Ligue 1 Superthread 2017/18

Mr.Nice Guy

Troyes losing to Monaco via a Rony Lopes goal, so it looks like Troyes are going to be relegated today. They needed a win to have a chance of finishing 18th for the relegation/play-off spot. Monaco favourites now to secure 2nd place.

Also Bordeaux - currently 7th - are leading Metz 2-0 and that means they now have an identical goal difference to Nice as it stands. That means if Lyon equalise in this match, Bordeaux will leapfrog Nice for the final Europa League spot.

Update: Amiens have got one back against Marseille. Another Mandanda error apparently.

Mr.Nice Guy

Half-Time and Lyon are losing 1-0. Jeers from the Lyon fans following a poor first half. Might be time to call upon Mariano Diaz. As it stands a draw won't be enough for Lyon to reach the Champions League, nor would a draw likely be enough for Nice to make the Europa League so they need to hold on to this lead; the next 45 should be fascinating.

Current state of play:

Champions League places

1. PSG - 93 pts
2. Monaco - 80 pts
3. Marseille - 77 pts

Europa League places

4. Lyon - 75 pts
5. Rennes - 58 pts
6. Nice - 57 pts

Relegation places

18. Toulouse - 35 pts (Relegation/Promotion play-off)
19. Troyes - 33 pts (R)
20. Metz - 26 pts (R)

Mr.Nice Guy

Lyon equalise via Depay. Lyon still need another but a very good start to the half. Mariano Diaz has come on for Ndombele and he's already adding much more to Lyon's attack.

Nice have dropped out of the Europa League places - now 2 goals behind Bordeaux who are leading Metz 3-0. Looks like Nice will need to win this match to get European football.

Update: Big chance missed by Balotelli. Ball fell kindly to him one on one with Gorgelin but he blazes it over.

Mr.Nice Guy

Depaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

Lyon take the lead and as it stands are heading into the Champions League!

He hits his free-kick low under the wall and grabs his second of the night.

Mr.Nice Guy

Big developments at the bottom as well.

Toulouse are leading Guingamp 2-0; they remain 18th but if Caen lose to PSG - it's currently 0-0 between them - then Caen will slip into the relegation/promiton play-off and Toulouse will survive.

PSG have been unusually quiet tonight.

Update: Guingamp have got a goal back. 2-1 to Toulouse now. Rony Lopes meanwhile has got a second for Monaco so Troyes are definitely getting relegated.

Mr.Nice Guy

Final 5 minutes of the season plus stoppage time, as it stands:

- Toulouse need PSG to get a goal vs Caen, allowing Toulouse to escape the drop zone.

- Marseille need Nice to get a goal vs Lyon, allowing them to take the final Champions League spot.

- Nice need to score two goals vs Lyon to deny Bordeaux the final Europa League spot.

Mr.Nice Guy

Depaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyy

A hat-trick for Memphis. No doubt about the Champions League spot now: Lyon have taken it.

What a painful few days this has been for Marseille fans.

Mr.Nice Guy

Plea! He gets a second!

Is there another twist in this? Stadium brought to a hush. One more goal from Nice will give the Champions League spot to Marseille! We're at 88 minutes.

Update: 4 minutes added time.

Mr.Nice Guy

All over! Lyon have reached the Champions League courtesy of a Memphis Depay hat-trick.

Another huge effort from Depay who has been sensational in the second half of the season.

Bordeaux take the last Europa League spot. Great accomplishment for Gus Poyet and his side.

Caen have managed a goalless draw with PSG to survive in Ligue 1. Immense effort from them. Toulouse go into the relegation/promotion play-off despite them beating Guingamp.

Mr.Nice Guy

Final day results:

Caen 0-0 PSG
Dijon 2-1 Angers
Lyon 3-2 Nice
Marseille 2-1 Amiens
Metz 0-4 Bordeaux
Nantes 1-0 Strasbourg
Rennes 1-1 Montpellier
Saint-Etienne 5-0 Lille
Toulouse 2-1 Guingamp
Troyes 0-3 Monaco

It was a pretty exciting final day. Relegation, Europa League and Champions League places were up for grabs heading into the final minutes.

Caen deserve a lot of credit. On the final day of last season they managed a draw against PSG that helped them survive and they've got another crucial point this season. I'm pleased they remain in the division.

I'm also happy Lyon got the final Champions League spot as they've played some lovely football this season. There is the potential with a couple of signings for Lyon to provide more of a challenge, but the worry is how many key players will be sold in the summer. Maybe securing Champions League football will help lessen the sales?

Jardim I think has done a great job securing second spot despite having almost half his title-winning side sold off. Rony Lopes has been a big player for them this season. I think he's unfortunate not to be picked for Portugal's World Cup squad.

Rennes and Bordeaux getting the final two Europa League places is a great achievement for them. I feel a little sorry for Saint-Etienne and Nice who have done well at times but their big dips in form in the first half of the season proved costly.

Troyes and Metz are the sides that go down and really it's fair enough as the other sides looked far more likely to get out of trouble. I'd be saddened to see Toulouse join them as I'm a fan of the likes of Issa Diop, Christopher Jullien and Alban Lafont. I hope they can win the play-off.

PSG worthy winners obviously despite taking their foot off the gas near the end. Interesting point of note though that PSG won the title by 13 points. To compare, Man City won the Premier League by 19 pts, while Bayern won the Bundesliga by 21 pts. Barca as it stands have a lead of 12 pts with their final game tomorrow. Only top league where there was a substantial title race was Serie A, with Napoli having the chance to finish the season 4 points off Juventus if they win their final game.

Mr.Nice Guy

Mad goings on in the Ligue 2 Play-Off Final between Ajaccio and Le Havre. The winner will take on Toulouse in the relegation/promotion play-off on Wednesday.

4 players have sent off in Extra-Time. Match is going to end 9 vs 9. Apparently the ref gave Le Havre a penalty because an Ajaccio player insulted him and a brawl soon followed. Current score is Le Havre leading 2-1.

Update: 2-2 now. Looks like it's heading to penalties.

Johner

Mr.Nice Guy wrote: »

Mad goings on in the Ligue 2 Play-Off Final between Ajaccio and Le Havre. The winner will take on Toulouse in the relegation/promotion play-off on Wednesday.

4 players have sent off in Extra-Time. Match is going to end 9 vs 9. Apparently the ref gave Le Havre a penalty because an Ajaccio player insulted him and a brawl soon followed. Current score is Le Havre leading 2-1.

Update: 2-2 now. Looks like it's heading to penalties.

I've put it on for penalties, sounds like a mental game!

Johner

Le Havre keeper was rubbish there, dived too early on every penalty! Ajaccio win 5-3.

Mr.Nice Guy

I don't think Ligue 1 will be thrilled at the prospect of potentially seeing Ajaccio in the division. That game tonight was supposed to have been played on Friday but was suspended after Ajaccio fans blocked Le Havre's coach and threw stones and bricks. Corsica's fans have a tendency to cross the line. There were several incidents with the other Corsican club Bastia last season, who finished bottom.

I think it's fair to say the majority of neutrals will be hoping Toulouse win the play-off.

Mr.Nice Guy

I did a Team of the Half-Season back in December; and with just the relegation/promotion play-off to go, here is my overall Team of the Season:


Goalkeeper: I went with him last season and I'm doing so again: Stephane Ruffier for me has been the pick of the bunch. Saint-Etienne were poor defensively in the first half of the season, yet Ruffier still impressed; and when they had a good January window and brought in Subotic and Debuchy they moved up the table, with Ruffier continuing to produce impressive performances. Only shaky game I saw him have was one against Bordeaux a few weeks ago. Honourable mentions to PSG's Alphonse Areola, Montpellier's Benjamin Lecomte, Rennes' Tomas Koubek and Lyon's Anthony Lopes.

Right-back: I toyed with the idea of including Mathieu Debuchy who despite coming to Ligue 1 in January has been great, but he gave away a peno against Monaco recently with a clumsy foul costing his team the game so I'm shying away from him now. Instead I'm going with the safe choice of Djibril Sidibe. He's had a solid season with Monaco, being one of the few members of last season's side to remain with the club, and he provided as many assists as Dani Alves (6), while scoring a goal more than him. He will also probably be France's first choice RB at the World Cup. Honourable mention to Nantes' Leo Dubois and Strasbourg's Kenny Lala.

Centre-Backs: I've gone with the duo of PSG's Marquinhos and Rennes' Joris Gnagnon. Marquinhos for me was PSG's best centre-back, with the most consistency; Gnagnon meanwhile has had a great season and it's easy to forget he's only 21 as he's so powerful. Other names I considered were Monaco's Kamil Glik who had a strong start to the season - he was missing for the game PSG drubbed Monaco 7-1 and I'm sure had he been there they would not have been thrashed - and I also considered Montpellier's Hilton, who has had a remarkable season for a guy 40.

Left-Back: The two I had in mind for this spot were Lyon's Ferland Mendy and Marseille's Jordan Amavi, and the performances of recent weeks have tipped me towards Ferland Mendy. I really like Mendy and much like his Man City namesake Benjamin he is great going forward, possessing better close control though lacking Benjamin's power. At just 22 he has a great career ahead of him.

Central midfield: I've gone for Marseille's Luiz Gustavo and Lyon's Tanguy Ndombele. Gustavo is an easy choice as he's been great this season and I recall him producing strong performances against PSG and Lyon. He also showed he could deputise well in defence when required. Ndombele meanwhile has been a breakout star and someone I've raved about all season. He's been a smashing signing for Lyon and his power and technical ability are fantastic for a young guy. I can see him being a superstar in the next few years.

Attacking midfield (right): Main contenders for this spot were Thauvin, Mbappe, Di Maria and Malcom. I decided to go with Florian Thauvin as his record of 22 goals and 11 assists shows what a great season he has had. I still have reservations though about his ability to do the business in big games. I hope he can continue improving next season.

Attacking midfield (central): Nabil Fekir has had a tremendous season, stepping up in a big way with 18 goals and 6 assists in the league. His free-kick winner against Monaco in the 95th minute was one of the best moments of the season, as was his goal celebration against Saint-Etienne when he inspired Lyon to win 5-0. He also produced quality performances in the wins over Marseille and PSG. Delighted he's going to the World Cup as it's well deserved.

Attacking midfield (left): Neymar has to have this spot. Even though he's a pain in the backside quite often, and his attitude has been highly questionable, fact is when he has the ball at his feet magical things happen. His performance in the 8-0 win over Dijon where he scored 4 goals was the most impressive solo performance of the season.

Striker: It has to be Edinson Cavani. He finished the season once again top scorer with 28 goals and stepped up in the big games when he had to. Honourable mentions to Mario Balotelli who had another great season at Nice, Karl Toko Ekambi who was brilliant for Angers, and Lyon's Memphis Depay who really shone when moved up top in the 2nd half of the season. I'd like to see how many Depay could score playing there all season long seeing as in the end he outscored his teammate Mariano Diaz.


My team of the season 2017/18:

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S. Ruffier (Saint-Etienne)

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D. Sidibe (Monaco)

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Marquinhos (PSG)

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J. Gnagnon (Rennes)---F. Mendy (Lyon)

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T. Ndombele (Lyon)

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L. Gustavo (Marseille)

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F. Thauvin (Marseille)

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N. Fekir (Lyon)

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Neymar (PSG)

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E. Cavani (PSG)

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Manager of the Season: Unai Emery (PSG)

I think when a manager wins the domestic treble you sort of have to give it to him. I think Emery did well at PSG overall. He was always going to be judged on Europe but I feel like he had some harsh luck in the Champions League draws the last two seasons. Tactically I think he's quite good. I recall a game away to Nice where it was 1-1 going into the final ten minutes and Emery took off Cavani for Meunier - this was the call he made in the Champions League first leg against Madrid which didn't work on that occasion - and there were PSG fans saying Emery was a fool for trying it again - except against Nice it DID work as it allowed Dani Alves to move further up the pitch and he got the winner. I think he can do well in his next job wherever it may be. I wish him well.

Honourable mentions to Leonardo Jardim who worked wonders to get Monaco 2nd despite half his first team being dismantled. I think Marseille's Rudi Garcia had a good season too despite how it ended, considering they were competitive for the Champions League places and the Europa League trophy despite not having a quality number nine. Guingamp's Antoine Kombouare did really well too.

My Player of the Season: Nabil Fekir (Lyon)

I outlined above the qualities he has shown this season, and when you also factor in that Lyon lost big players like Lacazette, Tolisso, Valbuena and Gonalons yet still managed to reach the Champions League, it shows what a great captain Fekir has been.

Neymar could be considered, and I'm quite certain had he been fit for a few months more he would have very easily got my vote, but I can't call a guy who played just 20 games my player of the season. Thauvin has his fans for this but as I said above, he didn't quite do enough for me in the big games to warrant getting the award. Cavani deserves to be in the conversation.

My Young Player of the Season: Tanguy Ndombele (Lyon)

He had a fantastic campaign both domestically and in the Europa League. His teammate Houssem Aouar could also be considered for this. Many would say Mbappe but I thought he struggled at times and for me Di Maria was better than him in the second half of the season. I would cut Mbappe some slack though since he's getting used to a new position.

My Disappointment of the Season: Wesley Sneijder (Nice)

He and Saint-Maximin seemed such exciting signings for Nice, and while Saint-Maximin eventually became a great acquisition, Sneijder was a dud and offered nothing. Perhaps he expected Ligue 1 to be a breeze and an easy payday. He's now at Qatari club Al-Gharafa which seems a better fit for him.

Most looking forward to next season: I'm keen to see what Lyon can do as they have the makings of a decent side. Leo Dubois is on the way and he will sort out the problematic RB position for them. Young forward Martin Terrier is also on the way having been bought from Strasbourg. Key thing is how many players they lose. Fekir looks likely to go. Will Depay join him? Ndombele? Mariano Diaz? Aouar? If they can keep the majority of their big names and make 2 or 3 good purchases I think they can have a strong campaign.

Also keen to see how Tuchel fares at PSG and how his style affects PSG. Will Neymar be there is the big question. I would be surprised if he's not there for one more season. Also remains to be seen what Financial Fair Play rules will mean for their transfer policy.

Will Jardim still be around at Monaco, and if so can he continue to keep them in the mix at the top if big players leave once again? Will Marseille finally sign a quality striker?

And will Toulouse still be in the division or will they lose the play-off and be replaced by the wild Ajaccio? We'll at least know the answer to this within the week.

Mr.Nice Guy

The first leg of the Ligue 1 relegation/promotion play-off between Ajaccio and Toulouse is tonight, kick-off at 7.45, live on BT Sport 2. The first leg is being played behind closed doors in Montpellier rather than in Ajaccio's ground after Ajaccio were disciplined for their fans' behaviour against Le Havre.

Ajaccio XI: Leca; Hergault, Marin, Avinel, Lejeune; Boe-Kane, Camara; Maazou, Cavalli, Nouri; Gimbert.

Toulouse XI: Lafont; Yago, Diop, Jullien, Moubandje; Somalia, Sangare, Imbula; Durmaz, Sanogo, Gradel.

Gradel played very well against Guingamp in Toulouse's last game of the season and they'll be hoping he carries that form into tonight's match. Diop and Jullien are promising young defenders and need to step up. Lafont has a bright future as a keeper but he was poor in the loss to Lille a few weeks ago. Haven't seen Ajaccio all season but Leca is meant to have been one of the best keepers in Ligue 2.

Not on the fence about this one at all. Have a soft spot for Toulouse and don't want Ajaccio getting rewarded for the fans' poor behaviour against Le Havre. Allez les Violets!

Mr.Nice Guy

Half-Time: 1-0 Toulouse. Great free-kick from Gradel just before half-time. Only piece of quality in what has been a poor half. Only a single shot on target by either side prior to the goal. Some bad challenges from Ajaccio and they're running the risk of a red. To make matters worse for Ajaccio looks like they may lose keeper Leca to injury after his shoulder collided with the post while trying to stop the goal.

What's odd is Ajaccio's coach is meant to be suspended but he's clearly passing on messages from his seat in the stadium. He was seen alongside the club president at one stage, and then one of the youth players, and the cameras have clearly shown messages being given to the bench. Bit of a joke really.

Update: 2-0! Jullien with a half-volley from a corner. Great start to the half for Toulouse.

Goal: 3-0 now! Sanogo smashes home from close range after Ajaccio fail to clear it. Three away goals now and Toulouse are almost safe. 25 minutes remaining.

Full-Time: Toulouse win the first leg 3-0 and unless there's an almighty collapse at home in the second leg on Sunday, they will be playing in Ligue 1 next season. There looked to be a big gulf between the sides.

Mr.Nice Guy

The 2nd leg of the relegation/promotion play-off kicks off at 8 tonight on BT Sport 3. Toulouse lead 3-0 and should remain in Ligue 1 next season unless there's a spectacular collapse. Team news:

Toulouse XI: Lafont; Amian Adou, Diop, Jullien, Moubandje; Sangare, Imbula; Somalia, Toivonen, Sanogo; Gradel.

Ajaccio XI: Mandanda; Sainati, Avinel, Hergault, Cabit; Boe-Kane, Keita, Laci; Nouri, Vialla, Maazou.

Interested to see if Ajaccio keep their discipline as they're capable of losing the plot when things go wrong.

Mr.Nice Guy

Full-Time and Toulouse win the 2nd leg 1-0 (4-0 on aggregate). Not much to the game tonight. Ajaccio much like in the first leg looked outclassed. Closest they came was an effort that shaved the crossbar after Lafont made a mistake coming for the ball. Toulouse were the better side and substitute Jimmy Durmaz blasted in the only goal following a short corner. I'm very pleased to see Toulouse remain in Ligue 1.

In the end just Metz and Troyes relegated to Ligue 2 while the two promoted sides for next season are Reims and Nimes.

That brings us to the end of the Ligue 1 thread. Roll on the 2018/19 season!