goals.  With a little help from Lyon and Lille, Rennes could possible steal the 1st place spot at the top of the table.  The only sit a point behind the top teams (Saint-Etienne and Toulouse) and have the same goal difference.  Rennes also have the advantage of consistency and stability, having not lost a game yet this season.  Nice, on the other hand, is a bit of a wild card.  They beat Lorient and Bordeaux while drawing with Valenciennes and Nancy before losing 4-0 to Sochaux last weekend.  Nice have never had the reputation for stability- but they seemed to be thriving after Loic Remy left for Marseille.  Winning this game versus Rennes might be the thing Nice need to prevent the slide down in the table that most critics predicted at the start of the season.

Caens vs Bordeaux:  This season, Caen have already pulled off wins against 2 of the last 3 title winners (Marseille and Lyon).  Not bad for a team that is enjoying Ligue 1 for the first time since being promoted.  Will they make it a perfect hat-trick and beat Bordeaux as well?  Or will Bordeaux continue the momentum they established last week by beating Lyon?  On paper, Bordeaux are undoubtedly the stronger team – but that didn’t intimidate Caen when they played Marseille on Day 1 (2-1) and Lyon on Matchday 2 (3-2).  Caen have the league’s 2nd most prolific goal scorer at the moment in Youssef El-Arabi, who has scored 4 goals in 4 different games (Marseille, Lyon, Auxerre and Lorient).  Need I remind you that the first three teams he scored against were the top 3 teams in the league last year?  Bordeaux have been less prolific in front of goal.  Their top scorer, Alou Diarra, is a holding midfielder who has scored 2 from set pieces (surprise, surprise – its Bordeaux!).  New striker, Modeste, who was purchased to replace Chamakh, also has 2.  Jussie has only scored one this year for the Girondins – but the one he scored vs Lyon was so beautiful, I feel like it should count for more!  : )

Toulouse vs Lille:  TFC enjoyed a strong start to the season, achieving the maximum 12 points in August (Brest, Bordeaux, Arles, Nancy).  That pace has slowed in September.  After losing to Saint-Etienne at home, they only managed a draw with Monaco before losing this week in the Coupe de la Ligue competition to Ligue 2 team Boulogne.  They now face a Lille team who seems to be gaining strength after accumulating 4 consecutive draws at the beginning of the season (Rennes, PSG, Sochaux, Nice).  They have now won their last two games (Lens, Auxerre) and more than doubled the amount of goals they scored in the first four weeks of the league (2 goals in first 4 matchdays, 5 goals in matchdays 5 & 6).   Now just 3 points separate these two teams in the table.  Both teams will be missing some personnel from suspensions and injuries.  Toulouse is without Tabanou (suspension), m’Bengue (hamstring), Pentecote (knee) and Larsen (hamstring).  Lille will miss Debuchy (suspension), Beria (ankle), Chedjou (quadriceps) and Tulio Del Melo (buttocks).

Lyon vs Saint-Etienne:  Its the Rhone Derby!  And it is finally exciting!  Unlike in years past where Lyon dominated the rivalty – Saint-Etienne are in prime position to beat Lyon at home, a feat they haven’t accomplished in a decade.  Saint-Etienne sit on top of the table in first place and Lyon have struggled to show their quality in Ligue 1 this season.  Unfortunately, the league’s top goal scorer, who plays for Saint-Etienne, was injured in mid-week  Lyon seems to be rife with discontent – the players don’t look motivated and the fans are calling for Puel’s head (sometimes, literally!).  Will this be the match that ends Lyon’s season – or is this just the type of game they need to turn things around?  I’m not sure – but I’m really looking forward to finding out!

Don’t forget…

Loic Remy looks likely to make his debut at the Velodrome today.  Remy, who transferred to Marseille this summer from Nice, played in an away game at Bordeaux but was injured shortly after while playing for France against Belarus.  A few (long) weeks later – he will finally be introduced to the Velodrome crowd tonight!  Will he score a goal to cap off that debut?

Before Matchday 7, only 3 teams in Ligue 1 remained undefeated:  Rennes, Lille and Monaco.

Green=won, Yellow=draw, Red=lost

The graph above shows Puel’s record after leading Lyon for 2+ years. To see how it compares to the coaches that led Lyon to a record 7 consecutive Ligue 1 titles visit Footbalistic, a data and statistics site, here.

Is this comparison fair? Sure, Puel deserves some criticism for Lyon’s poor performance in the league the past two years – but I think there is an argument to be made about the rise in overall quality among Lyon’s competitors in the past 2 seasons.

After all, Puel was hired (and retained) to improve Lyon’s performance in the Champions League- something he has clearly accomplished. Now, it seems like he is being punished for following the expectations and demands of both the club and its fans. If you compared Puel’s record in the Champions League- he might even put his predecessors to shame!

Marseille won the title last year – will they make it two in a row?

Check it out and where you can watch the games in the US- comment here or there…

ARLES-AVIGNON

Resumed training on June 28th

July 3-8:  Preseason Training in Peralada (Catalonia, Spain)

July 14-20:  Preseason Training in Albertville (Rhone-Alps, France)

Friendly matches:

July 9:  Win (2-0, goals by Psalm, D. N’Diaye) vs Luzenac (National, French 3rd Division)

July 18:  Win (4-1 goals by Malaga, Henrique, N’Diaye; Guise – Tapoko) vs Lyon Reserve team

July 23:  Draw (1-1 goal by Diawara – Henaini) vs Frejus Saint-Raphael (National, French 3rd Division)

July 31:  Scheduled friendly vs Saint-Etienne

Summer Transfer Activities

IN:  Planté (AS Saint-Etienne, loan); Erbate (Moghreb Tétouan, Morocco); Laurenti (Lens); Najih (Clermont, Ligue 2); Aït Ben Idir (Le Havre, Ligue 2); Cabella (Montpellier, loan); Bouazza (Blackpool, England)

OUT: Dalé (Unirea Urziceni, Romania); Ayew (OM, loan return); Reynaud (Châteauroux, Ligue 2); Cirilli (Amiens SC, National); Esor (Clermont, Ligue 2)

AUXERRE

Resumed training on June 28

July 4-10:  Preseason Training in Weiskirchen (Saarland, Germany)

Friendly matches:

July 9:  Draw (2-2, goals by Le Tallec, Quercia – Zeitz, Ozbek) vs Saarbrücken (German 3rd Division)

July 14:  Win (1-0, goal by Le Tallec) vs Tours (Ligue 2)

July 17:  Draw (0-0) vs Troyes (Ligue 2)

July 21:  Loss (1-2, goals by Birsa – Laifa, Mahon) vs Creteil (National, French 3rd Division)

July 24:  Win (2-1; goals by Jelen, Hengbart – Danilo) vs Standard Liege (Belgium)

July 31:  Scheduled friendly vs Kaiserslautern (Germany)

Summer Transfer Activities

IN:  Le Tallec (Le Mans); Langil (Caen, loan return); Kitambala (Dijon FCO, loan return); Johnson (Amiens SC, National)

OUT:  Niculae (Monaco); Narry (Le Mans); Capoue (Nantes, Ligue 2, loan return); Popov (expired contract); Dufour (Châteauroux, Ligue 2)

BORDEAUX

Resumed training on June 28

July 2-0:  Preseason Training in Anglet (Pyrenees-Atlantique, France)

July 24-29:  Preseason Training at the Dinard (Bretagne, France)

Friendly matches:

July 10:  Win (1-0, goal by Wendel) vs Lille

July 17:  Win (2-0, goals by Wendel, Jussiê) vs Ajaccio (Ligue 2)

July 20:  Win (4-1, goals by Plasil, 2 Cavenaghi, Wendel – Jedrzejczak) vs Legia Warsaw (Polish 1st Division)

July 24:  Win (1-0; goal by Savic) vs Tours (Ligue 2)

July 31-August 1:  Tournament with PSG, Roma (Serie A) and Porto (Portuguese La Liga)

Summer Transfer Activities

IN:  J.Tigana (Coach); Savic (Belgrade Red Star, Serbia); Diabaté (Nancy, loan return); Ayité (Nancy, loan return); Ducasse (Lorient, loan return); Olimpa (Angers, Ligue 2, loan return); Lasne (Châteauroux, Ligue 2, loan return); Moimbé (Ajaccio, Ligue 2, loan return); Marange (Nancy); Savic (Belgrade Red Star, Serbia)

OUT:  L.Blanc (Coach); Chamakh (Arsenal, England); Moimbé (Tours, Ligue 2); Jurietti (expired contract); Placente (San Lorenzo, Argentina); Farnolle (Clermont, Ligue 2)

BREST

Resumed training on June 29

July 3-10:  Preseason Training at Samoëns (Rhone-Alpes, France)

July 21-25:  Preseason Training at Roscoff (Bretagne, France)

Friendly matches:

July 9:  Win (2-1, goals by 2 Lesoimier – M’Fuit) vs Istres (Ligue 2)

July 14:  Win (3-1, goals by Grougi, Roux, Laot – Sammaritano) vs Vannes (Ligue 2) at the Paul-Le Hesran Challenge

July 17:  Win (1-1, goals by Roux – Monterrunio, 4-2 penalties) vs Lorient at the Paul-Le Hesran Challenge

July 21:  Win (1-0, goal by Kantari) vs Rennes

July 24:  Loss (0-1, goal by Soly) vs Guingamp (National, French 3rd Division)

July 28:  Scheduled friendly vs Plabennec (National, French 3rd Division)

July 31:  Scheduled friendly vs Lille

Summer Transfer Activities

IN:  N’Goyi (Paris SG, loan); Darlas (Panathinaïkos, Greece); Deneuve (Châteauroux, Ligue 2); Licka (Banik Ostrava, Czech Republic); Micola (Banik Ostrava, Czech Republic); Traoré (Quevilly, Amateur Championship)

OUT:  Autret (Lorient); Socrier (Ajaccio, Ligue 2); Bouard (Vannes, Ligue 2, expired contract); Le Gall (expired contract); Sitruk (AS Vitré, Amateur Championship); Fabien (Boulogne, Ligue 2); Thomas (expired contract)

CAEN

Resumed training on June 28

July 4-14:  Preseason Training at Annecy (Rhone-Alpes, France)

Friendly matches:

July 10:  Win (5-4, goals by Mollo, Yatabaré, El Arabi, 2 Barzola – ?) vs Team of players without contracts (not affiliated with Union Nationale des Footballeurs Professionnels)

July 14:  Loss (0-1, goal by Mesoulb) vs Le Havre (Ligue 2)

July 23:  Draw (2-2, goals by Seube, Amouna – 2 Blayac) vs Boulogne (Ligue 2)

July 31:  Scheduled friendly vs Rennes

Summer Transfer Activities

IN:  Hamouma (Stade Lavallois); Lazarevic (OFK Belgrade, Serbia); Marcq (Boulogne, Ligue 2); Mollo (Monaco, loan); K.Traoré (Sochaux)

OUT:  Langil (Auxerre, loan return); Eluchans (Deportivo Universidad Catolica, Chile); Toudic (Stade de Reims, loan); Florentin (Angers, Ligue 2); Proment (Antalyaspor, Turkey); Mustapha (expired contract); N’Diaye (expired contract); Traoré (expired contract); Dikamona (Le Havre, Ligue 2)

LENS

Resumed training on June 25

June 28-July 3:  Preseason Training at Le Touquet (Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France)

July 17-27:  Preseason Training in Austria

Friendly matches:

July 3:  Loss (1-2, goals by Roudet – Thereau, Dos Santos) vs Charleroi (Belgium 2nd Division)

July 10:  Win ( 4-0, goals by Sow, Sartre, 2 Maoulida) vs Boulogne (Ligue 2)

July 14:  Win (1-0, goal by Akalé) vs Zulte-Waregem (Belgium 1st Division)

July 17:  Win (2-0, goals by Yahia, Pollet) vs Valenciennes

July 26:  Scheduled friendly vs Cologne (Germany)

July 31:  Scheduled friendly vs Athletic Bilbao (La Liga)

Summer Transfer Activities

IN:  S.Keita (Xerez, Spain, loan return); Pollet (Paris FC, National, loan return); El Adoua (Nantes, Ligue 2, loan return); Doumeng (Tours, Ligue 2, loan return); Goeman (Zulte Waregem, loan return); Monrose (Châteauroux, Ligue 2, loan return)

OUT:  Aruna (Al-Shorta, Qatar); Laurenti (Arles-Avignon); Milovanovic (ER Belgrade, Serbia, loan); W.Rémy (US Créteil, National, loan); Guezoui (Niort, National, loan)

LILLE

Resumed training on June 28

July 4-11:  Preseason Training at St. Jean de Luz (Pyrenees-Atlantique, France)

July 19-25:  Preseason Training in Pornic (Pays-de-la-Loire, France)

Friendly matches:

July 10:  Loss (0-1, goal by Wendel) vs Bordeaux

July 14:  Win (4-1, goals by 2 Dumont, 2 Sow – Diongue) vs Cherbourg (National 2, French 4th Division)

July 17:  Win (3-3; goals by Hazard, Sow, Cabaya – Benko, Pavlovic, Mboyo; 6-5 penalties) vs Kortrijk (Belgian 1st Division)

July 21:  Draw (1-1, goals by Toure – Keseru) vs Angers (Ligue 2)

July 24:  Win (3-0, goals by Frau, Hazard, De Melo) vs Al-Ahli (Quatari 1st Division)

July 31:  Scheduled friendly vs Brest

Summer Transfer Activities

IN:  Sow (Rennes); Fauvergue (Strasbourg, loan return); Baseya (Le Havre, loan return)

OUT:  Vittek (Ankaragücü, Turkey); Fauvergue (CS Sedan, loan); Benzerga (Nantes, Ligue 2); Butelle (Nîmes Olympique, Ligue 2, loan); Franquart (Charleroi, Belgium, loan); Aubameyang (AC Milan, Serie A, loan return); Rivierez (Le Havre)

LORIENT

Resumed training on June 21

June 28-July 3:  Preseason Training in Crozon (Bretagne, France)

July 26-28:  Preseason Training at Ploëmel (Bretagne, France)

Friendly matches:

July 10:  Draw (1-1, goal by Mvuemba) vs Laval (Ligue 2)

July 14:  Win (4-2, goals by Dubarbier, Gameiro, Fanchone, Monterrubio – Giresse, Knockaert) vs Guingamp (National, French 3rd Division) at the Paul-Le Hesran Challenge

July 17:  Loss (1-1, goals by Monterrunio – Roux, 2-4 penalties) vs Brest at the Paul-Le Hesran Challenge

July 24:  Win (2-1; goals by Manga, Gameiro – Brahimi) vs Rennes

July 31:  Scheduled friendly vs Legia Warsaw (Polish 1st Division)

Summer Transfer Activities

IN:  Ecuele Manga (Angers, Ligue 2); Autret (Brest); Romao (Grenoble, Ligue 2); Coquelin (Arsenal, loan); Reset (Vannes, loan return)

OUT:  Kocielny (Arsenal, England); Vahirua (Nancy); Marchal (Saint-Etienne); Ducasse (Bordeaux, loan return); Mansouri (Al-Saïliya Doha, Qatar)

LYON

Resumed training on June 23

June 27-July 7:  Preseason Training in Tignes (Rhone-Alpes, France)

Friendly matches:

July 7:  Win (3-1, goals by 2 Ederson, Gomis) vs Servette Geneva (Swiss 2nd Division)

July 18:  Loss (0-2, goals by Tonel, Yannick) vs Sporting Lisbon (Portuguese La Liga)

July 24:  Loss (1-2; goals by Ederson – Del Piero, Pepe) vs Juventus (Serie A)

July 28:  Emirates Cup Tournament, Scheduled match vs Nottingham Forest (English 2nd Division)

July 31:  Emirates Cup Tournament, Scheduled match vs  Celtic (Scottish Premiere League)

August 1:  Emirates Cup Tournament, Scheduled match vs  AC Milan (Serie A)

Summer Transfer Activities

IN:  Briand (Rennes); Piquionne (Portsmouth, England, loan return); Mensah (Sunderland, England, loan return); Pied (Metz, loan return)

OUT:  Bodmer (PSG); Govou (Panathinaïkos, Greece); Clerc (expired contract); Piquionne (West Ham, England)

MARSEILLE

Resumed training on June 28

June 30-July10:  Preseason Training at Port Crouesty (Bretagne, France)

July 18-24:  Preseason Training at St. Jean de Luz (Pyrenees-Atlantique, France)

Friendly matches:

July 9:  Win (2-0, goals by Niang, J. Ayew) vs Vannes (Ligue 2)

July 16:  Loss (0-1, own goal by Mango) vs Monaco

July 21:  Defeat (2-4, goals by Niang – Capoue, Braaten, Machado, Didot, own goal by Congre) vs Toulouse

July 24:  Win (2-0, goals by N’Diaye, Brandao) vs Catania (Serie A)

July 28:  Trophy of Champions vs PSG in Tunisia

August 1:  Scheduled friendly vs Valencia (La Liga)

Summer Transfer Activities

IN:  Azpilicueta (Osasuna, Spain); Ayew (Arles Avignon, loan return); Samassa (Valenciennes, loan return); Sabo (Ajaccio, Ligue 2, loan return); N’Diaye (Ajaccio, Ligue 2, loan return)

OUT:  B.Koné (Al-Shorta, Qatar); Bonnart (expired contract); Bocaly (Montpellier); Rool (expired contract); Morientes (expired contract); Fomen (Dijon, Ligue 2, loan)

MONACO

Resumed training on June 21

June 27-July7:  Preseason Training in Vichy (Allier, France)

July 9-July 12:  Preseason Training in South Korea

July 18-July 23:  Preseason Training in Divonne-les-Bains (Ain, France)

Friendly matches:

July 6:  Loss (0-1, goal by Chaussidiere) vs Clermont Foot (Ligue 2)

July 11:  Draw ( 2-2, goals by Niculae, Alonso – ?) vs Incheon United FC (South Korean 1st Division)

July 16:  Win (1-0, own goal by Mango) vs Marseille

July 21:  Defeat (0-2, goals by Saadi, Bergessio) vs Saint-Etienne

July 24:  Loss (2-3; goals by Sagbo, Mongongu – Airton, Aimar, Cardoza) vs Benfica (Portuguese La Liga)

July 28:  Scheduled friendly vs FC Dynamo Moscow (Russian Premier League)

July 31:  Scheduled friendly vs Opponent TBD

Summer Transfer Activities

IN:  Niculae (Auxerre); Hansson (Rennes); Aubameyang (AC Milan, Serie A, loan); Gakpé (Tours, Ligue 2, loan return); Nimani (Burnley, England, loan return); Diaz (Ajaccio, Ligue 2, loan return); Gudjohnsen (Spurs, England, loan return); Chabbert (Charleroi, Belgium)

OUT:  Nenê (PSG); Pino (Galatasaray, Turkey); Sambou (Atromitos, Greece); Modesto (Olympiacos, Greece); Puygrenier (Zénith St-Petersbourg, Russia, loan return); Maazou (CSKA Moscou, Russia, loan return); Mollo (Caen, loan); Simic (expired contract); Müller (expired contract); Leko (expired contract); Thuram (Tours, Ligue 2, loan)

MONTPELLIER

Resumed training on June 28

July 2-10:  Preseason Training in Mende (Lozere, France)

Friendly matches:

July 10:  Win (4-0; goals by Camara, Armand, Giroud, Koita) vs Mende (Amateurs)

July 13:  Draw (0-0)vs Istres (Ligue 2)

July 17:  Draw (0-0) vs Toulouse

July 23:  Loss (0-1, goal by Cirelli) vs Ajaccio (Ligue 2)

July 29:  Europa League, 1st Leg of third qualifying round (Opponent TBD)

August 5:  Europa League, 2nd leg of third qualifying round  (Opponent TBD)

Summer Transfer Activities

IN:  Giroud (Tours, Ligue 2); Estrada (Univ. de Chile, Chile); Kabze (Rubin Kazan, Russia); Bocaly (OM); Armand (Clermont, loan return)

OUT:  Costa (Valence, Spain); Montano (Rennes); J.Carrasso (Rennes); Benhamida (expired contract); Colombo (expired contract); Cabella (Arles-Avignon, loan)

NANCY

Resumed training on June 28

July 9-18:  Preseason Training at Port Crouesty (Bretagne, France)

Friendly matches:

July 7:  Win (4-0, goals by Berenguer, Chahechouche, N’Diaye, Alo’o Efoulou) vs Toul (Division D’Honneur, French Regional Division)

July 14:  Victory (3-2, goals by Vahirua, A.Efoulou, Dia – Bourrrilon, Trideau) vs Vitréenne (National 2, 4th Division)

July 17:  Draw (1-1, goals by Vahirua – Keseru) vs Angers (Ligue 2)

July 25:  Scheduled friendly vs UNFP (Union Nationale des Footballeurs Professionnels, team of players without contracts)

July 31:  Scheduled friendly vs Sochaux

Summer Transfer Activities

IN:  Vahirua (Lorient); N’Guémo (Celtic, Scotland, loan return); B.Gavanon (Sochaux, loan return); Helder (Rapid Bucarest, Romania, loan return); Calvé (Grenoble, loan return.)

OUT:  Dia (Fenerbahçe, Turkey); Ca (Tours, Ligue 2, loan); Macaluso (Veracruz, Mexico); Helder (Dynamo Bucarest, Romania, loan); Ouaddou (Lakhwiya, Qatar, expired contract); Diabaté (Bordeaux, loan return); Ayité (Bordeaux, loan return); Curbelo (expired contract); Gaudu (expired contract); Lapeyre (expired contract); Marange (Bordeaux); Camerling (expired contract)

NICE

Resumed training on June 28

July 4-10:  Preseason Training at the Albertville (Rhone-Alps, France)

July 19-24:  Preseason Training in Megeve (Rhone-Alps, France)

Friendly matches:

July 7:  Draw (1-1, goals by Quansah – Osanga) vs Etoile Sahel (Tunisian 1st Division)

July 11:  Draw (1-1, goals by Remy – Pongolie) vs Sporting Lisbon (Portuguese La Liga)

July 17:  Win (1-0, goal by Remy) vs Frejus Saint Raphael (Championship, 3rd Division)

July 21:  Defeat (0-1, goal by Diallo) vs Grenoble (Ligue 2)

July 24:  Loss (0-2; goals by Nery, Payet) vs Saint-Etienne

July 31:  Scheduled friendly vs Opponent TBD

Summer Transfer Activities

IN:  Civelli (San Lorenzo, Argentina); Modeste (Angers, Ligue 2, loan return); Pejčinović (FK Rad Belgrade, Serbia, loan)

OUT:  Apam (Rennes); Digard (Middlesbrough, England, loan return); Echouafni (retired); Enoch Adu (FC Nordsjælland, Norway); Cid (retired)

Paris-SG

Resumed training on July 1

July 5-15:  Preseason Training in Evian (Rhone-Alps, France)

Friendly matches:

July 10:  Win (2-1, goals by 2 Chantôme – Pouye) vs Evian (Ligue 2)

July 14:  Win (4-2, goals by Erding, Guily, Sessegnon, Maurice – Carrico, own goal by Edel) vs Sporting (Portuguese La Liga)

July 17:  Win ( 4-0, goals by Nene, Jallet, Sessegnon, Erding) vs Malines (Belgium, 1st Division)

July 23:  Draw ( 2-2, goals by Hoarau, Kezman – Zyro, Chinyama) vs Legia Warsaw (Poland, 1st Division)

July 28:  Champions Trophy vs Marseille

July 31-August 1:  Paris Tournament

Summer Transfer Activities

IN:  Nenê (Monaco); Bodmer (OL); Rothen (Ankaragucu, Turkey, loan return); Arnaud (Clermont, Ligue 2, loan return)

OUT:  Grondin (expired contract); Partouche (expired contract); Letellier (Angers, Ligue 2); N’Goyi (Brest, loan)

RENNES

Resumed training on June 24

July 8-17:  Preseason Training at Carnac (Bretagne, France)

Friendly matches:

July 14:  Draw (1-1, goals by Doumbia – Djordjevic) vs Nantes (Ligue 2)

July 17:  Win ( 3-0 , goals by 2 Badiane, Bangoura) vs Laval (Ligue 2)

July 21:  Loss (0-1, goal by Kantari) vs Brest

July 24:  Loss (1-2; goals by Brahimi – Manga, Gameiro) vs Lorient

July 28:  Scheduled friendly vs Legia Warsaw (Polish 1st Division)

July 31:  Scheduled friendly vs Caen

Summer Transfer Activities

IN:  Dalmat (Sochaux); Montano (Montpellier); J.Carrasso (Montpellier); Mandjeck (Stuttgart, Germany); Apam (Nice); Kana-Biyik (Le Havre, Ligue 2); Oniangue (Angers, Ligue 2, loan return); Brahimi (Clermont, Ligue 2, loan return); Souprayen (Dijon, loan return); Camara (Vannes, loan return); Dembele (Boulogne, loan return); Mulumba (Amiens, Ligue 2)

OUT:  Briand (Lyon); Sow (Lille); Hansson (Monaco); Bocanegra (Saint-Etienne); Echiejile (Braga, Portugal); Lemarchand (Le Havre, Ligue 2); Pagis (expired contract); Luzi (expired contract); Pajot (Boulogne, Ligue 2, loan)

SAINT-ETIENNE

Resumed training on June 23

July 1-9:  Preseason Training at Chambon-sur-Lignon (Auvergne, France)

July 26-31:  Preseason Training at the Albertville (Rhone-Alps, France)

Friendly matches:

July 9:  Win (2-0, goals by Bergessio, Sako) vs Clermont (Ligue 2)

July 16:  Win (1-0, goals by Mahaya) vs Dijon (Ligue 2)

July 21:  Victory (2-0, goals by Saadi, Bergessio) vs Monaco

July 24:  Win (2-0; goals by Nery, Payet) vs Nice

July 28:  Scheduled friendly vs Neuchatel (Swiss 1st Division)

July 31:  Scheduled friendly vs Arles-Avignon

Summer Transfer Activities

IN:  Bocanegra (Rennes); Ebondo (Toulouse); Marchal (Lorient); Batlles (Grenoble, Ligue 2); N’Daw (Nantes, Ligue 2); Grax (Guingamp, National, loan return)

OUT:  Mirallas (Olympiacos, Greece, loan); Dabo (Seville, Spain); Diakhaté (Dynamo Kiev, Ukraine, loan return); Varrault (expired contact); Planté (Arles-Avignon, loan)

SOCHAUX

Resumed training on June 24

July 10-18:  Preseason Training in Divonne-les-Bains (Rhone-Alps, France)

Friendly matches:

July 7:  Draws (0-0) vs Neuchâtel Xamax (Swiss 1st Division)

July 7:  Draw (0-0) vs Saprissa (Costa Rican 1st Division)

July 10:  Loss (0-5; goals by 2 Zoua, Safari, 2 Almerares ) vs Basel (Swiss 1st Division)

July 14:  Defeat (0-1, goal by Bouby) vs Evian Thonon Gaillard (Ligue 2)

July 17:  Win (2-0, goals by Boudebouz, N.Maurice-Belay) vs Southampton (English 3rd Division) in Fribourg, Switzerland

July 21:  Defeat (0-3, goals by Rosenthal, Cisse, Bechmann) vs Freiburg (Bundesliga)

July 24:  Win (2-0; goals by Martin, Faty) vs Strasbourg (National, 3rd Division)

July 31:  Scheduled friendly vs Nancy

Summer Transfer Activities

IN:  Sauget (Grenoble, Ligue 2); Anin (Le Havre, Ligue 2); Sène (Le Mans, loan return)

OUT:  Dalmat (Rennes); B.Gavanon (Nancy, loan return); Jokic (Chievo Vérone, Serie A); K.Traoré (Caen); Privat (Clermont, loan); Enza-Yamissi (Amiens, National)

TOULOUSE

Resumed training on June 24

June 28-July 7:  Preseason Training in Luchon (Midi-Pyrenees, France)

Friendly matches:

July 7:  Win (2-0, goals by Braaten and Soukouna) vs Bayonne (National, French 3rd Division)

July 10:  Draw (0-0) vs Frejus Saint Raphael (National, French 3rd Division)

July 14:  Win (1-0, goal by Soukouna) vs Ajaccio (Ligue 2)

July 17:  Draw (0-0) vs Montpellier

July 21:  Win (4-2, goals by Capoue, Braaten, Machado, Didot, own goal by Congre – Niang) vs Marseille

July 27:  Scheduled friendly vs Luzenac (National, 3rd Division)

Summer Transfer Activities

IN:  Gunino (Danubio FC, Uruguay, loan); Pentecôte (Bastia, National, loan return); Ben Yedder (Alforville, Amateur Championship)

OUT:  Blondel (Troyes, Ligue 2); Kazim Ricards (Fenerbahçe, Turkey, loan return); Larsen (Duisbourg, Germany, loan return); Ebondo (Saint-Etienne); Berson (expired contract); Dupuis (Châteauroux, Ligue 2); O. N’Diaye (expired contract); N’Gadi (expired contract)

VALENCIENNES

Resumed training on June 28

July 4-11:  Preseason Training Pornic (Pays de la Loire, France)

Friendly matches:

July 2:  Win (3-1; goals by Nam, Khiter, Danic – Toudic) vs Reims (Ligue 2)

July 10:  Loss (0-1, goal by Benzerga) vs Nantes (Ligue 2)

July 14:  Cancelled friendly Standard Liege (Belgium, 1st Division)

July 17:  Loss (0-2, goals by Yahia and Pollet) vs Lens

July 21:  Win (2-1, goals by Khiter, Angoua – Baysse) vs Sedan (Ligue 2)

July 24:  Loss (0-1, goal by Akpala) vs FC Bruges (Belgian 1st Division)

July 31:  vs NAC Breda (Dutch 1st Division)

Summer Transfer Activities

IN:  Aboubakar (Cotonsport Garoua, Cameroon); Nzay Mfuyi (Servette Geneva, Switzerland); Pallois (Quevilly, Amateur Championship)

OUT:  Samassa (Marseille, loan return); Ndy Assembe (Nantes, Ligue 2, loan return); Khiter (Strasbourg, National, loan return); Mo.Traoré (La Havre, Ligue 2, loan)

• A Concise Round-Up of Ligue 1 Transfers (Global Football Today)
• Ligue 1 Schedule for Season 10/11 (Ligue 1 Official)
• Complete Ligue 1 Transfer Listing (iSocios)
• Analyzing the Loic Remy Saga (Ligue 1 Talk)
• If you haven’t seen it, The Infamous Lyon Kit Unveiling (The Offside)

It starts out with the ridiculous, then moves on to the sublime. The sublime, in case you were wondering, is a four goal comeback against a frequent Champions League knockout qualifier for a crazy ass team like PSG. Now for a moment that exactly describes the character of the match, a perfect mix of sublime and ridiculous:

Damn diving Portuguese.

What a team wears makes much more of a difference than many of you may think, in fact, the jersey of a team can be a primary reason for a prospective fan to develop an affinity. Watching the World Cup with relatives that know nothing of football brought me to this conclusion, as many of them decided to root for teams based on the merits in their eyes of the kits they wore. For instance, Argentina was widely supported by my American family based solely on their shirts. This is why it pains me so much to see the disgraceful rags that have this summer been offered by many a French club to their players. I’m sure you’ve all seen the horror that is the Lyon away jersey (above) but let me give you a preview as to what other teams will be wearing…

Lets look at the jerseys FC Lorient will be wearing this season as an example. “Oh but they can’t be worse than last season!” you say, well, see for yourselves:

That’s the home kit. It’s not horribly offensive, my critiques would be the B&B label which utterly clashes on this shirt along with the cluttering of text in different fonts in the upper third of the shirt. The tiger stripes creeping around the side are a little odd as well.

I find this away shirt horrible. Now it’s not just the B&B circle that clashes, but the red La Trinitaine label as well. On this one the tiger stripes are only on the left side (looking at it) which makes it so much worse.

The third kit: the climax of the Lorient design team’s horror movie. This one made me throw up in my mouth a little. I’m terribly sorry but this is too horrible for words.

Moving on let’s look at some selected atrocities from other clubs in the league…

The Rennes away jersey: skin tight prison garb with a collection of small trees on the right shoulder and a nice big sponsor that blends with the background.

The ASSE home jersey: the dullest shirt I’ve ever seen plus a nice cluster of sponsors on the chest and a “Funai” label on the rear end area.

The Marseille away jersey as modeled by Lucho Gonzalez. Your eyes are not deceiving you, it is indeed plaid. Looks like ugly swim suit pattern.

The Sochaux home jersey: looks like it came out of the mid 90’s, boring, clashing, just all around ugly. Most of these shirts have been overdesigned, This one is underdesigned.

The Nice third jersey: no words are necessary.

That’s all for now. If any of you are interested in seeing more horrible jerseys, leave a comment or shoot an email to france@theoffside.com.

Slovenia:
Valter Birsa and Bostjan Cesar, two of Slovenia’s key players, are based in Ligue 1. Birsa is at Champions League bound Auxerre, Cesar at Ligue 2 bound Grenoble. Cesar played every minute of Slovenia’s cup, doing well in the center of defense, while Birsa started every game, scoring brilliantly against the U.S:

Pretty stunning.

Switzerland:
Auxerre defender Stephane Grichting played every minute for the Swiss, a key player in brilliant defensive performances such as the Swiss victory over Spain. Compatriot and ASSE midfielder Gelson Fernandes started every game and scored Switzerland’s only goal, the match winner against Spain.

Uruguay:
Diego Perez was an absolute rock in the Uruguayan midfield, a key contributor in their run to the semifinals. He played in every game, picking up two yellow cards in the process, and will be kept on as a key player at Monaco.

United States of America:
Carlos Bocanegra of Rennes captained the U.S into the Round of 16, playing every minute until the Yanks were knocked out by Rennes teammate Asamoah Gyan’s extra time goal.