Football

It’s the Adam and Erics 2021! The complete review of the Ligue 1 season


Match of the season: Monaco 3-2 PSG

Niko Kovac’s appointment at Monaco was greeted with some head-scratching and his team’s indifferent form in the early weeks of the season bore that out. Monaco looked decent enough going forward but new signing Kevin Volland was yet to hit his stride and their defence struggled badly. When they played PSG in November and went 2-0 down in the first half, they looked well on their way to another ungainly performance. But Monaco battled back to win 3-2 thanks to a brace from Volland and a vintage performance from Cesc Fàbregas. That victory announced that, if not title contenders, they were at least a more-than-dangerous adversary.

Goal of the season: Irvin Cardona, Brest

This goal from Irvin Cardona simply must be seen to be believed. With time winding down in an early-season win over Dijon, Romain Perraud hits a whipped cross to the back post and Cardona, after hanging in the air for what seems an eternity, rifles the ball into the roof of the net, his two feet never having touched the ground. More akin to a martial arts film or a video game than what one might expect on a football pitch, this truly was a sumptuous finish.

Save of the season: Steve Mandanda v Montpellier

Despite another confident and controlled campaign between the sticks, Marseille stalwart Steve Mandanda’s place may be under threat next season as new coach Jorge Sampaoli considers more modern ball-playing options. If this was to be the 36-year-old’s last season as No 1, he will remember one save in particular during a thrilling April encounter with Montpellier. With Marseille 3-2 up but down to 10 men and under pressure from a succession of corners, Mandanda leapt to his left to expertly palm away Daniel Congré’s header but, as he fell, Gaëtan Laborde pounced. Just a yard out and with Mandanda on his back, Laborde’s snap effort was unfathomably repelled by Mandanda’s raised knee. Laborde would get his own back however with a stunning diving header in injury time to equalise and steal a point for Montpellier.

Player of the Season: Kylian Mbappé

While the romance of Lille’s title run will have the hipsters clamouring for Burak Yilmaz or Benjamin André, there is no question that Kylian Mbappé has been the standout player. The beating heart of PSG’s attack, he eagerly picked up the slack when Neymar was injured, or Mauro Icardi was indifferent. His absence against Manchester City in the Champions League told, just as his bravura double against Lyon late in the season all but eliminated Les Gones from the title race while simultaneously restoring PSG’s own confidence. If Mbappé leaves this summer, he will do so in style.

Kylian Mbappé shows off the Coupe de France.
Kylian Mbappé shows off the Coupe de France. Photograph: Franck Fife/AFP/Getty Images

Young player of the season: Amine Gouiri, Nice

While the UNFP plumped for Monaco’s hard-working midfielder Aurélien Tchouameni, we are opting for France U21 international Amine Gouiri. He was a rare bright spark for an otherwise turgid and injury-hit Nice, scoring 12 goals and picking up seven assists. He looks certain to be a building block for the team in future, no mean feat given the level of players around him.

Celebration of the season: Andy Delort v Nîmes

Having scored what he thought was the opener in the Languedoc derby in March, Montpellier striker Andy Delort raced over to the corner flag camera and delved into his shorts. Fortunately, and bizarrely, the Frenchman produced a red haribo in the shape of a crocodile – the symbol of bitter rivals Nîmes – before eating the sweet on camera. VAR, however, ruined Delort’s fun by overturning the goal before Nîmes compounded his embarrassment by scoring (legally) themselves four minutes later.

Biggest flashpoint: Marseille fans at the training ground

While Neymar’s childish scuffle with Lille defender Tiago Djaló bordered on the amusing – “push me again and see what happens” warned Djaló in the Parc des Prince tunnel after both were sent off – the actions of some Marseille fans in January proved far from funny. Frustrated by the team’s poor form and particularly the ruthless running of the club by then-president Jacques-Henri Eyraud, dozens of fans violently stormed the club’s training ground. The police made 25 arrests; there was “several hundreds of thousands of euros” of damage done to the training ground; André Villas-Boas’ had his briefcase stolen; a tree was set alight; and players and staff were confronted. It was a dark day for French football.

Manager of the season: Christophe Galtier, Lille

With apologies to Kovac at Monaco and Franck Haise at Lens, both of whom far exceeded expectations, for Lille to lose their best attacker in the summer (again), yet go on to reach the knockout rounds of the Europa League and win the Ligue 1 title is nothing less than a miracle. Galtier, our winner in 2019, is again the deserved victor. His well-balanced and hard-working side improved throughout the year and his faith in early season flop Jonathan David was duly rewarded as the young Canadian became a vital cog in the team’s attack.

Christophe Galtier leads the celebrations as Lille win the league.
Christophe Galtier leads the celebrations as Lille win the league. Photograph: Loïc Venance/AFP/Getty Images

Best tifo: Lille v Lens

Fans have continued to make themselves felt from the stands through a range of vibrant tifos. An ode to departing coach Stéphane Moulin from Angers fans and an elaborate arch through which Lyon’s team bus could pass were memorable examples, but Lille fans took a more direct approach. Their rivals Lens returned to Ligue 1 this season and, before their first derby against Lille for five years, their players were presented with six giant words plastered across the stands at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy: “We Love Lille. We Hate Lens.” In English. Route one stuff from the Lille ultras.

Best sporting director: Luís Campos

“Luís Campos was the architect of this team,” said Galtier of his title-winning side. While the magnanimous Frenchman’s nuanced coaching improved each one his core group during his time in charge, he was given the tools to build such a team by the 56-year-old transfer whisperer. Campos departed mid-season but he is the only man to beat PSG to the title twice in the last five seasons. As he did with Monaco, Campos built an eclectic, balanced squad using minimal resources, having scoured less fashionable markets for under the radar talent. Lille’s first-choice XI cost just £66m, a third of what PSG paid for Neymar. Astonishing.

Moment of the season: Burak Yilmaz’s double against Lyon

Lyon looked to have knocked Lille out of the title race and put themselves back into contention for the Champions League in late April, taking a 2-0 lead over Les Dogues. However, the hosts had not counted on Burak Yilmaz. His double, capping a battling performance, was the stuff of legend, including a stunning free-kick to halve the deficit just before the interval. This was the evening when the “Kral” truly earned his crown.

Signing of the season: Lucas Paquetá, Lyon

Paquetá came to Lyon with a reputation, but the way he has taken to Ligue 1 has been remarkable. Deployed earlier in the season as a box-to-box player, he has also sparkled as a No 10, finding his scoring boots in impressive fashion in the second half of the season. Likely to be afforded more freedom and the chance to hone his relationship with Houssem Aouar next season, the former Milan man looks exceptional value for money. Honourable mentions also go to Volland, Yilmaz and Sven Botman, all of whom would have been worthy winners in another season.

Lucas Paquetá in action for Lyon.
Lucas Paquetá in action for Lyon. Photograph: John Berry/Getty Images

Flop of the season: Mediapro

The “League of Talents” has generally lived up to its billing this season, with French clubs typically spending wisely. Despite one or two on-field missteps – Danilo Pereira at PSG most notably – the biggest disappointment came from Spanish broadcaster Mediapro. Their Netflix-style subscription service Téléfoot was seen as a watershed moment for French football. However, Mediapro could not finance the deal and Téléfoot collapsed after just a few months as the pandemic escalated and pick-up of the expensive subscription stalled. Ligue 1 is still scratching around for a new, and likely much less financially powerful, arrangement. A humiliating backwards step.

Team of the season

Starting XI: Mike Maignan, Jonathan Clauss, José Fonte, Botman, Reinildo, Paqueta, André, Tchouameni, Depay, Mbappé, Yilmaz. Substitutes: Navas, Badé, C.Henrique, Y.Fofana, Volland, Ben Yedder, Laborde.





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