Ligue 1 Team Of The Week: Round 22

After a weekend of action that produced a whole host of brilliant individual performances, Goal.com’s Robin Bairner has sifted out the very best...

Feb 1, 2010 10:00:00 AM

By Robin Bairner

More On :  AJ Auxerre, AS Monaco, AS Nancy-Lorraine, AS Saint-Etienne, Bordeaux, FC Lorient, FC Sochaux, Grenoble Foot 38, Le Mans UC 72, LOSC Lille Métropole, Montpellier HSC, OGC Nice, Olympique de Marseille, Olympique Lyonnais, Paris Saint-Germain, RC Lens, Stade Rennais FC, Toulouse FC, US Boulogne, Valenciennes FC
Ligue 1 : Montpellier

FORMATION 4-4-2

Goalkeeper

Teddy Richert (Sochaux) - Prior to Christmas, Richert was in great form with les Lionceaux, helping them to many points. He was largely overshadowed by the performances of others, but he came into his own last weekend, making several fine blocks as les Lionceaux claimed a decent point against Valenciennes in a 1-1 draw. His second half save from Fahid Ben Khalfallah was decisive.

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Defenders

Mapou Yanga-M'Biwa (Montpellier) – A member of the excellent Montpellier defence who stifled Olympique de Marseille at the weekend, 20-year-old Yanga-M’Biwa was at the top of his game in the right back slot. Faced with a variety of challenges, he was exceptionally solid and prevented les Phoceens having much more than a half-sight of goal.

Emir Spahic (Montpellier) – Without regular centre-back partner Nenad Dzodic, Bosnian international Spahic rose impressively to the challenge against OM. He marshalled the rearguard perfectly from the heart of the defence, aiding in shutting out Mamadou Niang and Bakari Kone, neither of whom could get a handle on the match largely due to the former Lokomotiv Moscow man’s outstanding contribution.

Jean-Pascal Mignot (Auxerre) – The unlikely match-winner for Auxerre against Saint-Etienne on Sunday, Mignot struck from a second half corner. When he wasn’t posing problems to les Verts in their own box, he was resolutely helping the Burgundy club to yet another clean sheet; their seventh in their last nine games.

Benoit Tremoulinas (Girondins de Bordeaux) – There has arguably been no better left-back in club football in Europe this season than Tremoulinas, who has been phenomenally consistent with his level of excellence for Bordeaux. Already boasting a whole hatful of assists this season, he looked the most likely provider of a goal for les Girondins at the weekend, though the club’s forward players failed to match his outstanding service.

Midfielders

Gervinho (Lille) – The Ivorian should have looked a little jaded on his return to Ligue 1 after a lengthy tour of Angola with his national side, but he appeared fairly fresh as he tormented the Lens defence, helping his club to a well deserved 1-0 victory. Possesses trickery perhaps unrivalled in the league and is a regular in the Best XI due to his superb regular level.

Rio Mavuba (Lille) – If Gervinho is the artist in LOSC’s side, Mavuba is undoubtedly their destructive gem. Won countless challenges in the heart of the midfield against les Sang et Or and elected to use the ball simply but effectively, rarely wasting a pass. The former Villarreal man’s contribution often goes overlooked but he is going to be a vital player if Rudi Garcia’s men are to earn a top three finish and Champions League football.

Nene (Monaco) – One of a clutch of left-sided players to excel to a remarkable degree at the weekend, Brazilian Nene has been arguably the league’s best player this term and is unquestionably in the top three. He scored his 13th goal of the season and also added two decisive passes to his tally as les Monegasques defeated near neighbours Nice in a derby encounter that boiled over after full-time.

Sylvain Marveaux (Stade Rennais) – Having missed almost the entirety of last season due to injury, 23-year-old Marveaux has burst back onto the scene this term to become one of the Breton club’s star players. He proved his worth again at the weekend, scoring twice as les Rouge et Noir routed a poor Grenoble side 4-0, taking his tally of goals this term to six.

Forwards

Karim Ait Fana (Montpellier) – The man who will be remembered as changing Saturday’s match against Marseille, 20-year-old Ait Fana, who rose through Montpellier’s youth system, deserves all the plaudits that come his way following his efforts on Saturday night. Early in the second half he made a mockery of the defence of Souleymane Diawara and Stephane Mbia to burst past both and lash a shot into the net, setting la Paillade up for a 2-0 victory.

Bafetimbi Gomis (Olympique Lyonnais) – Holding off stiff competition from Monaco’s Park Chu-Young to claim the final place in the side if Bafe Gomis of Lyon. A frequently maligned figure at Stade Gerland, Gomis’ first half performance against Paris Saint-Germain was nothing to get excited about, but he exploded after the break. It was he who broke clear to induce the game-changing foul from Mamadou Sakho, and it was he who drew Lyon level with less than 15 minutes remaining. In addition, he clattered the metalwork twice in an outstanding turnaround.



Richert

Yanga-M’Biwa   Spahic   Mignot   Tremoulinas

Mavuba

Marveaux                                        Gervinho

Nene

Gomis   Ait Fana
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