The Magic of Bielsa: Winners and Losers from Week 8 in Ligue 1
On Sunday night, Marseille became the big winners of Week 8 in Ligue 1, as they climbed back to the top of the table with a 2-1 victory over Saint-Etienne. The three points took OM five points clear of Paris Saint-Germain—a dream for any Marseille fan.
It was the end of busy week in France as the clubs faced their first set of midweek fixtures. Three games in just over a week means the table is starting to show some signs of organisation, although it definitely isn't looking like the table most predicted pre-season.
Metz sit sixth, Bordeaux's win takes them back up to second and Nice and Montpellier have done well to sit seventh and eighth.
We may have only been blessed with 20 goals this weekend, but it has been a wonderful weekend of football, with some excellent stories and surprise results.
Here are the winners and losers from Week 8 in Ligue 1.
Winner: Divock Origi
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Lille went into the home game against Bastia having only scored six goals in seven games. It is one of the worst attacking records in the league—not befitting a team in the top three.
Belgian striker Divock Origi was brought back into the starting line-up on Saturday with the job of providing Lille with a cutting edge upfront. The 19-year-old didn’t disappoint. With the first half drawing to a close without a goal, Origi made a half-yard of space outside the box and fired a shot beyond Alphonse Areola in the Bastia net.
Origi's third goal of the season turned out to be the winning goal of the game. The on-loan striker has also created one assist so far, which means he is responsible of 57 percent of Lille’s goals this campaign.
Only three clubs in the league have scored fewer times than Lille in the eight games so far. If Les Dogues want to keep their spot in the top three, they need to find a consistent way to goal. You have to believe Origi will be integral to that.
Loser: Dimitar Berbatov
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When Monaco met Lille in August, only days before the transfer window closed, Dimitar Berbatov scored the equaliser as Radamel Falcao sat in the stands orchestrating his move away from the French Riviera.
The Colombian striker is long gone and Monaco's striking responsibilities fall solely at Berbatov’s feet, and the Bulgarian is struggling with the extra pressure.
Monaco’s 1-0 derby defeat to Nice on Saturday puts the pressure back on Leandro Jardim, but there is now a huge amount of pressure on Monaco’s No. 10. Since his goal in the 61st minute against Lille, Berbatov has gone 388 minutes without hitting the back of the net.
"21 – By losing 1-0 against Nice, Monaco failed to score at home for the first time in 21 Ligue 1 games. Fall.
— OptaJean (@OptaJean) September 27, 2014"
One of the biggest reasons behind Berbatov’s drought has been the departure of James Rodriguez. The Colombian playmaker made things happen at the Monegasque club and there is no one in the current side able to provide a similar level of creativity.
The longer Berbatov’s drought continues, the more pressure is going to pile on both the striker's and the club's shoulders.
Winner: Gaetan Bussmann
3 of 7After his performances helped Metz win promotion from Ligue 2, there was some intrigue as to how left-back Gaetan Bussmann would cope with the step up to France’s top division.
On Wednesday night, with two assists, Bussmann helped his side to a 3-0 victory over Stade de Reims, building upon his superb performances this season.
Not only has the left-back put in some stellar defensive performances, but he set-up the two opening goals as Metz climbed to sixth in the table. It is a position the newly promoted side would have found unthinkable at the start of the season.
Metz have won three straight games in the league, and they are playing some of the best football in the division. The success has been built on the uncompromising centre-backs and two young, very exciting full-backs.
Bussmann was just a young player with potential last season, now he is blossoming, and it won’t be long until the bigger teams start to take notice.
Losers: FC Lorient
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With long-term coach Christian Gourcuff leaving in the summer, it was always going to be tough for FC Lorient to adjust this season.
The new man in charge, Sylvain Ripoll, enjoyed a wonderful start to his tenure. The away win at Monaco was unbelievable and beating Guingamp 4-0 at the Stade du Moustoir showed the level of football this team was capable of playing.
However, a few injuries and abject performances have seen the levels drop and caused Lorient to plummet down the table. Evian only picked up their first win of the season on Wednesday night before they travelled to Brittany and inflicted Lorient’s fourth straight defeat on Saturday.
"5 - Lorient are goalless in 5 of their last 6 Ligue 1 games. Harmless.
— OptaJean (@OptaJean) September 27, 2014"
Les Merlus are now only one point off the bottom of the table, and their performances have been lacking belief. This is the first huge test for Ripoll and his coaching abilities.
The next few weeks are going to be so important in the young coach’s career.
Winner: Thomas Toure
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Before the start of this season, Bordeaux’s Thomas Toure had never featured in Les Girondins starting XI. Under Willy Sagnol, he began to make more of an impression coming off the bench, and he finally got his big break this week.
On Thursday night, Toure started his first game in the 1-1 away draw with Saint-Etienne; the week was only going to get better.
Against Rennes at the Stade Chaban Delmas on Sunday, Bordeaux were heading toward a second draw in a row. That was until Toure decided to make the difference. Three minutes into injury time, the 20-year-old curled a wonderful right-foot shot over Benoit Costil and into the far top corner to give Bordeaux the 2-1 victory.
It was a beautiful finish, one worthy of winning any game in any league. Bordeaux have a new hero and there is definitely something about Toure that catches the eye. He is one to look out for this season.
Losers: EA Guingamp
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If Lorient’s season has gone downhill, EA Guingamp are already at the bottom of the hill waiting for them. Defeat to Montpellier on Saturday and other results going against them saw Guingamp propping up the Ligue 1 table come the end of the weekend.
The huge task ahead of Jocelyn Gourvennec is trying to turn this club around while the club also represents France in the Europa League. European commitments mean the struggling outfit will be playing two games most weeks, putting a huge strain on the playing staff.
Guingamp don’t possess the biggest squad to begin with, but trying to stretch it to compete in multiple competitions while fighting for Ligue 1 survival is going to be a very tough ask.
Luckily for Gourvennec, the league is always tight down the bottom; one victory could take them up to 13th at present. It’s easy to catch up at this stage, they just can’t let the gap widen any further.
Winner: Marcelo Bielsa
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It is easy to admire the talents of Marcelo Bielsa from afar. His success with Chile and Athletic Bilbao was well documented, but you get the feeling that what he is building at Marseille could be his greatest triumph to date.
After eight games in Ligue 1, Marseille, after their 2-1 win at home to Saint-Etienne, sit top of the league on 19 points. How many people had predicted that they would be five points clear of Paris Saint-Germain at this stage of the season? No one, and the Argentine boss deserves all the plaudits for getting them into that position.
The 11 players who started on Sunday night were all at the club last season. Both Elie Baup and Jose Anigo failed to get the team playing anywhere near the level of football we are seeing from OM this season.
"21 - Marseille have scored 21 goals in Ligue 1 after 8 games this season, as many as PSG + Monaco (14+7). Leader.
— OptaJean (@OptaJean) September 28, 2014"
Bielsa has changed attitudes, changed behaviours and changed the entire feeling around the club. Gianelli Imbula, Andre-Pierre Gignac and Jeremy Morel look like players reborn. The trio of Dimitri Payet, Andre Ayew and Florian Thauvin are ripping defences apart with ease and Marseille are once again one of France’s most dangerous clubs.
Ligue 1 has been searching for a team to challenge the Parisians. It didn't take hundreds of millions of pounds; all that was needed was the genius of Marcelo Bielsa.
