Ligue 1 Championship Race : Europe's Only Interesting Title Hunt

Look around all the major leagues in Europe and you will find a trend with the teams at the top of the table. Manchester United lead the English Premier League by 7 points, with defending champions Manchester City not making a good fist of defending their title. In Spain, Barcelona have an ai???almost-unassailableai??? 11 point lead at the top of the La Liga. While theyai??i??ve blown away teams this season, defending champions Real Madrid are languishing in 3^rdAi??place-16 points behind and five points behind their city rivals Athletico Madrid. So is the case with Germany, where Bayern Munich are 9 points clear at the top with champions Borussia Dortmund a further 4 points behind.Ai?? Italian champions Juventus too have a 5 point lead and look comfortably placed.

But the French Ligue1 defies this trend. PSG occupy pole position but only by virtue of goal difference. In fact, the three teams at the top- PSG, Lyon and Marseille- are locked on 38 points each. The Ligue 1 has always produced thrilling title races but in a season where the cash-rich Parisian club was expected to run away with the league title, the battle for the title has sprung a pleasant surprise on everyone. So far at least. Below these three, things are equally competitive. The battle for European spots has also been intriguing with 4^thAi??placed Rennes just 6 points ahead of 12^thAi??placed Toulouse. That only 12 points separate the 1^stAi??placed side from the 12^thAi??placed team is a sign of the competitiveness of the league.

We look at the title contenders,Ai??review the performances of each team and do some crystal ball gazing to predict what might happen in the second half of the season.

Paris Saint German (PSG)

A month ago things were not looking too good at the capital club. Following a wretched run of form in the league – which culminated in a 2-1 loss at Nice – Carlo Ancelottiai??i??s future at the club looked far from secure. The Italian himself conceded that his team were playing with no cohesion and criticized his players for not showing the desire and determination to match their talent. Given the vast amount of talent on the pitch, and on the bench, they wereAi??under-performing. But things change quickly in football.

A run of four consecutive wins in the league- including a 1-0 win over title rivals Lyon- and qualification for the knock out stages of the Champions League have eased the pressure on Ancelotti.Ai?? While the move to change to a 4-4-2 (with Pastore on the right, Lavezzi on the left and MenezAi?? playing off Ibrahimovic ) seems to have spurred this run, the willingness to work hard and an increased cohesion between players has been evident. Half way through the season, PSG are where they were expected to be, but given the gulf ai??i??on and off the field- between them and the other sides their season so far would count as a slight disappointment.

What to expect in the second half:Ai??

Given their squad depth and the lack of squad depth at title rivals Lyon and Marseille, expect PSG to take the crown.

Best Player: Zlatan Ibrahimovic (18 goals and 4 assists)

At the start of the season, PSG were eking out unconvincing wins thanks mainly to the Swede. It would not be an exaggeration to say that he has taken the French capital by storm. With 18 goals and 4 assists so far in the league, he has been the leagueai??i??s best player by a distance.

Disappointment of the season:Ai??Nene

While it was tempting to award this to Javier Pastore, Neneai??i??s – PSGai??i??s top scorer last season- dramatic fall in stock means he is the disappointment of the season. He has spent more time on the sidelines thanks to the array of attacking talent at Ancelottiai??i??s disposal. Nene has performed well when called upon but he seems to fallen out of favour and has spoken openly about wanting to move to another club in January. The arrival of Lucas Moura means his chances of getting regular playing time seem even remote. A move back to Brazil looks a possibility.

Rating: 6.5/10

Lyon

After winning the French FA Cup last season, this was supposed to be another season of transition for Lyon as they looked to get expensive players off their wage bill and induct more youngsters from the academy into the first team. Surprisingly, things have worked out better than expected for Remi Gardeai??i??s boys.Ai?? Of the three teams at the top of the Ligue 1 ladder, Lyon have produced the most convincing performances.Ai?? Remi Gardeai??i??s team play a brand of football that is easy on the eye and produces results. Gardeai??i??s role in easing the members of the Lyon B side-likes of Clement Grenier and Maxime Gonalons-into the senior team hasnai??i??t gone unnoticed and the former Arsenal player has been tipped as one of the candidates to replace his former boss Arsene Wenger at Ashburton Grove.

The 1-0 loss to PSG notwithstanding, Lyon have punched above their weight so far. Given the departures of Hugo Lloris, centre back Cris, left back Aly Cissokho and the midfield pair of Kim Kallstorm and Ederson in the summer clear-out, far less was expected of them. But a combination of shrewd signings, talented youngsters and the remaining experienced players giving everything to the team has brought them here so far. Theyai??i??ve also had a fairly smooth passage to the next round of the Europa League.

What to expect in the second half:Ai??

Lyonai??i??s defeat to third division strugglers Epinal in the ninth round of the FA Cup has exposed their primary weakness: lack of squad depth. That they are the defending champions of the FA cup would have hurt more. Expect them to tail off at the end of the season and settle for a Champions League spot- which, in any case, was their primary aim at the start of the season.

Best Player: Steed Malbranque (2 goals, 6 Assists)

The ex-Fulham midfielder had retired from football last season after an ill-fated spell at Lyonai??i??s arch rivals Saint Etienne. So, when he signed for Lyon on a one year deal not much was expected of him. But a reinvigorated Malbranque has produced wonderful performances so far this season. Making up for the absence of Kim Kallstorm and Ederson, the Frenchman has quickly become a pivotal member of Lyonai??i??s midfield. He sets the tempo and dictates the pace of the game as a deep-lying midfielder. Add to that his dead-ball skills and he has so far proved to be the bargain of the season.

Disappointment of the season: Bafetimbi Gomis

Another one of those ai???high-earnersai??? whom Lyon want to get rid of, the Brazilian has struggled with injuries so far and his game time has been limited. His experience may prove valuable though at the business end of the season.

Rating:Ai??8/10

Marseille

Marseilleai??i??s season so far has been a miracle. Yes, itai??i??s not an exaggeration. Consider the circumstances at the start of the season. In an expected development, Didier Deschamps resigned as the manager to take over as the national team coach. Having endured a miserable end to 2011-12 season, during which they managed one win out of the last 13 league games, the writing was on the wall. Marseilleai??i??s search for a new manager ended with the experienced Ai??lie Baup. Baup , whose biggest achievement was winning the Ligue 1 title with Bordeaux in 1999, was considered a choice dictated by the financial situation of the club. He himself admitted that he knew he wasnai??i??t the preferred appointment.

Their transfer dealings reeked of a club desperately in need of money.Ai?? They sold their centre back Stephane Mbia to QPR, defensive midfielder Alou Diarra to West Ham United and right back Cesar Azpilicueta to Chelsea. Their only notable signing was Joey Barton- onAi?? loan from QPR and he also had to serve his 12 match ban for head-buttingAi?? Sergio Aguero in the last game of the 2011-12 season. A slew of youngsters from the lower divisions and the youth teams were promoted to the first team squad.

In the event, not even the most optimistic Marseille fan wouldai??i??ve expected their team to be in 3^rdAi??place, let alone challenging for the title. But a combination of gritty displays combined with the attacking talents of Andrew Ayew, Mathieu Valbuena and Andre Pierre Gignac have brought much delight to the Marseille faithful after a gloomy end to the last season.

What to expect in the second half:

Again, owing to poor squad depth and a lack of overall superior quality, it is difficult to see Marseille continuing to challenge for the title. They have come up short in tough games this season, as losses against Lorient and Lyon showed and their poor Europa League campaign exposed the lack of squad depth. Securing Champions League qualification would be quite an achievement.

Best Player:Ai??Andre Pierre Gignac(6 Goals)

Last season, Gignac scored one league goal.Yes, one goal in 27 games. Out of favour with Deschamps, overweight and beset by injury problems Gignac’s career was at the crossroads. But with the arrival of Baup, Gignac seems to have redeemed himself.His performance in the Le Classique against PSG, a 2-2 draw was one of the best performances of the season. He scored both of Marseille’s goals in that game and his overall performance matched another burly striker, Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Disappointment of the season: Loic Remy

Last season, Loic Remy was one of France’s best strikers. He scored a total of 24 goals last season and he was linked with a move to England. This season, he has scored just 1 league goal and has barely been able to make the starting lineup. He has fallen down the pecking order behind Gignac and the Ayew brothers- Jordan and Andrew. He has been linked with a move to Newcastle United which might be mutually beneficial.

Rating: 7.5/10

___

Written by Guest Author Chaitanya Lakkapragada

Follow the author on Twitter:Ai??@chaitugooner

Ligue 1 Championship Race : Europe’s Only Interesting Title Hunt

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