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Ligue 1 Team Of The Week: Round 12

After an entertaining weekend in Le Championnat, Goal.com's Robin Bairner runs down the outstanding performers. Toulouse and Auxerre provide the bulk of the players in Matchday 12's best XI...

Nov 2, 2009 10:00:10 AM

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Ligue 1 : Stephane Sessegnon (Paris SG)

Teams

FORMATION: 4-2-3-1

Goalkeeper

Mickael Landreau (Lille): Having been out of the game for three months due to a serious knee injury, Landreau made his Ligue 1 bow for Lille on Saturday against Grenoble. The former Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper excelled, producing a handful of fine saves to repel GF38 and leave them looking for their first points of the season. A terrific reflex stop from a Nassim Akrour header was the pick of the bunch.

Defence

Albin Ebondo (Toulouse): It was very much a backs to the wall effort from Alain Casanova’s side on Saturday evening, when they were reduced to ten men because of a red card given to goalkeeper Yohann Pele after only eight minutes. They defended brilliantly, with Ebondo strong down the right, also providing much needed support going forward. He’s in good form at the moment.

Marc Planus (Girondins de Bordeaux): The match-winner for Laurent Blanc’s side on Saturday in their top-of-the-table clash against Monaco. Not only did he show striker-like instinct to poach the only goal of the game after Marouane Chamakh’s initial header had been saved, he also produced a stout showing at the back, repelling all of Monaco’s best forays.

Dany Nounkeu (Toulouse): A relative unknown when he signed for le Tefece this summer from lower league side Peu, the 23-year-old Cameroonian has been one of Ligue 1’s revelations this season. Facing arguably his biggest test by playing Marseille in the Velodrome, he showed strength and discipline to get his side within a hair’s breadth of a famous victory.

Stephane Grichting (Auxerre): This weekend was certainly not vintage for the left-backs of Ligue 1, with few outstanding performances. Swiss international Grichting was the best, though, helping AJA maintain their solid defensive record and excellent run of form by providing something of a brick wall down the flank when they met Montpellier in Burgundy on Saturday. Jean Fernandez’s men ran out 2-1 victors.

Midfield

Nenad Kovacevic (Racing Club de Lens): Twenty-eight-year-old Kovacevic has been linked with a move to Zenit St. Petersburg in recent times, but his form on the field had not been particularly impressive until this weekend. The ball-winner regained possession countless times for the northern side as they battled to a 1-1 draw with Lorient.

Moussa Sissoko (Toulouse): One of the stars of Ligue 1 this season, 20-year-old Sissoko continues to shine. His latest contribution was a stunning long range strike against Marseille, which temporarily put his side 1-0 ahead. Though they would not hold on to claim three points, the young midfielder was one of the top performers in the league this week.

Gervinho (Lille): Often a little inconsistent, the Ivorian 22-year-old is starting to produce regularly for LOSC, who tiptoed past Grenoble 2-0 at the weekend. It would be the young winger who sealed the game late on, cutting inside the box through a forest of defensive legs and striking home positively.

Stephane Sessegnon (Paris Saint-Germain): Shifted off the left wing and into a more central role at the weekend, the Beninese midfielder flourished. In the playmaker position he constantly provided a source of dangerous passes for his team-mates. The strikers excelled as a result, leading les Parisiens to a hugely impressive 4-1 win over Sochaux after a rather abject run of form.

Aurelien Capoue (Auxerre): Benched last weekend, Capoue came into the starting XI after providing a decisive assist to help his side past Lille. He repeated the trick against Montpellier, providing the crucial pass for Ireneusz Jelen’s opening goal – the strike that unlocked the game.

Attack

Ireneusz Jelen (Auxerre): Brows were starting to get ruffled about the Pole’s lack of goals this season, but he has answered brilliantly in the last two weeks. He grabbed a brace at the weekend against Montpellier, helping his side to a 2-1 win. The 28-year-old is starting to recapture the form that saw him boast one of the best goals to games ratios in the league last term.

Landreau

Ebondo   Planus   Nounkeu   Corchia

Kovacevic   Sissoko

Gervinho   Sessegnon   Capoue

Jelen

Robin Bairner, Goal.com

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