Player Focus: Returning Playmakers Can Light Up Ligue 1

If there is a sense of a talent drain from Ligue 1 - at least from middle-ranking clubs like Nantes and Lorient - in the face of the Premier League’s riches, then the return of some familiar faces is providing a welcome counterbalance to that. This week, Mathieu Valbuena completed his return to the Hexagon, joining Lyon just over a year after quitting Marseille for Dynamo Moscow.  

At the same time that Le Petit Vélo was making his debut away at Guingamp, a past creative hub for Les Gones - Hatem Ben Arfa - was busy showing that he’s still a going concern for new club Nice. Two of France’s most gifted playmakers of recent years could be among the most influential figures in Ligue 1 as the campaign begins to unfold. 

Logically, there are few places better than France for the number 10 to flourish at the moment. The revival of 4-4-2 in the last couple of years - initially led by Rémi Garde at Lyon and Claudio Ranieri at Monaco - has seen the diamond - or losange - midfield used, with someone to shape the game at the tip. 

James Rodríguez excelled in this role for Monaco during his sole season in the French top flight. Ranieri worked out it was the way to get the best out of probably his most talented player. In 29 Ligue 1 starts under the Italian coach, James created 11 goals and scored another 7 himself. The team’s new shape wasn’t great for his compatriot Radamel Falcao, but the template was set. 

Another man who was a winger by trade, Dimitri Payet, similarly saw his performance levels go through the roof after being moved into a central spot by Marcelo Bielsa last season. The 28-year-old Payet racked up an astonishing 17 assists in 35 starts for Marseille, before being sold to West Ham in the summer.  

The exit of Valbuena, another player used extensively in wide areas, to Russia had left space for Payet to be tried in this role, and offered a good example. With the right protection and support, somebody with a winger’s skillset can make their presence felt in a central area, even in a competition famed for its physicality.  

A tough scrap was what awaited Valbuena as he made his return to France. Even at 30, it’s his reprise of this role that excites most neutrals. He’s arrived in excellent health, having already made 4 Russian Premier League starts this season for Dynamo, registering 2 goals and 2 assists. Also making 3.3 dribbles and 4 key passes per game, after having registered 11 assists in 24 starts last term, it is clear that Lyon are getting a player in prime form. 

Valbuena’s implication was impressive at the Roudourou, as he made 65 touches and drew 4 fouls, more than anybody else on his team. Yet little really came off for him in a game during which he managed just 1 key pass for a WhoScored rating of 6.26.  

It underlined the need to find balance between Valbuena and the reconvened front two of Alexandre Lacazette and Nabil Fekir, with the latter being the previous incumbent in the number 10 role. In the medium term, the prospects of this combination for Lyon watchers are mouth-watering, not only given the quality of all three, but given the fact that Lacazette and Fekir already clicked as a pair last season.  

So perhaps unexpectedly, Ben Arfa had a more productive weekend than Valbuena, gaining a WhoScored rating of 7.86 in Nice’s thrilling 3-3 draw at Troyes. Ben Arfa had 3 shots, (1 on target, a penalty for Nice’s first-half equaliser) and while he looks as if he still has a way to go to reach top fitness - unlike Valbuena - it is clear that his natural gifts already make him a significant threat to opposing teams while he continues to strive for optimum condition. It’s a steep climb for a player who made just 5 starts in the 2014/15 season, and has played no senior football at all since he was substituted after 35 minutes in Hull’s 3-0 loss at Manchester United back in November. 

While Ben Arfa and Valbuena both come from a background of playing wide, their diverging styles are apparent in the numbers. Valbuena has developed into a pure passer, while Ben Arfa still thrives on going past players, attempting and completing 6 successful dribbles at Troyes, while he was also fouled 3 times in treatment that his annoyed coach Claude Puel described as “a bit special”. 

The sense is that Ben Arfa has the potential to score more than Valbuena, even if his best scoring season in terms of league goals is only 6, compared to Valbuena’s 5. What will help him in this quest going forward is Nice’s excellent front two of Valère Germain and Alessane Pléa. They are both forwards who read the game well, make intelligent runs to create space for Ben Arfa to penetrate centrally, and create their fair share of chances too. Pléa made 4 key passes against Troyes, and Germain made 2.  

Already, Pléa and Germain have exchanged 24 passes in their 2 matches together this season. Lacazette and Fekir have exchanged 19, which will only improve - Lacazette has been suffering with a back injury and was withdrawn after 63 minutes at the weekend, allowing Claudio Beauvue to come on and score the winner against his old club. 

This is relevant because Ben Arfa and Valbuena will be working in close proximity with those strike partnerships, and already are, as the WhoScored average player position maps highlight. Individually, these two returning stars will add plenty to Ligue 1. In combination with two very exciting forward duos, they could give us something quite spectacular.

How big a role do you think Valbuena and Ben Arfa can play for their respective teams this season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below