Ligue 1 is bursting with talent, and Premier League has notoriously picked the best of them. Some of the greatest players to have graced the Premier League have been French, from Cantona and Ginola to Viera and Henry. Having covered the Ligue 1 for the past 3 years, I felt that this blog could highlight some of the best talent currently plying their trade in France. Chelsea ought to take a very close look at some of them.
Many people don’t realise this but some of the best Chelsea buys under Abramovich have come from Ligue 1. Recently crowned Chelsea player of the year – Petr Cech arrived from Rennes, Michael Essien arrived from Lyon whilst Didier Drogba left his beloved Marseille and of course the Great Claude Makelele played most of his career in France before swapping Real Madrid for Chelsea.
Of course not all Ligue 1 imports have proved to be a success – for every Cech there was a Barthez, for every Clichy a Cygan, for every Makelele a Diarra, for every Henry a Bellion. Yet the French market has proved to be a successful hunting ground for English clubs, more so than any other.
Part 1 of the blog will focus on the goalkeeping talent that has impressed me the most during the current season:
Mickaël Landreau, Lille OSC (Age: 32, Nationality: French)
Mickael has had a triumphant season with Lille, who have all but guaranteed the Ligue 1 title, 6 points ahead and superior goal difference with 2 games to go. I have read a stat recently and Lille haven’t conceded more than 1 goal in last 20 matches in Ligue 1 after a 1-0 win over Sochaux. Lille have Mickael to thank for a lot of their success this season. He has matured a lot, and having just turned 32 – he is in his prime and in form of his life. With the 2nd best defensive record in the league, Mickael has pulled off some terrific saves this season, his decision-making is also second-to-none. His best performance of the season came perhaps in the Coupe De France match against his former club Nantes, his heroics during the match and two saves in the penalty shoot-out handed Lille the tie. Domestic double is a just reward for Lille and their keeper this season.
Nicolas Douchez, Stade Rennais (Age: 31, Nationality: French)
Nicolas like Landreau has improved this season quite a bit and has been rewarded with several call-ups to Blanc’s French squad. Rennes currently hold the best defensive record in France with just 30 goals conceded in 36 matches. With Nicolas you can see why, he is Mr Reliable. Whilst he is not as spectacular as others, he does his job well, he is smart, he knows his defence well and organises them well. He has been prone to concede an odd soft goal, but has been very solid this season. Out of contract in the summer, he has announced that he is definitely leaving Rennes and reported to have agreed to join PSG to replace Gregory Coupet.
Steve Mandanda, Olympique de Marseille (Age: 26, Nationality: French)
Steve has had a good season. He has been consistent, although the odd mistake still creeps into his game. Chelsea fans would have noted his ability in the Champions League both against us and Man Utd. Much like Landreau, Steve looks like he will spend his international career on the bench behind Hugo Lloris, as Micka?l did with Barthez and then Coupet. Nonetheless, for me Mandanda remains the best all-round keeper in Ligue 1.
Notable mentions to:
Jeremy Janot [pictured at the top of the article] – the ‘Spiderman’ puts in some outrageous saves for St Etienne , he’d give a mad Jens a run for his money. It is very rare when a goalkeeper can excite people as much as Janot.
Hugo Lloris – he has had a frankly terrible season. Lyon have conceded 1.11 goals per game, the highest since 99/00 season. Hugo has been erratic and has made a few high-profile mistakes. Although I suspect his status as France’s number one keeper and his Champions League performances will still keep likes of Man Utd interested.
David Ospina – the only foreigner on the list, the Columbian is highly rated and despite having spent battling relegation with Nice for most of the season he seems to have earned himself a move to Rennes to replace Douchez. Time will tell if he can fill his shoes.
