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Player Focus: Etienne Capoue (Toulouse)

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Player Focus: Etienne Capoue (Toulouse) In the aftermath of France’s 2-1 victory over Germany last week in Bremen the stories coming out of the France camp were that, realistically, 20 places for Les Bleus Euro 2012 squad have already been filled. One guaranteed pick is that of 21-year old Yann M’Vila as Laurent Blanc seems se...

Team Focus: Brittany Fears: Where the Ligue 1 Title Could be Won & Lost

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Team Focus: Brittany Fears: Where the Ligue 1 Title Could be Won & Lost It was a strange weekend over in Ligue 1. Over 48 hours only 22 goals were scored in ten games, and eight of those came in the epic 4-4 battle between Lyon and PSG. In Saturday’s 6 o’clock kick-offs only nine goals were scored. Of all ten games, only three of the sides playing away from ...

Team Focus: Bordeaux

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Team Focus: Bordeaux Bordeaux’s 1-0 win over Lyon at the Stade Chaban Delmas may not have been the most exciting game in France this weekend, however it did cement Les Girondins place as one of the in-form teams in Ligue 1.After moving from his impressive managerial stint at Sochaux to the wine country of South-We...

Team Focus: Montpellier - Giroud's Supporting Cast

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Team Focus: Montpellier - Giroud's Supporting Cast Ok, hands up if you had Paris Saint Germain vs Montpellier in week 24 of Ligue 1 as a top of the table clash when the fixtures were announced in the summer. No? Neither did we. It's about time that Montpellier got the credit their superb play deserves. With 23 games gone La Paillade have only tasted...

Team Focus: Have Evian Got the Bottle to Stay in Ligue 1?

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Team Focus: Have Evian Got the Bottle to Stay in Ligue 1? During their first ever season in Ligue 1 it is fair to say that Evian Thonon Gaillard have gone through the varying motions of success and failure. The recent 3-1 defeat at Dijon was probably their worst performance but the stunning 4-2 win over Montpellier showed they have what it takes to stay in...

Stats Analysis: Goals Key in Ligue 1 Relegation Battle

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Stats Analysis: Goals Key in Ligue 1 Relegation Battle Last season the relegation places in Ligue 1 weren't decided until the last day of the season. On that day no fewer than seven clubs could have made the drop to Ligue 2. Even Monaco who finished the season in 18th place could have finished 10th if results had gone their way. This season it looks lik...

Player Focus: Will Lille Roux their Latest Signing?

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Player Focus: Will Lille Roux their Latest Signing? This January’s transfer window has been quite quiet en France. League leaders PSG have been linked with nearly everyone in the footballing world. Apart from defender Maxwell the main goal for Leonardo and co. was to equip Carlo Ancelotti with a new attacking option. David Beckham, Alexandre Pa...

Player Focus: Loic Has Been the Remy-d for Marseille

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Player Focus: Loic Has Been the Remy-d for Marseille The summer of 2010 saw a young Loic Remy linked with a number of English clubs. Liverpool, Arsenal and Spurs all seemed to be interested in bringing the former Lyon forward to the Premier League. Bizarrely Remy actually turned up at Stoke City’s training ground ready to do a deal with the Pott...

Team Focus: Sochaux Must Go On

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Team Focus: Sochaux Must Go On Sochaux finished 2011 second bottom of Ligue 1 and coach Mehmet Bazdarevic would have hoped to start the New Year afresh and use the distractions of the cup to mask the league problems.Ligue 2 side Bastia had different ideas and the 4-1 win for Frederic Hantz’ side highlighted the troubled tim...

The Hard Men of Ligue 1

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The Hard Men of Ligue 1 It is often said that Ligue 1 is one of the tougher leagues in Europe; many players that learn their trade in France can move seamlessly to physical places like the English Premier League and instantly compete, easily holding their own.This week we will look at some of the toughest midfielders in th...