Ligue 1 - MD31
The big match of the day was the French clasico Paris - Marseille. A rather disappointing game. Paris were not very convincing again and rather fortunate to win but they were more efficient than Marseille who had a couple of chances but they missed them.
In the other games, good performance of Montpellier vs. a team of Sochaux much better than their ranking suggests.
The big upset of the week came from Brest where Lille were defeated. Lille might have lost their last illusions to keep their title there. Their defeat however gives a little hope to Lyon for the last CL spot, whereas Toulouse got their second defeat in a row in the North and lost some important points for the EL spots.
MONTPELLIER (1) - SOCHAUX (19) 2-1
Belhanda 4' Camara 55'; Maïga 27'
PARIS SG (2) - MARSEILLE (9) 2-1
Menez 6' Alex Costa 61'; A.Ayew 59'
BREST (17) - LILLE (3) 3-1
Daf 6' Grougi 10' Alphonse 52'; Payet 27'
LYON (4) - AUXERRE (20) 2-1
Lisandro 28' 71'; Traoré 42'
VALENCIENNES (12) - TOULOUSE (5) 2-0
Danic 62' Samassa 89'
AJACCIO (15) - SAINT-ETIENNE (6) 1-1
Medjani 78'; Sinama-Pongolle 71'
EVIAN TG (10) - RENNES (7) 1-3
Leroy 34'; Hadji 47' Angoula og 88' Erdinc 90+2'
CAEN (18) - BORDEAUX (8) 1-0
Seube 2'
DIJON (13) - NANCY (11) 0-2
Traoré 5' 84'
NICE (16) - LORIENT (14) 2-0
Mounier 49' Civelli 58'
Standings
63 - MONTPELLIER* - PARIS SG
62
61
60
59
58
57
56 - LILLE
55
54
53 - LYON
52
51
50 - TOULOUSE
49
48 - RENNES
47 - SAINT-ETIENNE
46
45
44
43
42 - BORDEAUX
41
40 - MARSEILLE*
39 - EVIAN TG - NANCY
38
37 - VALENCIENNES
36
35
34 - NICE - DIJON
33 - BREST - CAEN - AJACCIO
32 - LORIENT
31
30 - SOCHAUX
29
28
27 - AUXERRE
Top scorers
18 goals - Olivier GIROUD (Montpellier)
14 goals - HAZARD (Lille)
13 goals - NENE (Paris)
etc.
French season 2011-12
It looks as though I jinxed Lille, as they were quick to lose to Brest and let Lyon back in the 3rd place race.Todor wrote:The chances of Lyon and Toulouse to catch them, now 6 pts adrift and with an inferior GD don't look too big.
Lille are yet to play PSG at home and Montpellier away, the rest are matches against teams from the second half of the table.
Lyon visit Toulouse on the next matchday and then have to play against teams from the lower half as well.
Toulouse failed to capitalize on the the Lille's wrong step.
I saw a team that was slapped around by Bayern completely dominate (despite losing) a title contender... Hardly flattering for the French league in comparison to the Bundesliga. Parity in a league is great, but it's value decreases quite a bit when when that parity level simply isn't very high. Right now, it isn't in France. Physicality and tempo can't mask a lack of technical ability...Malko wrote:The teams really have to invest in European Cups to get the 4th CL-spot in some years. The player-material and the clubs for it are there. PSG-OM was a great match bye the way. germans have the possibility to watch those games on Europsport Germany. That will change them a little from their BL.
The French league is too much of a selling league to ever get to the top 3 (imho) and for now I'd worry a lot more about losing a 3rd CL spot in the coming years
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aekFC4ever
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I read an article along the same lines here in Bulgaria, that Marseille had a chance to take revenge on PSG for their loss to Bordeau in the last round of the 98/99 season, by beating PSG and then losing to Montpellier, but it sounded too far fetched, and besides OM already lost to PSG.aekFC4ever wrote:Is it true that Marseille's organised fans want their team to lose to Montpellier so that PSG won't win the trophy???? This is ridiculous...
There is indeed a historic litigation between the two because of the season 1998-99. Before the last MD, Bordeaux and Marseille had the same number of points with Bordeaux having a better goal-difference. Bordeaux thus just needed to make the same outcome as Marseille to become champion. Bordeaux were playing Paris SG at the Parc des Princes whereas Marseille were playing at Nantes. Bordeaux won 3-2 at Paris thanks to a late goal of Feinduno (at the 87' something like that) and thus became champion at the expense of Marseille (winner 1-0 at Nantes at the same time).
Marseille have always suspected Paris not to have played at their best to favour Bordeaux and thus prevent Marseille from winning the title. My neutral opinion is that they have some reasons to be suspicious as some Parisians didn't feel that desesperate when they lost to Bordeaux
That's the reason why some fans would love OM to do the same this season and help Montpellier to win the title at the expense of Paris. Although close (170 kms between the 2 cities), Montpellier and Marseille are not rivals. It is even very likely that most Montpellier fans have OM as their secondary team and I'm not aware that OM fans specifically dislike Montpellier as well.
But it's not because the fans would love to let Montpellier win this game that OM players and management will do it. Hopefully.
This said, Marseille are playing their most important game of their season on Saturday vs. Lyon in the final of the Coupe de la Ligue (opportunity to win a title this season and last chance to be European next season). So it is likely that Deschamps makes a large turn-over for this game vs. Montpellier.
On one hand, it will seriously weakens that team of Marseille (who don't really have a bench), but on the other hand, it is likely that the subs will do everything to show their coach that they deserve to play the final on Saturday. And they cannot really be much worse than regular starters at the moment, so there are certainly some places to take.
At last, OM cannot really afford losing another game. Not only it is not the best preparation for the final, but OM cannot lose too many places in the ranking (basically, because of TV rights distribution, you lose about €1m for every place lost).
Marseille have always suspected Paris not to have played at their best to favour Bordeaux and thus prevent Marseille from winning the title. My neutral opinion is that they have some reasons to be suspicious as some Parisians didn't feel that desesperate when they lost to Bordeaux
That's the reason why some fans would love OM to do the same this season and help Montpellier to win the title at the expense of Paris. Although close (170 kms between the 2 cities), Montpellier and Marseille are not rivals. It is even very likely that most Montpellier fans have OM as their secondary team and I'm not aware that OM fans specifically dislike Montpellier as well.
But it's not because the fans would love to let Montpellier win this game that OM players and management will do it. Hopefully.
This said, Marseille are playing their most important game of their season on Saturday vs. Lyon in the final of the Coupe de la Ligue (opportunity to win a title this season and last chance to be European next season). So it is likely that Deschamps makes a large turn-over for this game vs. Montpellier.
On one hand, it will seriously weakens that team of Marseille (who don't really have a bench), but on the other hand, it is likely that the subs will do everything to show their coach that they deserve to play the final on Saturday. And they cannot really be much worse than regular starters at the moment, so there are certainly some places to take.
At last, OM cannot really afford losing another game. Not only it is not the best preparation for the final, but OM cannot lose too many places in the ranking (basically, because of TV rights distribution, you lose about €1m for every place lost).
This would be interesting to get people views on this forum if they could ever cheer there team to get lose if it meant there rivals didn't win a championship , got relegated etc.
It may not be the moral thing to do but i would and i hold my hands up to it.
It may not be the moral thing to do but i would and i hold my hands up to it.
Hjärtat slår IF Elfsborg.
Member of the Henrik Lundqvist fan club since year 2000.
Member of the Henrik Lundqvist fan club since year 2000.
2 years ago Feyenoord "fans" invaded the pitch during a regular midweek training session a few days before Twente-Feyenoord to "instruct" them to lose that game. It was 3 weeks or so before the end of the season, Twente had a narrow lead over Ajax and Feyenoord had EL football locked up already. Feyenoord did lose, but Twente simply had a better team. I don't believe it had any influence. Twente held on and won the title.Di_Gule wrote:This would be interesting to get people views on this forum if they could ever cheer there team to get lose if it meant there rivals didn't win a championship , got relegated etc.
It may not be the moral thing to do but i would and i hold my hands up to it.
Ironically, last year, 3 weeks before the end PSV had to go to Rotterdam and if PSV were to lose, the road to a title would open up for Ajax. A very small minority still wanted their team to lose, but after the 10-0 in Eindhoven earlier in the season the overwhelming majority wanted revenge on PSV much more. Feyenoord won, fans were happy, but cringed a bit when Ajax took the title eventually...
It always comes up in Holland. Hating other teams (with Ajax as a runaway leader in that category) as much (if not more) as loving your own sadly is a common thing over here. I think Ajax could sell season tickets for the away section in their stadium...
In the end, I don't believe it has any influence on the teams and matches though.
Coupe de France - Semi-finals
In the last 10 years, Lyon have played everywhere in Europe and it has sometimes been hot but never ever Lyon fell into such an ambush than this one in Ajaccio. Remember the WC final? it was worse. Lyon could not touch the ball without being kicked or getting naughty tackles. After the (fully deserved) red card at the end of the first half, Lyon could at last play some football and made the difference in the second half.
GAZELEC AJACCIO (3) - LYON 0-4
Lacazette 59' Lisandro 73' Grenier 80' Gomis 90'
QUEVILLY (3) - RENNES
In the last 10 years, Lyon have played everywhere in Europe and it has sometimes been hot but never ever Lyon fell into such an ambush than this one in Ajaccio. Remember the WC final? it was worse. Lyon could not touch the ball without being kicked or getting naughty tackles. After the (fully deserved) red card at the end of the first half, Lyon could at last play some football and made the difference in the second half.
GAZELEC AJACCIO (3) - LYON 0-4
Lacazette 59' Lisandro 73' Grenier 80' Gomis 90'
QUEVILLY (3) - RENNES
well, winning at Gazelec was something to be expected. This said, I agree with you and to some extent this shameful elimination at Nicosia was like a turning point of the season. They then had 3 very difficult games to play vs. Lille, at St Etienne and at Paris in the cup and instead of sinking, they won all these games to make this end of the season become interesting. They have the 2 finals to play + the 3rd place to get. They have not won anything yet, but at least they have the opportunity to save the season.mavano wrote:Looks like Lyon really turned their season around in the last month or so. 2 cup finals and still a very realistic chance to make it into the CL. Didn't look like that at the beginning of March.
Congrats Lyonnais
mavano, you are right when you say that France has to stop to sell the best players. Now probably Remy and Ayew will go to England too, and probably Hazard and others too. But you are wrong to judge from one single confrontation (2 games9 Marseille vs Bayern. marseille has dominated Dortmund too, and would dominate much Bundesliga-teams (except Bayern dito). And you cannot say : "level simply isn't very high"...the match vs Bayern was a quarterfinal of Championsleague, and if a midfield-team of Ligue 1 gets to quarterfinal of the CL, the level IS high....it's probably even higher in average than in Bundesliga....but again, they have to stop to give all the good players abroad, and should do like PSG was and will : take the best players from abroad to France. germany doesn't get the best players, but keeps their own players, mostly cause the big european clubs doesn't want them (except some exceptions 
), and they have understood that Tottenghham isnt more than Dortmund, while french players think that Tottenham is more than Lille.....
Lyon won logically yesterday (i saw the game in an Eurosport-stream), they did the right thing,......waiting until Gazelec was tired......
Now let's hope Rennes will win vs Quevilly, otherwise we would have Quevilly in Europaleague if Lyon gets the 3rd CL spot.
), and they have understood that Tottenghham isnt more than Dortmund, while french players think that Tottenham is more than Lille.....Lyon won logically yesterday (i saw the game in an Eurosport-stream), they did the right thing,......waiting until Gazelec was tired......
Now let's hope Rennes will win vs Quevilly, otherwise we would have Quevilly in Europaleague if Lyon gets the 3rd CL spot.