Big wins for the Olympiques and another loss for Monaco left the three sides separated by just a point in the race for second; Nice and

Transcription

1 NEWSLETTER Week 35 LIGUE 1 CONFORAMA Week 34 review: Five stars for OL, OM as Monaco fall Big wins for the Olympiques and another loss for Monaco left the three sides separated by just a point in the race for second; Nice and Saint-Etienne both won to boost their bids for Europa League football next season. Until last week, Monaco seemed firm favourites to clinch second place and the Champions League group-stage berth that goes with it, but the champions' 7-1 hammering at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain in Week 33 not only saw their title defence finish, but also whittled their lead over third place to just four points. Thus, away to Guingamp in Week 34, Leonardo Jardim's team were looking to restore their buffer but, reduced to ten men after Jemerson saw red for an intentional hand ball on the goal-line 21 minutes into the match, couldn't find a way past a Guingamp side intent on clinching a third win in an unbeaten run of four matches and fell 3-1. "I was expecting a reaction too. I defended the team at the Parc [des Princes], but today I can't say the same thing. We lacked commitment," said a dispirited Jardim after Saturday's defeat in Brittany. "To play for Monaco, a team that wants to stay in second place, there needs to be a change in attitude. It is not enough to say 'I play for Monaco'. This attitude of being a bit relaxed is not good because we have only one objective, the most important of the season, which is to finish in second place." Stern words from the big chair, but hardly out of order given the threat posed by in-form OL and OM. Lyon set the tone on Friday night with 5-2 hammering of Dijon - their fifth five-goal haul of the campaign - with fit-again captain Nabil Fekir's dazzling solo effort and Memphis Depay's sixth in five outings helping to get the better of their game but out-gunned hosts. "The aim was to win, which is what we did. We're happy with the win and to have scored five goals. But there are still quite a few things to put right going forward, because we should have been better in handling our weaker periods," said wary OL boss Bruno Genesio. "We have to learn quickly from our mistakes if we don't want to suffer a disappointment between now and the end of the season. What is important is to focus on the battle for third with Marseille. We can't control what Monaco do in second." The win put the pressure on Marseille to keep pace, but Rudi Garcia's team responded in the best possible way. With Florian Thauvin and Kostas Mitroglou both bagging braces, OM hammered relegation contenders LOSC 5-1 at the Orange Vélodrome to stay locked on points with Lyon and in a winning frame of mind ahead of their UEFA Europa League semi-final first leg at home to Red Bull Salzburg on Thursday. "We had seven shots, five on target, while Lille had no shots on target. That was the difference. And when you score a second, then a third and a fourth, the match is finished for the opposition," said OM boss Rudi Garcia. "We are equal-third again and we are on a winning dynamic. That is important for next Thursday, and now we are going to study Salzburg closely. With this team spirit, this team is capable of being stronger than anyone. We need to keep showing that until the end of the season." Meanwhile, with the title secured, Paris Saint-Germain went about chasing the league's points record - 96, set by Paris Saint-Germain themselves two seasons ago - as they travelled to Bordeaux. Despite a valiant display from Gustavo Poyet's side, who had 21 shots on goal, Paris moved onto 90 points thanks to Giovani Lo Celso's winner - one of just two efforts on goal from the capital club. The entertaining race for fifth place has another new leader this week, with OGC Nice moving into prime position thanks to a 1-0 win over direct rivals Montpellier and Rennes' inability to beat ten-man Nantes in their 1-1 derby draw on Friday night. Nice have lost just one of their last nine, but even this 04/27/2018 Ligue de Football Professionnel / Ligue1.com 1

2 impressive form suffers from comparison to that of Saint-Etienne. Jean-Louis Gasset's side are unbeaten in 12 matches following the 2-1 win over Troyes - substitute Robert Beric's brace (his sixth and seventh goals since returning to the club in January) cancelling out Adama Niane's opener - that took them to sixth place after being as low as 16th in January. Amiens SC all but secured a second season in France's top flight with a 3-1 dismantling of fellow promotees Strasbourg who, winless in nine, sit just five points above the drop in 16th. Meanwhile Angers saw a four-match unbeaten come to an end 2-0 in Toulouse - just a second win by a two-goal margin for the Téfécé this season - while SM Caen denied bottom club FC Metz a precious win by coming from behind to draw 1-1. Week 34 reactions - Poyet: 'Something very special' Proud coach Gustavo Poyet couldn't hide his disappointment after Bordeaux lost out 1-0 at home to PSG on Sunday night; opposite number Unai Emery was happy to have added some gloss to the champions' end-of-season run. Sunday, April 22, 2018 Girondins de Bordeaux 0-1 Paris Saint-Germain Gustavo Poyet (FC Girondins de Bordeaux coach): "There are no regrets but I'm sorry for the players, who turned in a huge performance. There were many positives but in the end we lost the match. We lacked quality with the final ball. We showed something very special today and it's incredible because I should be happy about that but I'm not - because we lost. We did well but we haven't been doing it each week, and it's up to me to work on that. I'm not thinking about qualifying for Europe as there are a lot of teams on win streaks, like Nice and Saint-Etienne. It has been a tough year and I think we need to keep winning for the fans, to show them that we're still here." Unai Emery (Paris Saint-Germain coach): "We wanted to keep our run of wins going and we managed to do that. Bordeaux were trying to improve their league position. They did well and we had to be solid defensively, but we showed character. It's another step forward for us. We're happy with the result. I'm satisfied with the work done by the players. It was important to keep our run of wins going after being crowned champions and qualifying for the Coupe de France final." OGC Nice 1-0 Montpellier Hérault SC Lucien Favre (Nice coach): "It's a close win, but deserved. Given the results in the last two weeks, we didn't have a choice, we had to win. We took the necessary risks. We were able to stay in the game. We weren't too hasty. And we were able to shoot from distance. It's important to be able to do that. It was a lovely goal. After that, Montpellier didn't have a lot of chances. Now we have a big run-in. We have to focus on our next game, against Strasbourg, and we'll see after that. That's really what I think. I know we have Marseille, Caen and Lyon after that. But Strasbourg is enough in themselves. It'll be a very tough game." Michel Der Zakarian (Montpellier coach): "I'm disappointed to have lost, but we didn't do a lot going forward. We weren't precise enough in our transmissions, and the choices we made. Defensively, we battled well, but Nice were better than us technically. We've been short of ideas up front in the last two games. Giovanni [Sio] was too isolated up front. Nil-nil was the best we could have hoped for - I'm not sure their goalkeeper even had a save to make. But I still think we can do it. We have four games left. We have to prepare well for Saint-Etienne. If we don't beat them and the teams ahead of us win, it'll be over." AS Saint-Etienne 2-1 ESTAC Troyes Jean-Louis Gasset (Saint-Etienne coach): "I don't regret my initial choices. I give all my forwards a chance. I try to work on the basis of squad rotation. At Strasbourg, it wasn't great. I changed it, and then changed it again at half-time. You have to try things. We have four finals left now. We were trailing 1-0 due to an uncharacteristc error, we had to change tack as we weren't getting in front of their goal enough. We're sixth and we have 12 points to 04/27/2018 Ligue de Football Professionnel / Ligue1.com 2

3 win. It's very tight, but our fixtures are difficult with trips to Montpellier and Monaco and home games with Bordeaux and Lille. We have a handy little lead, that's good. Remember we were 16th on 1 January." Jean-Louis Garcia (Troyes coach): "In spite of the quality of their players and the changes made, Saint-Etienne had a problem creating clear-cut chances. Just before the equaliser, Johann Obiang had a chance to make it 2-0, and it was miraculously stopped by Mathieu Debuchy. Things were a little bit the same as they have been already this season. Last week against Marseille, we led 2-1. Our natural desire to play works against us. We struggle to hold on to the final whistle. Once again, we haven't been rewarded for our efforts. I note that we have actually gone up a place on this matchday, we're now in the relegation/promotion play-off place rather than the bottom two. We mustn't give up. We're still in the fight to stay up, that was our initial goal." Saturday, April 21, 2018 Olympique de Marseille 5-1 LOSC Rudi Garcia (Marseille coach): "We lost the ball too often but got away with it at half-time because we were rewarded above all for our clinical finishing. We had seven shots, five on target, while Lille had no shots on target. That was the difference. And when you score a second, then a third and a fourth, the match is finished for the opposition. We are level third again and we are on a winning dynamic. That is important for next Thursday, and now we are going to study Salzburg closely. With this team spirit, this team is capable of being stronger than anyone. We need to keep showing that until the end of the season." Christophe Galtier (Lille coach): "We were very bad in the two penalty areas. The first 20 minutes gave us hope, but then we wanted to attack without maintaining a balance and we cracked too easily defensively. We often reproduce the same errors. We think football is only when we have the ball at our feet, playing at our rhythm and in our way. But that is a big mistake, especially against Marseille. We don't know how to be tougher when things become harder. But I am keeping the faith, even if it is very difficult internally. We have to beat Metz and if we do that we will still be alive." Amiens SC 3-1 RC Strasbourg Alsace Christophe Pelissier (Amiens coach): "I have looked at the table and mathematically we are not yet safe. There are four matches left and what I want is to keep my squad under pressure. When you have 40 points then of course these are extraordinary matches to prepare for (against Monaco, Paris, Metz and Marseille). The season is far from over. There was a communion between the team and the fans this evening. I have the end of the season to prepare for and a contract until June I will not say anymore than that." Thierry Laurey (Strasbourg coach): "We fought but were well beaten. In certain areas of truth we lacked lucidity and aggression. Amiens are a team who impose themselves physically on their opponents. We were not in too much difficulty in the first half and we conceded a goal from what was not really even a goal-scoring opportunity. Amiens showed greater self-sacrifice in the second half. We chased after the ball but were not incisive enough. There are still matches left to play. I would prefer to be in Amiens' position but we will keep fighting." EA Guingamp 3-1 AS Monaco Antoine Kombouaré (Guingamp coach): "It was a dream evening. I said to the players before the match that we must not forget the 6-0 defeat we suffered when we last played each other. This was a chance for revenge. We needed to start the match well, press them and not let them play. We wanted to grab them by the neck and not let go, and that is what we did. I am a really happy coach. We were stronger than them in every area." Leonardo Jardim (Monaco coach): "I was expecting a reaction too. I defended the team at the Parc, but today I can't say the same thing. We lacked commitment. In the first half we were second in almost every challenge with physical contact and that is not a good mentality to have because football is a contact sport and you need to be aggressive, not let the opposition play. We let them play in the first half. To play for Monaco, a team who want to stay in second place, there needs to be a change in attitude. It is not enough to say 'I play for Monaco'. The players need to show hunger on the pitch, hunger to play well, to work on our limitations and win games. This attitude of being a bit relaxed is not good because we have only one objective, the most important of the season, which is to finish in second place." 04/27/2018 Ligue de Football Professionnel / Ligue1.com 3

4 FC Metz 1-1 SM Caen Frédéric Hantz (Metz coach): "There was a lot of disappointment in the dressing room...we felt we deserved to win the game, but the equaliser was a classic. I thought Caen produced one of their best away performances in a long time. That is how it is, we need to improve what we can and keep that same level of commitment. We feel that we are meeting the demands of playing in Ligue 1, even if we need to erase certain things. We are also disappointed for the fans, and it is for them that we need to keep believing and working positively." Patrice Garande (Caen coach): "It was a rough game, just as we expected. I am satisfied with the point, even though we could have had more with that Guilbert chance. I am especially happy that we got back to being a team with a soul and with a spirit. It was an exceptional goal from Deminguet and I am happy for him. He is a lad who runs everywhere, who is hungry and has desire. I am not going to say we are safe but the advantage we have in terms of points is significant. But we must not stop there. We will try to improve our position. That is important." Toulouse FC 2-0 Angers SCO Mickaël Debève (Toulouse coach): "It is a deserved victory. We struggled in the first 25 minutes but we remained patient and then we were clinical with our chances. It is a victory that does us a lot of good. We had been waiting a while for one. We are back to winning ways and that is the essential thing. We also didn't concede any chances and that is another bit of good news. I congratulated the players but we owe it to ourselves to remain vigilant because we are not safe yet. We have started a week with three matches by winning. There are still six points to play for (trips to Caen on Wednesday and Rennes on Sunday). If these games go well then we will be close to our objective. We have our fate in our hands." Stéphane Moulin (Angers coach): "When we have 60 percent of the possession like tonight, we often lose because it is not our game. We contented ourselves with keeping the ball but without trying to be dangerous. We were far too wasteful and Toulouse took advantage. We had the chance (to secure survival) and we didn't take it. Maybe our 37 points will be enough but it would be preferable if we could make sure rather than play with fire." Friday, April 20, 2018 Dijon FCO 2-5 Olympique Lyonnais Olivier Dall'Oglio (Dijon coach): "The players gave their all. We had put in place a plan that didn't alwas work, especially at the start of both halves, but I thought the players were brave and enterprising. There were chances for both teams. Lyon were better than us, we knew that at the start. Lyon deserve to be on the podium. In comparison to the first game, this team is more solid and it was a huge challenge to even just get a draw." Bruno Genesio (Lyon coach): "The aim was to win, which is what we did. We're happy with the win and to have scored five goals. But there are still quite a few things to put right going forward, because we should have been better in handling our weaker periods. It's not normal that we give Dijon belief, which is what we did at times. In the first half, we should have led by three goals. We had a lot of clear-cut chances. The score is fair. We have to learn quickly from our mistakes if we don't want to suffer a disappointment between now and the end of the season. What is important is to focus on the battle for third with Marseille. We can't control what Monaco do in second." FC Nantes 1-1 Stade Rennais FC Claudio Ranieri (Nantes coach): "I'm happy with the match, but disappointed with the result. We played well, created a lot of chances, and 2-0 was within reach, but Rennes could have won the game too. The draw is good, even if I think we could have won, but we could have lost too, so a point is better than nothing." Sabri Lamouchi (Rennes coach): "To sum up the match, I don't think it's robbery that we're leaving with a point. It's not a derby that will live long in the memory. I didn't recognise my team in the first half. We couldn't put three passes together, perhaps we were overcome by emotions. We conceded just when we were doing a little better. We could have conceded a second just before half-time. We changed things a little bit at the break to try and control midfield better. There were fewer mistakes, but still too many for my liking. The red card allowed us to totally dominate the second half. We created two good chances, we deservedly equalised. We might even have scored a second, but the second half display was a lot better." 04/27/2018 Ligue de Football Professionnel / Ligue1.com 4

5 Gradel and Toulouse frustrated in Caen Max-Alain Gradel pushed and probed, but Toulouse FC were held to a 0-0 draw at the Stade Michel d'ornano, leaving both sides looking over their shoulders at the relegation struggle below. SM Caen 0-0 Toulouse FC THE MATCH Separated by just two points - and places - towards the bottom end of the Ligue 1 Conforama table, 15th-place SM Caen and Toulouse FC, in 17th, kicked off with corresponding formations which could quickly turn into 4-5-1s when the sides were defending. It made for deadlock for much of the first half. Toulouse mustered a pair of half-chances past the half-hour, but Yaya Sanogo's long shot was comfortably collected by Rémy Vercoutre in the home goal (33') before And Delort headed high after finding himself unmarked at the back post following Max-Alain Gradel's corner (41'). Caen ended the half with 60 percent of possession but not shot on target to show for it and the sides went in at the interval with the scores at 0-0. Delort - starting out wide here with Sanogo through the middle - saw a cross-cum-shot from just beyond the halfway line graze Vercoutre's post (62') before Youssef Aït Bennasser had similar attempt, albeit more central, at the other end, which beat Alban Lafont but not the youngster's woodwork (73'). Most of the traffic was flowing in Le Téfécé's favour, though. Gradel and Delort combined beautifully before the former saw his acrobatic volley sail narrowly wide (75'). Caen could have stolen all three points near the end, but TFC captain Christopher Jullien recovered to deny Ronny Rodelin at the last (85') and it ended honours even. THE PLAYER: Max-Alain Gradel The lack of goals wasn't for the want of trying; at least not on Toulouse's part and certainly not Gradel's. The Côte d'ivoire winger was the most adventurous player on the park, laying on both first-half chances before coming inches away from an impressive winner, and his seven goals and one Ligue 1 Conforama assist this season mean parent club Bournemouth may be keen to have him back next season after all. THE STAT: 4 Caen have kept a clean sheet in their last three home matches against Toulouse in all competitions. The last time the Normandy club's net bulged against Le Téfécé was back in September 2011, when Étienne Capoue - now of Watford - scored in a 1-0 win. Week 33 reactions - 'A point won' Both coaches were satisfied with a point after SM Caen and Toulouse FC drew 0-0 in their rescheduled Ligue 1 Conforama Week 33 clash at the Stade Michel d'ornano on Wednesday night. Wednesday, April 25, 2018 SM Caen 0-0 Toulouse FC Patrice Garande (SM Caen coach): "It's a point won. They played the match I thought they would, on the counter, but I found that we controlled things well. We didn't create many chances, but my players were focused and committed, giving their all. Defensively, we're solid. I liked what I saw in terms of attitude and our style of play, but we just weren't effective enough." Mickaël Debève (Toulouse FC coach): "It's always a point won when you're battling against relegation. We couldn't get the win tonight. We've been defensively solid for two matches now, but we need to give more in attack. We weren't effective enough, but we continue to make progress. Tonight went well, and psychologically, it did us good. If we can maintain this level of performance, we will be in with a real chance of saving our skins." 04/27/2018 Ligue de Football Professionnel / Ligue1.com 5

6 UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE Thauvin sets Marseille on way to Salzburg victory Florian Thauvin and Clinton Njie got the goals as Olympique de Marseille beat FC Red Bull Salzburg 2-0 at a raucous Orange Vélodrome in their UEFA Europa League semi-final, first leg on Thursday. Thursday, April 26, 2018 UEFA Europa League, semi-final first leg Orange Vélodrome, Marseille Olympique de Marseille 2-0 FC Red bull Salzburg THE MATCH A huge crowd of 62,312 turned out for OM's first European semi-final since 2004, when Didier Drogba inspired them to victory against Newcastle United in the UEFA Cup. Fourteen years on, Rudi Garcia's side have their sights set on next month's final in Lyon, and their victory here sets them up nicely ahead of next week's trip to Austria for the return leg. Marseille had failed to score in two meetings with Salzburg in the group stage of this season's competition, but they needed just 15 minutes to take the lead on this occasion. Dimitri Payet delivered a free-kick from just outside the penalty box to the right, and Thauvin headed in at the back post, taking advantage of goalkeeper Alexander Walke's decision to come for the ball only to miss it. Morgan Sanson fizzed a shot just wide from range shortly after that, but Salzburg steadied themselves and Austrian international right-back Stefan Lainer was a danger, testing Yohann Pelé from outside the area just before the half-hour mark. OM suffered a blow at the start of the second half as Lucas Ocampos was forced off hurt, and moments after that Pelé was forced into a superb save to tip over a Hannes Wolf effort (53'). The visitors had done well to adapt to the intimidating atmosphere but the introduction of Njie proved crucial for the home side. The Cameroon international was brought on in place of Maxime Lopez on the hour mark and needed less than three minutes to make his mark. Njie controlled a ball on his chest on the left wing just inside the opposition half, turned and released Payet. He then continued his run into the box where he controlled Payet's assist and prodded a shot past Walke, as the Vélodrome erupted (63'). Salzburg were unlucky not to get a goal back as substitute Fredrik Gulbrandsen crashed a half-volley off the post (77'), and they will now need to pull off quite a comeback in the return if they are to deny OM a place in the final. Then again, they beat Lazio in the quarter-finals after losing 4-2 away in the first leg. THE PLAYER: Dimitri Payet Payet is right back on top form just now and he teed up both goals for OM. The way he is playing it will be hard for Didier Deschamps to leave the 31-year-old out of his France World Cup squad. THE STAT: 22 Thauvin is another Marseille World Cup hopeful. His goal that opened the scoring here leaves him on 22 in all competitions in what has been a superb campaign. 04/27/2018 Ligue de Football Professionnel / Ligue1.com 6

7 Payet: 'One foot in the final' Olympique de Marseille star Dimitri Payet hailed his side's performances in the 2-0 Europa League semi-final first-leg win at home to Red Bull Salzburg on Thursday, but also urged caution ahead of next week's return in Austria. Thursday, April 26, 2018 UEFA Europa League, semi-final first leg Orange Vélodrome, Marseille Olympique de Marseille 2-0 FC Red Bull Salzburg Dimitri Payet (Olympique de Marseille midfielder): "Other than when they hit the post, and maybe a couple of other moves, we were never really in much danger even though, in the second half, they had more of the ball. We were solid. We played an intelligent match; we knew we were up against a good side and that we had to score at least one goal, maybe two if possible, and above all not concede any. We were very focused and took an option on qualifying for the final. Still, nothing is sure yet; we're only half-way through the tie. We've seen Real Madrids and Barcelonas get caught out despite getting 3-0 or 4-1 first-leg wins. We have one foot in the final, now we have to put the other one there too." Marco Rose (FC Red Bull Salzburg coach): "It's tough for us. We're sad and disappointed, for sure, as we feel we deserved better. Now we'll turn our attentions to the return leg; our motto this season had been to never get demoralised." 04/27/2018 Ligue de Football Professionnel / Ligue1.com 7