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Ligue 1 Top & Flop: Round 14

Goal.com's Robin Bairner sorts the Cantonas from the can'ts after this weekend's round of fixtures in France's elite league...

Nov 24, 2009 10:00:01 AM

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Ligue 1 - Auxerre joy vs Monaco

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TOP

Auxerre: The hot potato that is the lead of Le Championnat changed hands once again at the weekend, and it is now Jean Fernandez’s AJA who have taken up the pace. Few would have predicted the Burgundy side to have been in the top five after they played their first four games without so much as scoring, but they have been in red-hot form of late, winning all of their last seven matches. Saturday evening’s 2-0 win over Monaco was a lesson in how to control a football match without ever becoming panicked. They didn’t create chances all that frequently, but when an opening was fashioned, they made sure they took it. Meanwhile, Monaco were restricted to scraps.

Gabriel Heinze (Olympique de Marseille): The Argentine certainly showed his worth in Friday night’s Clasico encounter against Paris Saint-Germain. A match he had personally dubbed the biggest of the year, he proved to be the game winner for OM, heading in Fabrice Abriel’s first half free kick to register the only goal of the game. But this contribution was far from his only telling moment. On several occasions he produced excellent tackles or blocks in his own box, keeping the very real threat of Mevlut Erding shackled impressively.

Grenoble: When Grenoble lost their 11th successive game at the start of the season, they laughed. When they picked up a 0-0 draw the following week, they sarcastically applauded. When members of Mehmet Bazdarevic’s side then somewhat audaciously claimed that survival was still a realistic goal, they rolled their eyes. Now after coming back from a 1-0 deficit against Olympique Lyonnais to tie 1-1, they are starting to sit up and take note. Not only does this Grenoble side boast determination, they are also incredibly courageous. Perhaps over-reliant on Danijel Ljuboja in attack, if they can find another source of goals, their season may not be over just yet.

FLOP

Paris Saint-Germain: One win since the end of August says it all for a PSG side who were expected to be floating about the Champions League places come May. At the moment it seems that the Parisien underachievers will have to content themselves with simply avoiding the drop. Friday night’s Clasico defeat against OM has left them in 13th spot, languishing ten points behind leaders Auxerre. But defeat was not necessarily the big worry for head coach Antoine Kombouare – it was more the manner of it. The performance that les Parisiens produced was roundly considered to be their worst of the year in the French press, and that has to be a real worry going into a home encounter with the league leaders next Saturday.

Claude Puel (Olympique Lyonnais): It was a bad weekend for Puel, who saw his Lyon side miss the chance to go top of Ligue 1, despite having the seemingly routine task of dispatching bottom side Grenoble. In a somewhat inevitable turn of events, GF38 packed their defence and hoped. Puel, meanwhile, started with only Lisandro Lopez in attack and likewise hoped. The press have been critical of the OL coach for being too defensive in the past, and it’s hard to mount a case to protect the former Lille coach on this occasion. Lyon expect better.

Saint-Etienne: From time to time, Saint-Etienne look capable of climbing out of crisis, but sadly for their passionate fans, these sparks of excellence only fly on a very infrequent basis. Hapless coach Alain Perrin, who was sacked from Olympique Lyonnais just over a year ago, despite winning the double, is winning few friends amongst les Verts’ supporters. He boasts a talented, though injury riddled, squad of players at his disposal, yet Saint still languish 17th in the league. A tame 2-0 defeat at home by Lorient on Sunday has the former Portsmouth manager under severe pressure once again, and only the fact he has a four point cushion on third-bottom Boulogne can serve as any kind of consolation.

Robin Bairner, Goal.com

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