Association de la Jeunesse Auxerroise is a club known for the feat of never having been relegated from Ligue 1, as well as producing some world class players in recent years, such as Eric Cantona, Phillipe Mexes, and Djibril Cisse. They have a Ligue 1 topping 17 full international players in their first team, and although this statistic speaks of greatness, Auxerre have been mediocre at best over the past few seasons under the leadership of much traveled manager Jean Fernandez. This season things have been different, and I’ll begin by analyzing their first team.

In terms of goalkeepers they are pretty much set. Olivier Sorin is a solid Ligue 1 keeper in the prime of his career, while Remi Riou is one of the best up and coming keepers in France. They have shared the minutes pretty evenly over the past few seasons, and this provides healthy competition, inspiring to work hard for their places.

On defense they are solid as well. Cedric Hengbart contributes significantly to the attack from the right wing and is a seasoned veteran. In the center Swiss International Stephane Gritching partners Malian International Adama Coulibaly, making a tandem with bucket loads of Ligue 1 experience. On the left we have Jean-Pascal Mignot, who has spent his entire career to date with les Auxerrois, making 137 league appearances. They work excellently as a unit and have played a full two seasons together.

The definite star of the Auxerre midfield is Benoit Pedretti. The dead ball specialist is a multi-faceted central midfielder who has played for some of the best clubs in France and has collected 22 caps for the French National Team in his career. He is also the captain and has been at Auxerre for the past 4 seasons. The other normal starters are Kamel Chafni and youngster Delvin N’Dinga. Dariusz Dudka, Aurelien Capoue (on loan from Nantes), and Roy Contout also feature, but there is little depth beyond that.

Up front Auxerre are blessed multitude of options. Ireneusz Jelen is an excellent goalscorer (33 league goals for the club in total), but the Polish international has had injuries galore since his arrival in France from Warsaw. Daniel Niculae is also a good striker, but his goal scoring is extremely inconsistent. In 07/08 he scored 11 in the Ligue, while last year he managed a total of zero. Speed demons Valter Birsa and Dennis Oliech also compliment the offense, but have had difficulties finding the net at a club level this season. Alexandre Licata and Julien Quercia, both considered to be solid Ligue 1 forwards, have seen zero minutes so far this season due to the amount of competition for a place in the starting 11.

It seems to me that the keys to this Auxerre side are the level of competition maintained throughout and the goalscoring and play making abilities of Ireneusz Jelen and Benoit Pedretti. So, why are they on top? Their summer signings were well thought out and smart, they have been consistent since that poor start to the season, and rest of the league simply hasn’t.

The Ballon de Plomb (the lead ball in English) is the Ligue 1 version of the Bidone d’Or. Since 2003 it has been awarded to the Ligue 1 player with the most negative name recognition by the website Cahiers du Football.  Some of the characteristics required are some negative intrinsic footballing “qualities”, strange career choices, and eccentric personalities. Past winners include Fabrice Fiorèse (2004), Benoît Pedretti (2005), and Frederic Piqiuonne (2008). Get the full scoop in the wikipedia entry (in french). So, on to this year’s nominees.

For the year 2009, the players selected for the shortlist were…

Stefan Babovic (Nantes)
Mustapha Bayal (Saint-Etienne)
Stephane Dalmat (Sochaux)
Nicolas Dieuze (Grenoble)
Fred (Fluminese)
Kader Keita (Galatasaray)
Mateja Kezman (Zenit)
Ivan Klasnic (Bolton)
Luigi Pieroni (Valenciennes)
Diego Placente (Bordeaux)
Elliot Grandin (-)

Check out the justifications for the choices here and here. Notice that most of the players were so terrible in some way that they were loaned, transferred, relegated, or simply released. This is tough, but I think it has to go to Fred for all his antics early in the year with Lyon. What are your thoughts? Who wins the prestigious ball of lead this time around? The results will be announced December 6th.  Await them eagerly.

Check out Benj’s post at the ASSE Offside talking specifically about Mustapha Bayal, to which I give credit for the tip off.

This weekend brings us a a mix of World Cup and Africa Cup of Nations Qualifiers, World Cup Playoffs and friendlies.  Ligue 1 was represented across the globe– some in key matches that determine if their country to will be going to South Africa and/or Angola next year, others in less important (but, at times, still exciting) friendlies.

As always, I may miss some players and games– please feel free to include additional information in the comments section– it is rather difficult (and time consuming) to create a completely exhaustive list so for this post to be really good, I will need the help of you!

I usually start with Europe…but there has been so much hype on those play-off matches already so let’s mix things up…

AFRICA WORLD CUP AND CAN QUALIFIERS

Morocco vs. Cameroon

Morocco continues its terrible form by losing 2-0 at home to Cameroon.  With this win, Cameroon was able to qualify for the World Cup, in spite of their dismal start.  This WC will be their 6th straight appearance for the country in the competition finals– which is a record for an African team.  The two goal scorers were Real Mallorca’s Pierre Webo (’17) and Inter’s Samuel Eto‘o (’52).  The papers are focusing on Eto’s goals, which was his ninth goal in 11 starts in the 2010 qualifiers, but I want to focus on the fantastic assist Jean Makoun (Lyon) made to create the goal!  Cameroon’s recent winning form was a result of the work of former Ligue 1 coach and Frenchman Paul Le Guen (formerly managed Rennes, Lyon and PSG).  Congrats to the other Ligue 1 players– Mbia (OM), Nkoulou (Monaco) and Alo’o Efoulou (Nancy).

Morocco’s squad was certainly weakened by the loss of Chamakh (Bordeaux, suspension) as well as several other players who were forced to pull out of the squad through injury.  Unfortunately, Ligue 1’s reprensentatives– Hermach (Lens), Chretien (Nancy) and Hadji (Nancy) were not able to pull off an upset.  Morocco sit in last place with only 3 points in 6 games– and won’t be in South Africa or Angola next year!

Togo vs. Gabon

Togo secured its’ place in the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations tournaments with its 1-0 win over Cameroon (a game where Adebayor promised to double his teammates winning bonus if they won).  Though they are not able to qualify for South Africa, their third place finish will allow them to compete in Angola in January.  Despite already qualifying they were able to grind out a 1-0 win over Gabon.  Congratulations to Romao (Grenoble), Gakpe (Monaco) and Ayite (Nancy) on the win– South Africa won’t be same without Togo, but hopefully they will get to shine in Angola!

Gabon, who finished second in the group despite the loss, have also qualified for the African Cup– meaning Nice and Le Mans will lose the services of Mouloungui and Ovono next year!

Kenya vs. Nigeria

Nigeria managed to come from behind and win 3-2 thanks to two Obamefi Martin (Wolfsburg) strikes. Martin was helped by Ligue 1’s Echiejile (Rennes) who was given a starting 11 spot.  OM’s Taiwo was called into the squad but never made it off the bench.  This win allowed Nigeria to leapfrog Tunisia, win the group and qualify for South Africa (for the 4th straight tournament).

Mozambique vs. Tunisia

Tunisia lost their two point lead in the group and failed to qualify for the 2010 World Cup by losing 1-0 to Mozambique.  While this is a huge disappointment for Ligue 1’s Carthage Eagles Ben Khalfallah (Valenciennes), Jemaa (Lens), Kasraoui (Lens), Mikari (Sochaux), Saihi (Montpellier), Ben Saada (Nice), but their second place finish automatically qualifies them for the Africa Cup of Nations.  Hopefully they will be able to avenge themselves for this loss by beating Mozambique (who qualified as third in the group) in the African Cup in January.

Egypt vs. Algeria

The anticipation and drama before this match was high.  First, Algeria’s bus was attacked when they arrived in Cairo earlier this week by young rioters, causing three Alergian players to sustain facial cuts.  Egypt’s FA is making the conspiracy theory defense, claiming that the attack was staged by the Algerians to undermine them on the international stage.

Before the game, Algeria was in first place  with a three point cushion between them and Egypt.  To keep their World Cup qualification hopes alive, Egypt needed to beat Algeria by two goals– which they did!  With the win, Egypt managed to force a play-off game, which will be played in neutral Sudan.  Hopefully, Lorient’s  Mansouri will keep his place in the starting 11 for the final qualification game and help Algeria qualify for the World Cup.

Sudan vs. Benin

Benin sealed their second place group position by beating the Group D whipping boys, Sudan (who only managed to win 1 point in qualification) 2-1.  There isn’t much information on the match, but Benin’s squad typically contains both Sessegnon (PSG) and Pote (Nice) from Ligue 1.  Any additional details would be greatly appreciated!

Burkina Faso vs Malawi

Both Burkina Faso and Malawi came into this game knowing that there was no way they could qualify for the World Cup, but only Burkina Faso was certain to qualify for the African Cup.  Unfortunately, Malawi wasn’t able to channel this extra motivation into a win, losing 1-0.  They no doubt felt secure that Guinea wouldn’t be able to beat Group E top dog, the Ivory Coast.  This means that Ligue 1 will lose Burkina Faso’s Traore (Auxerre), Bamogo (Nice) and Kabore (OM) in January.

Ivory Coast vs. Guinea

The Ivory Coast managed to beat Guinea, who had the chance to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations if they had won this game, without Drogba (Chelsea).  This isn’t surprising considering their strong showing in qualification– they remain undefeated in their World Cup qualification group, winning four of their last five games including a 5-0 smashing of the group’s second place Burkina Faso in September.  Despite not having Drogba, the Ivory Coast squad was in good hands with Ligue 1’s Gervinho (Lille) and Gosso (Monaco) taking the field in the starting 11 to help secure the 3-0 win over Guinea.  Unfortunately, recent call-ups Fae (Nice), Soro (Lorient), Doumbia (Lorient), Coulibaly (Nice), Dindane (loaned to Portsmouth from Lens), Traore (Sochaux) and Bakari Kone (OM) weren’t able to make the squad through injury, suspension or just poor performance.

UEFA WORLD CUP PLAY-OFFS

While most of Africa battled out the final spots for the World Cup and the African Cup, most of the world was fixated on the first leg of the UEFA World Cup qualifying games that were played this weekend.  Ligue 1 was represented in three of the four matches, but results were mixed…

Ireland vs. France

The build-up for this match included Domenech calling Ireland the “England B” squad, Domenech getting booed in front of his players at the Tennis Masters Tournament in Paris, Irish player Dunne claiming that Domenech’s coaching is an advantage for them, Sarkozy getting facebook and Irish claims to teach the French respect.

Despite all these obstacles– and the rain– France managed to win 1-0 in Ireland thanks to a 72′ deflected goal from Anelka (Chelsea). Ligue 1 was well represented in the starting 11– with Lloris (Lyon), Gourcuff, Alou Diarra and Gignac (Toulouse) making the cut.  Mandanda (OM), Sissoko (Toulouse), Govou (Lyon) had to be satisfied with the bench, while Toulalan’s (Lyon) forced him to sit of this game.

Despite winning, the drama continues as Domenech threatens to leave the post-match press conference after being asked about having a fight with Henry over Viera’s abscence from the squad this morning.

Portugal vs. Bosnia-Herzegovina

Portugal managed to capitalize on a fleeting moment of weakness in a game where Bosnia displayed an amazing sense of discipline.  The goal, which was assisted by Nani and scored by Bruno Alves, allows Portugal to go into the second match with a slight advantage.  The bigger threat to Bosnia’s qualification campaign is the loss of three key players (Montpellier’s Spahic, Rahimic and Muratovic) who received bookings which will keep them out of the second leg.  But, Bosnia’s loss is Ligue 1’s gain as this might allow Lyon’s Pjanic a place in the starting 11.  In the first leg, he started out on the bench but made a substitution appearance in the 87th minute for Muratovic.

Russia vs. Slovenia

Auxerre’s Valtar Birsa was unable to help his team secure a victory in their 2-1 loss to Russia; however, they manage to secure a crucial away goal (though only after Birsa was substituted out of the match).  A 1-0 win at home will see Slovenia qualify for South Africa on away goals this week!

INTERNATIONAL FRIENDLIES

Spain vs. Argentina

Given  his dismal OM performance, it really isn’t shocking that Heinze failed to help his team keep out two Xabi Alonso goals in Argentina’s 2-1 defeat.

Slovakia vs. US

Bocanegra (Rennes) couldn’t help the US beat Slovakia in this friendly which was determined by a penalty.  It will be a tough loss for US to swallow considering they outshot the Slovakians 8-5 and had four more corners.

Interesting Fact:  Apparently, both teams started sons of their coaches.

Abdoul Razak Boukari (Lens), 85th minute, against Teddy Richert.

(second goal, 1:50)

Miralem Pjanic (Lyon), 3rd minute, against Steve Mandanda.

Sidney Govou (Lyon), 14th minute, against Steve Mandanda.

(third goal, 0:14)

Bakari Kone (Marseille), 47th minute, against Hugo Lloris.

Michel Bastos (Lyon), 90th minute, against Steve Mandanda.

Who gets the prize for Goal of the Week: Round 13?(answers)

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)

It is that time again– the time where heroes are made and dreams are crushed (at least until the next game).  But, seriously I think that games 3 and 4 of the group qualifications are the most important games in the competition.  By important, I mean that they are the most critical moment in the whole competition to either build momentum for a long, successful campaign to the finals, are an opportunity for teams to turn the tide for a come back or they can solidify your team’s fate as a bottom feeder.  And yes, my assertion that these games are the most important includes the finals– which I think tend to be overrated.  In most finals (the Milan-Liverpool final is an exception), the players are so nervous and tired that they play horribly.

So, going into game 3 the Ligue 1 teams participating in Europe have accumulated mixed results.  Lyon has managed to win their first two games against Fiorentina (1-0) and Debreceni (4-0) and is currently sitting a the top of Group E.  Bordeaux are sitting on four points, drawing in their first game against Juventus and winning their second game against Maccabi Haifa.  And it pains me to admit it, but OM are the least successful Ligue 1 team in the Champions League at the moment with zero points, having lost to both Milan and Madrid.  But, what’s done is done– and now is the chance for teams to either shine and flop as we head into the homestretch of qualification.

Liverpool vs. Lyon

Lyon face their toughest competition in their group this week with a tough test against Liverpool.  Liverpool have been struggling in both their domestic and European campaigns lately– having lost to Fiorentina in matchday 2 and their last three games in all competitions (coincidentally, the last time this happened was in 2005– the year they won the CL).  Both teams are enduring a serious injury crisis.  Lyon will be without Anderson (knee, calf, shoulder), Jean-Alain Boumsong (groin) and Mathieu Bodmer (groin); doubtful players includes Michel Bastos (ankle) and César Delgado (thigh).  Liverpool will be without Fernando Torres (adductor), Alberto Aquilani (ankle), Andrea Dossena (groin), Sotiris Kyrgiakos (knee) and possibly Steven Gerrard (groin).  When Lyon travel to Anfield, this will the third year in a row that a Ligue 1 team has competed against Liverpool in the group stage of the Champions League– Marseille famously won at Anfield two years ago, but OM couldn’t pull off a win in either group game last year.

Prediction:  The injuries on both teams make this game interesting– and a little closer than one would expect (they do say to never count Liverpool out in Europe).  Liverpool will be looking to make a statement and exploit home-field advantage.  Liverpool will win 2-1.

For more information, check out the Offside-Lyon.

Bordeaux vs. Bayern Munich

Munich’s trip to Bordeaux will be their second successive year they have played a Ligue 1 team in the group stage of the Champions League.  Last year they played Lyon, managing to get a draw (1-1) in game two at home and winning in Lyon (3-2).  That win helped them finish on top of the group, while Lyon who finished second were forced to play Barcelona in the first knock out round.  But, these are not the same teams– Bordeaux, though having a rough time as of late domestically, are the reigning champions and currently sit third in Ligue 1.  Having lost their last two domestic games (1-0 against Auxerre and 3-1 against St. Etienne), Bordeaux will be anxious to make a statement early on.  Bordeaux will also have their talisman Gourcuff back (he was injured during the St. Etienne game and came off the bench against Auxerre), which should boost the team’s confidence.    Bayern are also experiencing trouble domestically– they are currently sitting in 6th place.  They are expected to still have several key players out of this game, including Ribery, Olic, Breno and Braafheid.  Though defender Martin Demichelis, Mark Van Bommel and Luca Toni will be available.

Prediction: A tough draw.

Make sure to check the Offside-Bordeaux for their match preview.

Zurich vs. Marseille

This game is literally try-or-die for Marseille.  For more information, check-out my Offside-OM preview here.

Check back tomorrow for my Europa League Preview!

Europe

France

France continued its hot streak and added another three goals to their tally– that means they have managed to score 8  goals in two goals from five different players (Gignac, Gallas, Benzema, Henry and Anelka), not a bad ratio!  This was a great win for France, a team who has had trouble winning games until they basically had to.  They had already secured the 2nd place play-off position with their 5-0 win over the Faroe Islands last weekend so this game was purely for pride.  It is also often said that the French people have a lot of pride and honor– I’m glad the national team was finally able to represent that instead of the more negative French stereotype of arrogance.  Next up for France is the play-off game draw on Monday, October 19th in Zurich, and of course there is some controversy (isn’t there always with FIFA?).  To catch up on that gossip read Daryl’s post on the front page here.   The good news is that we will probably have Gourcuff back for the play-off game (but who knows about Ribery) and Ligue 1 has officially changed the game schedule to help France qualify…

Ligue 1 players continued to sparkle for France as Gignac managed three goals in two games for Les Bleus, Mandanda

As always, check the Offside-France World Cup blog for up-to-date news.

France-Austria Highlights

Other Results in Europe

Midfielder Gelson Fernandes (Saint-Etienne ) and Stephane Grichting (Auxerre) helped Switzerland win Group two to guarantee their place in South Africa by drawing with Israel.

Robert Vittek (Lille) made a substitute appearance for Slovakia against Ludovic Obraniak (Lille) and Ireneusz Jelen’s (Auxerre) Poland . Slovakia’s 1-0 win allowed them to qualify for the finals for the first time since they split from the Czech Republic.

Slovakia’s win means that second place Slovenia with Bostjan Cesar (Grenoble), Valter Birsa (Auxerre) and Bojan Jokic (Sochaux) will have to appear in next month’s play-offs, despite beating San Marino 3-0.

Even though Bosnia-Herzegovina had already secured second place (a play-off place) before they faced Spain, Miralem Pjanic (Lyon) and defender Emir Spahic (Montpellier) received further international experience in a 5-2 crush.

Africa

Romao (Grenoble) and Serge Akakpo’s (Monaco) Togo lost 5-0 to Japan in a friendly.

In another friendly Senegal lost 2-0 to South Korea, though no one is quite sure who played for either team.  Odds are it contained some Ligue 1 players…

The Americas

Argentina

Gabriel Heinze (OM) starred as Argentina struck late to beat Diego Pérez’s (Monaco) Uruguay 1-0. Argentina qualify for the Finals, Uruguay now face a play-off against Costa Rica and Maradona is being investigated by FIFA for his rant against the press.

Argentina vs. Uruguay Highlights

Other Results in the Americas

Nice goalkeeper David Ospina was in the Colombia side that bowed out on a high with a 2-0 win in Paraguay.

The already-qualified USA played an emotional game against Costa Rica, coming back from a deficit of two goals to draw with Costa Rica.  Before the game, Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes) and the team paid tribute to Charlie Davies (Sochaux) who is recovering from a serious car accident and will not be able to attend South Africa.  Check the Offside-US blog for more details.

Ligue 1 stars who we won’t see in South Africa include…

Jaroslav Plasil (Bordeaux) could not help the Czech Republic team beat Northern Ireland as both teams’ drew and failed to qualify.

Despite Vedran Runje (Lens) performance in the goal helping Croatia to win against Kazakhstan, they were eliminated from group six.

Sweden’s Kim Källstrom (Lyon) helped his team beat Albania 4-1, but this win couldn’t help his team qualify for the World Cup.

Despite Roland Lamah (Le Mans) and Kevin Mirallas (Saint-Etienne) playing the full ninety minutes and having Eden Hazard (Lille) on the bench, Belgium was unable to beat Estonia as they succumbed to a 2-0 defeat.

Update! Thanks to Thomas for pointing out some of the players I missed last night! I’ve updated the post to reflect a more accurate (I’m pretty sure a few are still missing…) aggregate list.

This post is slightly late– half of the games have already happened– so apologies for my tardiness but better late than never!

Last weekend and this mid-week will see several Ligue 1 players fighting for world cup qualification, a place in the play-off games or just pride.  Here is a brief summary of what happened last weekend and what we can look forward to in midweek from Ligue 1 players.  As a caveat, I may have miss a few– it is completely unintentional and I encourage you to keep this post honest by noting any players I missed in the comments section so I can include them in future summaries!  

So, lets start with the obvious– Les Bleus!  

Despite missing several key players in this must-win game against Faroe Islands (Gourcuff and Ribery were both injured), the French team managed to pull off their best performance of the qualification campaign (though, lets be honest, that is a low bar).  And, the amazing part is the role Ligue 1 players had in this win.  Though France were strong from the outset, Gignac from Toulouse was the man of match (and earned an 8.5 player rating from Goal.com) after he broke the deadlock on the 34th minute and quickly followed up with a second goal 4 minutes later.  In defense, Toulalan from Lyon was solid in defense but almost threatened to steal Gignac’s thunder as he came close to scoring twice in the game’s opening minutes. Mandanda had a solid performance, but he wasn’t really tested much this match. His best highlight is the possible assist he could claim in Gignac’s second goal. On another bright note, Moussa Sissoko (Toulouse) received his first international cap this game when he came on as a subsitute at 62′ for Patrice Evra. Nothing too special about his performance, but he didn’t make any major mistakes either, which I think makes it a successful debut!

Highlights: France vs. Faroe Islands

This win secured France’s 2nd place finish in the group, meaning they will participate in a play-off game regardless of the result of their Austria game. That being said, a win would surely help them maintain some momentum. As there are no Ligue 1 players in the Austria national team, I think we can safely say that this section of the offside will be rooting for Les Bleus!

For a detailed description and up-to-date news, you visit Jeff and Laurie at the France World Cup Blog.  They do a really incredible job of keeping on top of the news, match previews and match wrap-ups.

Argentina

Argentina also saved their campaign with a last minute goal by Martin Palermo (Boca Juniors) and some defending by Heinze (OM) who played the full 90 minutes. Check out the Offside-Argentina blog here.

Other Results

Jean Makoun (OL), Nkoulou (Monaco), Alo’o Efoulou (Nancy) and M’bia (OM) helped Cameroon win 3-0 against Romao (Grenoble) and Serge Akakpo’s (Monaco) Togo.

Taiwo (OM) was an unused substitute in Nigeria’s 1-0 win over Mozambique.

Burkina Faso beat Guinea 2-1, but it is unclear if Kabore played (OM). Even ESPN doesn’t know.

Marouane Chamakh could not translate his good form with Bordeaux to help Morroco beat Ovono (Le Mans), Aubemayang (Lille), and Mouloungui’s (Nice) Gabon on Saturday, losing 3-1.

Iceland beat South Africa 1-0 in an international friendly, but it is unclear if Monaco’s Gudjohnsen played– once again, ESPN has let me down.

Jean Jacques Gosso (Monaco), Gervinho (Lille) and Faé (Nice) helped their Cote D’Ivoire secure a 1-1- draw against Malawi.

Davies (Sochaux) and Bocanegra (Stade Rennais) helped the US secure their place to the 2010 world cup with a 3-2 win over Honduras. On a sad note, Davies was in a car accident over the weekend, with reportedly potential career threatening injuries. After undergoing surgery, he will have a recovery time of at least a year– meaning he is out of the World Cup. Check the Offside-US blog for more details.

If you are missing your club teams…

Remember to keep checking up on your Offside club team blogs though as some played friendlies during the break, like OM which I blogged about here.