Ligue 1 Top & Flop: Round 11

TOP

Loic Remy-Anthony Mounier (Nice): Two former Olympique Lyonnais players had much to prove when they met with their former employers of Saturday evening, but they did so brilliantly. Remy was certainly the man who grabbed the headlines, providing two assists and scoring a goal himself in the 4-1 rout, but the contribution of Mounier on the left flank should not be totally overlooked. Shipped away from Stade Gerland this summer, he produced a very good all-round performance.

Asamoah Gyan (Stade Rennais): Having struck five times already this season, the Ghanaian international must certainly be considered one of the most on-form players in Ligue 1. His goal against Montpellier on Saturday night was something special. He provided a terrific climax to the Bretons’ 3-0 win by superbly controlling a ball 25-yards from goal at a tough angle. Pivoting towards the net, he unleashed a tremendous curling drive that bent round a defender and picked out the top corner. A contender for Goal of the Month.

Nene (Monaco): Gyan’s effort was perhaps eclipsed by those of Brazilian sensation Nene, who has started the season in magnificent fashion. Ligue 1’s top scorer from his berth out on the left hand side of the midfield – he’s struck nine times in just ten games – the former Espanyol loanee has led his side to second in Le Championnat. He was the match-winner against Boulogne-Sur-Mer last Saturday, bending two stunning free kicks into the net from virtually the same position in the last six minutes. His second was close to perfect, kissing the crossbar as it made its way in.

FLOP

Remy Vercoutre (Olympique Lyonnais): The influence of a goalkeeper on a match is often understated, but OL boss Claude Puel will know all about it this week. Missing France No.1 Hugo Lloris for last weekend’s trip to Nice proved costly. Understudy Vercoutre could do little about les Aiglons’ opener but he was hopelessly at fault when a deflection off Aly Cissokho beat him. The 29-year-old did not shower himself in glory for le Gym’s fourth goal, rushing off his line too quickly, giving Remy an easy finish.

Bostjan Cesar (Grenoble): So often the giant defender has been GF38’s saviour – at least that was certainly the case in the second half of last season. At the weekend he was certainly a villain as a cheeky but largely needless tug on Issiar Dia in the last minute of Grenoble’s 2-1 defeat by Nancy ceded the penalty that Youssouf Hadji sent spinning high into the net. His rash moment consigned Grenoble to their tenth successive defeat this season (11th overall), and they now have a chance of breaking the all-time consecutive loss record of 12 in a single season, was set by CA Paris way back in 1933-34.

Swine Flu: Media fervour has certainly built the hype around swine flu to an unprecedented level. Indeed, the virus was responsible for the postponement of the Clasico, the much-anticipated fixture between Olympique de Marseille and Paris Saint-Germain. OM head coach Didier Deschamps pointed out, "Some people have flu all the time, we’ve demonised the H1N1 strain. I don’t want to play it down, but people die from flu every year.” While PSG may have used the illness as something of a ‘get out of jail free’ card, other sides have been forced to play through the illness barrier, with Grenoble and Nice both having players previously hit with the virus.

Who were your heroes and villains over the weekend? Was there a particular moment you thought deserves recognition, good or bad? Goal.com wants to know what you think…

Robin Bairner, Goal.com