Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been named Ligue 1 Player of the Month for September ahead of Paris Saint-Germain team-mate Marco Verratti after

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1 NEWSLETTER LIGUE 1: Zlatan top dog in September Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been named Ligue 1 Player of the Month for September ahead of Paris Saint-Germain team-mate Marco Verratti after a remarkable introduction into life in the French top flight. The Swedish international scored five times in four games in September, helping his team rack up a quartet of victories and overhaul early pacesetters Olympique de Marseille to take top spot in the table. The 31-year-old picked up 56% of the vote of users of the L'Equipe website, listeners to the RTL radio station and the UNFP, the French professional footballers' union. That compared to 25% for Verratti, whose poise in central midfield has underpinned PSG's rise to the top of the pile, with in-form FC Lorient striker Alain Traoré polling 19%. Ibrahimovic will receive his award before his club's encounter with AS Saint-Etienne in Week 11. RISING STAR: Ali Ahamada An ever-present with Toulouse last season, Ali Ahamada has emerged as one of Ligue 1's best goalkeepers in recent weeks, producing a string of stunning performances to help take his side to the upper echelons of the league table. The France Under-21 international is delighted with the progress he has made in the last 12 months. "When I joined Toulouse, I'd come from the amateur game and I wasn't really used to playing every weekend," explained the 21-year-old native of the Comoros. "Since I've been playing for the first team, I've been able to gain experience. There are still imperfections in my game compared to older goalkeepers but I'm working at it." While Ahamada is renowned for his stunning reflexes, he is also commanding in and around his penalty area. "He's big and very athletic, but another quality he has is that he's very elastic," explained ex-lyon, PSG and France 'keeper Grégory Coupet. "He's like Joseph-Antoine Bell, who was able to stretch out and go such a long way to get to the ball. But Ali is good coming off his line too. He is brave and when he decides to come he comes and he gets the ball, sometimes even with one hand." Ahamada is flattered by the comparison to Bell, a Cameroonian legend who played for Bordeaux, Marseille and Saint-Etienne, but admits he has other role models. "I was inspired by Fabien Barthez and Bernard Lama," revealed Ahamada. "When I started there was also Steve Mandanda who was coming through at Marseille. I really liked those goalkeepers and I'm working hard to try to emulate them." Ahamada certainly seems focused, but he's not afraid to have a laugh either, much like former France and Manchester United custodian Barthez. "A lot of people have told me I remind them of Barthez when he was my age," he explained. "I don't get stressed, I'm very easy going and I like to rely 10/26/2012 Ligue de Football Professionnel / Ligue1.com 1

2 a lot on my instincts. From time to time I do try to think about things a bit as well, because you have to be serious too." This season, Ahadama has been brilliant in goal for Toulouse, and has even given a hand to the strikers. "I was in a state of euphoria when I scored," beamed Ahamada, recounting the tale of his scoring a last-gasp equaliser in Week 6's 2-2 draw with Rennes. "It was just amazing, I was surrounded by fans, my teammates and the coaching staff. As a goalkeeper, you're not supposed to score, so when it happens it's even more special than for an outfield player. I've saved penalties in my career, but the feeling you get when you score a goal in incomparable. Sharing the moment with the fans is so magical and emotional. I'll never forget that day." Pires: 'Ligue 1 is getting stronger' In an exclusive interview, former France star Robert Pires says he believes the future is bright for Ligue 1, and the one-time Marseille favourite admits that PSG deserve credit for raising the profile of the domestic game. Now 38, Pires has not played since leaving Aston Villa last year and, while he lives in London, he keeps a close eye on Ligue 1 in his role as a pundit for French television. From his vantage point, he has been impressed with the team that Paris Saint-Germain's new management team have put together. "Ligue 1 is getting stronger again and that's good news for France," he told Ligue1.com. "Of course the catalyst is Paris Saint-Germain. It's very important and I think that what the president Nasser Al-Khelaifi is doing is fantastic. It's one thing to have money, but he's spending it in an intelligent way. I think PSG are building a strong team in a clever, calculated way. They have top players at the back, in midfield and up front. Then you have the other French clubs who are trying to fight with them. We know it's going to be hard because PSG have certainly the strongest squad in France now." The graceful Pires made his name in Ligue 1 in the 1990s with FC Metz and Olympique de Marseille before leaving for what would prove to be a glorious spell with Arsenal in His time at the Stade Vélodrome proved to be something of a rollercoaster ride, as OM made it to the UEFA Cup final in his first season on the south coast, before spending his second campaign battling to avoid relegation. He admits that the pressure of playing for OM can be difficult to handle. "The second year at Marseille was a very tough experience. It was a very long, hard season, and we only avoided relegation on the final day," he said. "The supporters are very demanding. They don't make life easy for you, and they tend to go from one extreme to another. When you're top or second in the league you're the best and you seen as a god. If you lose, it's like you get thrown straight in to the dustbin." Despite that bittersweet experience, Pires insists that his formative years in France were vital before he went on to form part of a wonderful Arsenal team under compatriot Arsène Wenger and alongside countrymen such as Thierry Henry. "My time in France was very important in my career," he said. "We are lucky to have excellent training facilities, and the young players are really well looked after. I was also fortunate to have benefited from the academies at (hometown team) Reims and at Metz. People showed faith in me and I was given a chance to play. I think I proved my quality. Then I went to Marseille, which was an important step for me before moving abroad." Among the current stars of the French game, Pires is impressed by some of the young talent on display at Montpellier, even if the champions have 10/26/2012 Ligue de Football Professionnel / Ligue1.com 2

3 endured a difficult start to this season. "I'm enjoying the performances of Rémy Cabella at Montpellier this season," said Pires. "He's carried on from where he left off last season. I thought he was very good against Arsenal on his Champions League debut. That shows he has character and can go a long way, that he doesn't let the pressure of big games get to him. I hope he can continue enjoying himself and gain more experience. But I think Cabella and Younès Belhanda can kick on from last season, when they helped Montpellier pip PSG for the title. Both have real quality." So does that mean Cabella could be set to follow a similar career path to that trodden by Pires? "I think Arsène Wenger will have noticed his performance in that Champions League game. Wenger likes small technical players like him, players like Santi Cazorla who he recently signed from Málaga. "I think Wenger may have Cabella's name in the back of his mind, and who knows, maybe he will end up at Arsenal." CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: PSG cruise past Dinamo Goals from Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Jérémy Ménez gave PSG a comfortable 2-0 win in Zagreb to go clear in second place in Group A. The scoreline could have been even wider had the giant Swede converted more of his many chances. Paris Saint-Germain gave their chances of progressing from the group stage a boost with convincing win against Dinamo Zagreb, Carlo Ancelotti's men dominating proceedings - thanks largely to the efforts of defensive midfielders Marco Verratti and Blaise Matuidi - and taking the three points thanks to goals from strike duo Ibrahimovic (33') and Ménez (43'). Zagreb seemed content to sit back and try to contain Paris, hitting on the counter, but their lack of possession hampered their progress and their counter-attacks left them open to the pace and movement of the PSG forwards, with Ibrahimovic losing out narrowly one-on-one with Ivan Kelava (3') before rounding the Zagreb 'keeper only to fire just past the top corner from close range (25'). It was third time lucky, however, for the Swede as he worked a one-two on the left of the box with Ménez, who broke past his man and cut back for the ex-milan striker to stroke home (33'). Ten minutes later, Ménez was at it again, from a neat ball from Javier Pastore, only this time he did his finishing himself, slotting through Kelava's legs to make it 2-0 (43'). Although Zagreb did manage to create more danger in the second half, after Zouman Camara had come on for Alex in the centre of defence, PSG's backline still proved too astute for Sammir, Duje Cop and Luis Ibanez, picking off the final ball with ease. PSG could have widened the gap after the break, with Ibrahimovic missing another chance as his chip sailed narrowly wide after he was played in beautifully by Pastore (64'), Thiago Silva hitting the woodwork with a header (79') and Guillaume Hoarau having his effort ruled out for a foul (89'). PSG now sit on six points, three behind leaders FC Porto and three in front of Dynamo Kyiv ahead of the return leg of their double header with the Croatian champions in a fortnight's time. 10/26/2012 Ligue de Football Professionnel / Ligue1.com 3

4 Ancelotti: 'Our position is good' PSG coach Carlo Ancelotti believes that the 2-0 win Zagreb leaves his side with every chance of qualifying for the last 16. Carlo Ancelotti (Paris Saint-Germain coach): "We?re very satisfied. We had a good attitude and we controlled the game well. It wasn't extraordinary but it was a good match. We could have scored more goals but it's still a good result and a good performance. When you can score more goals, you should do it. Ibrahimovic only scored one but it was the important one. But it's true that less clinical than he usually is in front of goal. After a bad performance against Marseille, [Javier] Pastore played well. He played simple and consistent football. [Jérémy] Ménez was very happy with his assist and goal. I had asked him to do more because he has extraordinary ability. I hope he'll keep improving. Our position in the group is good. We have three matches left, with the chance to move to nine points at home to Dinamo before taking on Kyiv and Porto. Right now it's looking like a good week, but we still have a match to play on Saturday [in Nancy]. We're not in the last 16 yet but I think that with 10 points, you can qualify." Ante Cacic (Dinamo Zagreb coach): "Victory went to the better team. Paris Saint-Germain showed why they are [one of the] favourites. They are the most expensive team in the history of French football and there's an obvious difference between their side and ours. I said before the match and the competition that there is a big difference between the Croatian and French league and the two teams. PSG have a lot of very experienced, quality players, who have had good careers; our team is still developing and without much experience. Merely playing in the Champions League group stage is a big success for us, even though that sounds like a cliché. For us it's very important to gain some know-how from match to match." Olympiacos nail Montpellier at death Montpellier's woes continued on Wednesday as Olympiacos scored in the final minute to win 2-1, leaving René Girard's men - who had dominated for 70 minutes - at the bottom of Group B with three games to go. Montpellier had been looking to use this Champions League encounter with Olympiacos to claim their first win at home all season and get themselves on track in Group B after creditable outings against Arsenal and Schalke, and for 70 minutes it seems that was exactly what they would do only for the Greek side to hit back in the final stages and claim a dramatic last-gasp win. MHSC summer signing Gaëtan Charbonnier got the ball rolling just after the break with his first competitive goal for La Paillade, sending the charged-up Stade de la Mosson faithful into raptures when he half-volleyed home from 18 metres after Younès Belhanda (8') and he himself had gone close (42') in a first half clearly to the advantage of the hosts. Rémy Cabella pulled off some fine work to set up Belhanda in the 71st minute, but the Moroccan international fired wide with what turned out to be Montpellier's last clear-cut chance, Olympiacos shifting up a gear from stalwart defending into attack. Vassilis Torossidis hit back with the leveller two minutes later, making the most of a slip from Benjamin Stambouli to control a long cross, turn and fire past Geoffrey Jourdren (73'). And just as it seemed Montpellier would hold out for the draw, Djamel Abdoun worked some magic down to the goal line before cutting across the face to Kostas Mitroglou for the easiest of tap-ins (90'+1). The loss leaves Montpellier in bottom place in Group B, five points adrift of second-placed Arsenal with three matches to go, and in need of a quick response against Nice in Ligue 1 this weekend before taking on Bordeaux in the Coupe de la Ligue next week. 10/26/2012 Ligue de Football Professionnel / Ligue1.com 4

5 Girard: 'The same problems' Montpellier Hérault SC coach René Girard lamented his side's inability to learn from their mistakes after they were beaten by Olympiacos. René Girard (Montpellier coach): "Since the beginning of the season, there have been a lot of matches like this one, ones that we've lost - perhaps undeservedly - always due to the same problems. The problem is I'm waiting for the lads to get back to the rigour and concentration we used to have. Unfortunately there were a couple of set pieces where we went missing, and for their second goal it was three against one. It's not a physical problem, it?s a tactical problem. We don't do what we need to do and we get caught out. We gave them the stick to beat us with tonight, by wasting possession. We got a bit shaky when they scored their first goal. But the thing that really bothers me is that each of the lads had a turn at messing up. Are we shattered? No, but disappointed, yes. We need to stop gifting goals; my defenders need to start really defending. It's starting to get on my nerves." Leonardo Jardim (Olympiacos coach): "Tonight's result is very important for us. We always try to play attractive football, but our main focus is getting the result, the points, the victories. We knew Montpellier were going through a rough patch in their league, therefore today's match would be important. They were better in the first half and put in a lot of effort - that perhaps cost them, because their intensity after the break gradually faded. We did the reverse: we were not that good in the first half but improved considerably in the second and managed to get the victory. Bayern leave Lille on brink A first-half Thomas Müller penalty for Bayern Munich condemned LOSC Lille to a third defeat in as many Champions League Group F outings on Tuesday. Shorn of several key players due to injury and suspension, this was always going to be a huge challenge for Rudi Garcia's side. And against a team that reached last season's Champions League final and have just set a new Bundesliga record by winning their first eight matches of the campaign, the last thing Lille would have wanted to do was concede an early penalty. But that is exactly what happened, with Lucas Digne being penalised for a challenge on Philipp Lahm inside the box, and Müller making no mistake from 12 yards. With Valencia beating BATE Borisov in the other game in Belarus, the Group F table does not make for good reading for Lille. While they remain pointless, the three sides above them all lie on six points, and an early elimination from the competition for a second straight season looks highly likely. The brand new Grand Stade is a wonderful venue for top-class football, and a sell-out crowd including a noisy and colourful travelling contingent made for a fantastic atmosphere. However, it was hard not to think of the players Lille were missing - including Mathieu Debuchy, Marko Ba?a and captain Rio Mavuba - or those who have moved on since the double-winning campaign of , and wonder what might have been. The team that Garcia sent out here is not yet good enough to compete at this level, even against a Bayern side that failed to reach the same heights they have scaled domestically this season. The hosts did start brightly enough, and Tulio De Melo headed just past after Digne had been set free down the left by a fine Marvin Martin pass. Indeed, the young Digne looked very much in the mood before being caught the wrong side of Lahm in the 19th minute, allowing the Bayern captain to break into the area from right-back. Digne hauled him back, and English referee Martin Atkinson awarded the spot-kick which was converted by Müller. No longer needing to chase the game, but with former Lille youth player Franck Ribéry pulling the strings from wide on the left, Bayern were in control. However, Lille battled gamely, and Martin might have equalised, only to send his snap-shot well wide with visiting 'keeper Manuel Neuer off his line. 10/26/2012 Ligue de Football Professionnel / Ligue1.com 5

6 Ribéry - who was given a hostile reception by the home support - did not reappear after the interval, with Xherdan Shaqiri taking his place, and the Swiss winger saw a shot deflected over as Bayern went in search of a second goal. Toni Kroos volleyed over, while Müller stabbed wide from a Lahm centre, but Lille remained in the contest, and substitutes Dimitri Payet and Ryan Mendes gave them extra impetus in the closing stages. However, Neuer punched away a Djibril Sidibé cross before it could reach Nolan Roux at the back post, and Payet shot well over from distance, as Lille surrendered to a sixth defeat in 14 competitive outings this season. They must now look to bounce back in Saturday's derby clash with Valenciennes FC. Garcia: 'We're still alive' Lille coach Rudi Garcia knows the road ahead is tough following a third consecutive Champions League defeat at home to Bayern Munich - but refuses to give up hope of qualifying for the knockout rounds. Rudi Garcia (Lille coach): "The players are not to blame? they gave it their all. We played with intensity. Unfortunately we didn't have many chances, albeit we had more in the second than in the first half. We should have had more on target in order to trouble their defence and very good goalkeeper [Manuel Neuer]. We know they are a great team, but we could have been more threatening towards them. We're still alive. We have to win in Munich, but the European Cup is the stuff of achievements. While it is mathematically possible we will try to finish in the top two, but we know it will be hard." Jupp Heynckes (Bayern coach): "A 1-0 lead is always dangerous, because Lille were trying everything to score the equaliser. This is the type of game that you have to win. It was a tough task today. We didn't play that well, but we put up a great fight and, in the end, deserved to win. It was noticeable that we weren't as free flowing in our game today, and thus we have to be satisfied with winning the match, despite our mediocre performance. We weren't as effective while switching from defence to attack today, at least not the way we have done in recent weeks. In the end, it's important to win these games." EUROPA LEAGUE: Lyon take control, OM crash Olympique Lyonnais maintained their grip on top spot in Europa League Group I with a dramatic 2-1 win over Athletic Bilbao, while OM crashed to a shock 2-0 defeat to Mönchengladbach and Bordeaux drew 1-1 away to Maritimo. Group I Olympique Lyonnais 2-1 Athletic Club Bilbao Lyon continued their perfect run in the Europa Legaue this season with a 2-1 win, and sit atop Group I with nine points - but despite the impressive numbers, it was no walk in the park for Rémi Garde's men faced with the skilful Spanish side determined to make their mark after under-performing in the first wo outings. Equal on points after a balanced first half - with OL 'keeper Rémy Vercoutre producing two strong saves to deny Aritz Aduriz (7', 26') while Steed 10/26/2012 Ligue de Football Professionnel / Ligue1.com 6

7 Malbranque forced Gorka Iraizoz to return the favour (42') - OL captain Lisandro Lopez blew the game wide open with a sensational header from an Anthony Réveillère cross (54'). Bilbao brought on Fernando Llorente for Aduriz on the hour-mark, and despite being still short of match fitness, the Spain striker spurred his side forward and set up an unexpected equaliser with a deft shoulder-pass on the edge of the area, Gomez firing home first time past Vercoutre (78') to make it 1-1. The long-time reserve OL 'keeper - first choice since the departure of Hugo Lloris for Tottenham in the summer - then prevented disaster with a stunning save from Markel Susaeta and his teammates responded in vintage Lyon fashion, Gueïda Fofana forcing Iraizoz to palm his powerful shot into the path if the surging Jimmy Briand, who clipped home neatly to secure all three points (86'). Group C Borussia Mönchengladbach 2-0 Olympique de Marseille Marseille were looking to continue their strong showing in Europe this season when they travelled to Borussia Mönchengladbach - both to take a strong position in Group C and bounce back from three winless league outings on the trot - but Elie Baup's men came unstuck in Germany. OM started out playing the efficient possession football that saw them take an early lead in Ligue 1 this season, but when Charles Kaboré handled in the area, Fillip Daems's penalty gave the hosts a shock lead (33') and set Marseille on the back foot. Borussia slowly pushed their way into the game as OM failed to convert their chances, and Peniel Mlapa's stunning strike from range to make it 2-0 left the Germans in control as the match played out, OM's winless run stretched to four in all competitions as a crunch league clash with direct rivals Lyon looms on Sunday. The loss sees OM concede top spot to Fenerbahçe, claiming second place on goal difference over Mönchengladbach ahead of their re-match on Matchday 4. Group D CS Maritimo 1-1 Girondins de Bordeaux Meanwhile Bordeaux played out a thrilling 1-1 draw away to Portuguese side Maritimo, club top scorer Yoann Goufran opening the scoring with his fourth of the current Europa League campaign as he side-footed home a Benoît Trémoulinas cross on the break (30') only for Frencman Valentin Roberge to level matters six minutes later. Following a thunderbolt of a shot from Ruben Ferreira, which Bordeaux's second-choice 'keeper Kévin Olimpa had misjudged and allowed to crash into the cross-bar, Roberge cleaned up neatly with a deft chip that left Olimpa in no-man's land. Les Girondins remain in second place on four points, three behind leaders Newcastle United and just one length ahead of Maritimo ahead of the return leg of their double-header in a Bordeaux in a fortnight's time. 10/26/2012 Ligue de Football Professionnel / Ligue1.com 7

8 Europa League reactions Olympique Lyonnais coach Rémi Garde hailed his team's 'great spirit' in bouncing back to beat Athletic Bilbao. Elie Baup asked for "a little more" from his players after they were beaten at Mönchengladbach. Olympique Lyonnais 2-1 Athletic Bilbao Rémi Garde (Lyon coach): "We suffered up against a very good team which showed why they reached the final last season. They're a team which caused us problems, especially in the first half. We were better after the break. We won the ball back higher up the pitch. With talent and courage, we managed to come through. We're now in an ideal position to qualify, and we'll see what we're able to do in the remaining games. I liked the way we dug deep after Bilbao equalised. We showed great team spirit. We expected to suffer, but also wanted to cause them problems. I wasn't sure that we'd be able to get winner. Without a fantastic save from Rémy Vercoutre, things would have been very different." Borussia Mönchengladbach 2-0 Olympique de Marseille Elie Baup (Marseille coach): "We had a good first 35 minutes, and had possession of the ball but didn't transform that into a goal. We need to be more clinical with our finishing. After that, there was the penalty which really changed the course of the match. In the second half, we tried to keep hold of the ball and get some width into our game, but in terms of pressing and commitment, in a European game like that, you have to do a little more. We need to re-find our unity, our willingness to do more for our team-mates." Benoît Cheyrou (Marseille midfielder): "That's back-to-back defeats against teams which it's within our powers to beat. Now we have to quickly get our minds onto Sunday's big game, prepare for the meeting with Lyon, and recover. It's going to come down to freshness, both physical and mental, so we have to concentrate our work on that." 10/26/2012 Ligue de Football Professionnel / Ligue1.com 8