A Christmas Wish for Every Ligue 1 Team
The first half of the Ligue 1 season is over and all 20 clubs have time to sit, look back, and make their plans for 2015.
Unlike in the Premier League, Ligue 1 packs up for the festive period and the players and staff get to enjoy this time of year with their families, but that doesn’t mean they stop thinking about what they need to do to improve.
This has been one of the best first halves of a season in years. We have a genuine three-team title race on our hands. The relegation battle is as close as ever and a number of teams are looking to make a run for the Europa League.
Spirits are high around the country as Monaco, Paris Saint-Germain and Guingamp remain in European competition.
With five months still to go once Lille take on Evian on January 7, there is everything still to place for.
As they sit down and wish each other a Joyeux Noel this year, here is a suggestion for what each Ligue 1 team will be wishing for this Christmas.
Bastia: Make Their Home a Fortress Once Again
1 of 20
Last season under Frederic Hantz, Bastia finished 10th in Ligue 1, but they did end the campaign with the fifth-best home record in all of France’s top division.
Hantz moved on at the end of the season and with it went Bastia’s fearless home record.
This campaign, in the 10 games the club has played at the Stade Armand Cesari, the Corsicans have only won three and have lost the same amount.
If the club is to have any chance of rescuing themselves from the relegation zone, they need to continue this better patch of form they have enjoyed, forget about Claude Makelele’s spell and give new coach Ghislain Printant time to turn it around.
Bordeaux: End on a High at the Stade Chaban Delmas
2 of 20
The season started so bright for Les Girondins. New coach Willy Sagnol helped the club win their first three games and they only lost two of their first 10 matches.
Bordeaux’s new stadium looks likely to open for the last home game of the season, so every game at the Stade Chaban Delmas is a step closer to a new future for Sagnol’s men.
There is no doubt the club would love to play European football in their new ground, but to do that they need to give the current ground a fantastic send off.
Recent form has been an issue—the club has lost three in a row and has only won twice in the last seven. Cracks are beginning to show in Sagnol’s first season.
Captain Lamine Sane needs to rally the troops if Bordeaux are to give their legendary stadium a proper goodbye.
Caen: Find Mathieu Duhamel's Ligue 2 Form
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On the way to winning promotion to Ligue 1 last season, 30-year-old striker Mathieu Duhamel was absolutely superb and was one of the deadliest marksmen in France.
The veteran scored 24 goals last season, but he hasn’t quite found that same form against the Ligue 1 defenders. Going into the winter break, Duhamel has scored six times, and although that is a decent return, Patrice Garande needs at least another 10 goals from his frontman if Caen has any chance of staying in the top flight.
If Duhamel can’t recreate the form he found last season, then Ligue 2 beckons once again.
Evian: Keeping Daniel Wass in Annecy
4 of 20
They say Christmas is a time for giving, Evian coach Pascal Dupraz will be hoping for the complete opposite in Annecy during the festive period.
Danish midfielder Daniel Wass has eight goals this season, and he is all but single-handedly keeping Evian with a chance of staying in Ligue 1.
The Coach himself has said that Wass will be allowed to move on this summer, via Squawka, but any move for the versatile midfielder in January would be a disaster for the club. He has been their best player over the last three seasons, but it looks like his time at Les Roses is coming to an end.
If Wass is still an Evian player come February, it would be a Christmas miracle for Dupraz and the club.
Guingamp: 5 Claudio Beauvues
5 of 20
This season should have been much harder for Guingamp boss Jocelyn Gourvennec to juggle. Playing in the Coupe de la Ligue, Europa League and Ligue 1 before Christmas, with a reasonably small squad, could have been problematic.
However, it has done the opposite and the Breton side look motivated and well-organised.
The club has performed well in patches, qualifying to the knockout stages of the Europa League. One of the main reasons for this has been the terrific play of attacker Claudio Beauvue.
Guingamp’s 26-year-old has scored six goals and has added two assists in 19 appearances. The French forward has only missed 60 minutes of the league season but has played in every game. As EAG continue to juggle the different tests coming up, they will wish they had more than one Beauvue to help fire them up the table.
RC Lens: An Unmarked Briefcase Holding €14 Million
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To say it has been a rocky 2014 for RC Lens would be an understatement. Promoted to Ligue 1, a transfer embargo applied after they couldn’t prove sufficient funds had been provided for the season and now there's the possibility of demotion to the lower leagues.
The DNCG are requiring Lens to find €14 million in January to secure the future of the club until the end of the season. This week they paid the €2.5 million required to lift the transfer embargo and help them sign two players on a free. However, there are now suggestions that the signature of majority shareholder Hafiz Mammadov was forged, via La Voix du Nord (h/t insideworldfootball), and there was no off-shore investment.
Lens has one of the best supports in France and they certainly don’t deserve this. They will be wishing for clarification and a much smoother 2015, but as long as Azerbaijani businessman Mammadov is linked to the club's finances, it’s unlikely how possible this will be for Les Sang et Or.
Lille: Someone to Help Put the Ball in the Back of the Net
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There is only one thing Lille Coach Rene Girard is asking for this Christmas, and that’s a forward that can add around 10-15 goals a season for Les Dogues.
The departure of Salomon Kalou left a huge hole in the Lille attack. Not necessarily in terms of effort and ability, but he took the pressure off the other forwards and found a way to score goals.
Divock Origi is progressing well, but there is too much expectation on his young shoulders.
The team that finished third last season has only scored 15 goals in 19 games this year, which is not good enough for the northerners.
After the game against Marseille on Sunday, speaking to Ligue1.com, it was clear what was on Girard’s Christmas list. “We're looking for an attacker during the transfer window. OM have a serial killer who scores goals, we don't."
FC Lorient: The 2012 Version of Alain Traore
8 of 20
Back in 2012, FC Lorient midfielder Alain Traore looked unstoppable. After making the move from Auxerre, he opened the campaign by scoring four goals in five games, including a superb double over local rivals Rennes.
Before the winter break he had six goals in 13 games and was on cloud nine going to the 2013 African Cup of Nations.
Traore would play a huge part in Burkina Faso reaching the final of the tournament, scoring three times before injury kept him out of the latter stages.
That injury has now plagued him for the best part of two years. Since December 2012, Traore has only started 19 league games for Lorient, scoring just twice.
He was always a player that could make the difference for Les Merlus, and with the club looking to build on their current position in 15th, rediscovering the Traore that dazzled everyone two years ago would be a massive boost for the club.
Lyon: A Fully Fit Yoann Gourcuff
9 of 20
Finishing 2014 second in Ligue 1 is a magnificent achievement for Lyon and Coach Hubert Fournier. Gone are the days of extravagant spending and now Lyon are committed to bringing through their young players and letting them blossom at the Stade Gerland.
However, if Lyon wants to continue this title challenge, they need to rely on their experienced players to carry some of the burden. That has been a problem for Yoann Gourcuff.
Too many injuries have hampered his Lyon career. If Fournier can find a way to keep him fit and even if it was just for around 30 minutes per game, he could add that little sprinkle of magic that would see their charge go all the way to the finish line.
Marseille: A 2nd Wind for Andre-Pierre Gignac
10 of 20
After 10 games of the Ligue 1 season, Marseille had just won eight straight and Andre-Pierre Gignac had made his best ever start to a league season. The France international had scored 10 goals in 10 games and was the talk of the league.
Nine games later and the 29-year-old forward has only scored two more, taking his tally to 12. It’s still a fantastic return, if you had offered Marcelo Bielsa and Gignac 12 goals in 19 games at the start of the season, both would have been delighted.
However, two in nine doesn’t add the same level of excitement. You are only as good as your last five games and Gignac has only scored once.
If Marseille are to stay on top of the Ligue 1 table, they need Gignac to find his second wind when the league restarts in January.
Metz: GPS Tag for Modibo Maiga
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West Ham United fans would not have been unhappy to see Modibo Maiga join Metz on loan this season. The Malian forward didn’t enjoy the best of spells in London and returned to France where he seemed to be a lot happier.
Once he found his fitness and match sharpness, Maiga scored four goals in four games to help Metz to a mid-table place in Ligue 1.
However, he then went on to perform his famous vanishing act, something he perfected while playing for FC Sochaux two seasons ago.
Maiga failed to turn up for a flight as the team flew to Marseille, leaving Les Grenats with only six substitutes. Perhaps Albert Cartier should ask Santa for a GPS tag, just so he can keep an eye on his on-loan striker. That’s if he ever returns to the Stade Saint-Symphorien.
AS Monaco: Stability
12 of 20
He may have begun his career in Ligue 1 with somewhat of a ropey start, but Portuguese manager Leonardo Jardim is slowly beginning to turn things around at AS Monaco.
The club has qualified for the last 16 of the Champions League and currently sit fifth in the Ligue 1 table, only six points off PSG in third.
Jardim wouldn’t have wanted the winter break to happen, his side have won four straight in the league and look a much more settled unit.
Jardim will be hoping that there are minimum comings and goings this January, as he would possibly like one or two new players to bolster the squad, but keeping the players he current has will be a priority. Any further deals to take away his best players, like James Rodriguez and Radamel Falcao this summer, would be a huge setback for the club and one that Jardim would hope to avoid.
Montpellier: Scuba Gear
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Once the season gets back underway in January, Montpellier will be hoping that their first home game against Marseille on January 9 will be played at the Stade de Mosson.
Ever since the terrible floods that affected the south of France, La Paillade have had to play their home games at the Altrad Stadium, home to Montpellier’s rugby team.
The pitch has not been the best to play on, and coach Roland Courbis will be hoping the weather remains calm over the festive period and the renovation work at Mosson can be complete, so they can move back home.
You may want to put some scuba gear under the tree for the first team, just in case things take another turn for the worse.
Nantes: An Outgoing Transfer Embargo
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FC Nantes' purchase of Ismael Bangoura in 2012 has definitely come back to haunt them, not just because he has only scored three goals in four seasons, but he is also the reason they are currently banned from buying any players until next summer.
Unfortunately for Nantes, they are not banned from selling players. Any departure in January would be a disaster, because Michel Der Zakarian can’t then go out and buy a replacement. Jordan Veretout, Papy Djilobodji and Alejandro Bedoya will all attract interest in January.
If Nantes could stop players leaving, they would have a great chance of qualifying for the Europa League this season, but that’s one Christmas wish that can’t be granted just yet.
Nice: 2nd Coming of Renato Civelli and Nemanja Pejcinovic
15 of 20
There was a time in the not-so-distant past when Nice were a team built on strong defensive foundations. The play of Valentin Eysseric, Eric Bautheac and Dario Cvitanich may have grabbed the headlines as they finished fifth two seasons ago, but the defence was crucial.
The defensive man-mountains of Renato Civelli and Nemanja Pejcinovic were imperious. With both having left the club in the last two seasons, Les Aiglons have looked significantly weaker at the back.
If Claude Puel can find some central defenders to try and recreate the presence that duo had at Nice, then the Allianz Riviera could become a fortress. If not, Puel and his side are going to struggle in the new year.
Paris Saint-Germain: Humble Pie
16 of 20
With great power comes great responsibility. The famous line from Spiderman fits very well with Paris Saint-Germain’s current campaign. Finishing third before Christmas should give the Parisians the wake-up call they need this season.
It is one thing to talk about becoming one of Europe’s elite sides, joining the pantheon of great clubs that have dominated the European game. It is another to actually put in the work and build a club up to greatness. Just because you have fancy sponsors, your own line of crisps and a comic book, doesn’t make you a great football team.
PSG’s failure to beat both Guingamp and Montpellier has hopefully shown the players and the owners that they have to first respect the clubs they are playing against and not simply just turn up to be victorious.
Forget dominating Europe until you can consistently play at a level that dominates your own domestic league. Without humility and dignity, PSG will never become the club they already think that they are.
Stade de Reims: A Return to the European Glory Days
17 of 20
Many people may have forgotten about Stade de Reims' glorious past. In 1956 and 1959, the side from the Champagne region were beaten by Real Madrid in the final of the European Cup. The Spanish side have gone on to much bigger things, but Reims weren’t able to keep the pace.
This is a club that has won six Ligue 1 titles and had two triumphs in the Coupe de France. They may not be one of the modern darlings, but this club has more history than most clubs in Ligue 1.
Going into the break, Reims sit ninth in Ligue 1, but boast the sixth-best home record in the league. Six wins at home is as good as both PSG and Saint-Etienne this season.
Jean-Luc Vasseur has done a wonderful job in his first season, but now the push must be to try and qualify for the Europa League. It will be difficult, but a few moves in the right places and anything is possible with some festive luck.
Rennes: Understanding of Their Best XI
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Consistency is the key for any football team. When you spend the summer adding 11 new players to your squad, plus the players that Philippe Montanier added 12 months ago, it’s really no surprise that Rennes have still yet to settle on the 11 players that make up his strongest starting XI.
Their problems have mainly been in the forward line. Paul-Georges Ntep has been their best attacking option, and he has played the most minutes out of all their attackers.
Then you have Ola Toivonen, Pedro Henrique, Mouhamadou Habibou, Kamil Grosicki, Sanjin Prcic, Christian Bruls and Philipp Hosiner all vying for the other two spots. After 19 games, Toivonen has started 12 matches, but after that it’s Henrique with just seven appearances from the start.
If Montanier can find some consistency in how he picks his attack, he could reap the benefits. Winning four games in a row recently was exactly what we expect from this Rennes side, but then they ruined it by losing three on the bounce.
Saint-Etienne: A Return of Form for Benjamin Corgnet
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It must be both exhilarating and frustrating to be a fan of Saint-Etienne at the moment. Your team has been constantly excellent over the past three seasons, but has still to find a way to finish higher than fourth in Ligue 1.
This season looks to be another one of frustration, with Lyon’s rise making it tough for Les Verts to make that step up to the Champions League spots.
In order to improve, they need some of their star players to wake up from their slumber, especially Benjamin Corgnet. In the last two seasons, the former Dijon man has scored 12 goals and provided three assists. He has been one of Saint-Etienne’s most dynamic midfielders, adding some brilliantly timed runs from deep and supporting the attack when they need it most.
This season, after 10 starts and 13 appearances, Corgnet has yet to register a single goal or an assist, and he looks a little lost in Christophe Galtier’s team. Nothing has drastically changed at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, nothing that would explain his demise.
If Saint-Etienne are to make a push for the top three, they need all their weapons firing, and right now Corgnet is looking like a shell of his former self.
Toulouse: Consistency
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Le Tefece is one of Ligue 1’s most inconsistent and frustrating teams to watch, and it must be infuriating for the fans at the Stade Municipal.
This season they managed to go on a four-game unbeaten run, including a 3-0 victory over Rennes and a draw against PSG. They would then go on to lose eight of their next 10 games, with one of those the 2-1 away win at Nantes, a victory that came just when you thought they had no chance of a result.
The goals from Wissam Ben Yedder have dried up a little. His eight strikes early in the season helped Toulouse show some promise. They need more help for the little Frenchman if they are ever going to find some consistency.
