Ligue 1 Under-21 Team of Season 2010/11
Our final article in a series aimed at highlighting the best young players in Europe’s top five divisions last term sees France’s Ligue 1 come under the spotlight. We opt for a 4-2-3-1 here, with a real solid look to the defence and central midfield affording those more creative-minded players further up the field a freedom to wreak havoc. Here’s our Ligue 1 Under-21 XI of season 2010/11:
Goalkeeper
Matthieu Dreyer, Sochaux. Age 22. 11 appearances. WhoScored.com rating 7.02
Dreyer started the season in magnificent form for Sochaux, picking up 3 clean sheets in his 11 games for the fifth-placed side. He lost his place in late October and rarely featured thereafter but is the runaway winner in WhoScored.com’s goalkeeper ratings, with an average 7.02 per game.
Full Backs
César Azpilicueta, Marseille. Age 21. 15 apps. WhoScored.com rating 6.91
Kévin Théophile-Catherine, Rennes. Age 21. 26 apps, WhoScored.com rating 6.80
Our full-backs are a tough-tackling pair: Théophile-Catherine played 26 of Rennes league games last term, though his season was curtailed due to a fibula injury in the spring. The left-back’s presence was vital for Rennes, as they finished in sixth place and with just 35 goals conceded, were the meanest defence in Ligue 1. César Azpilicueta managed 15 games for runners-up Marseille and impressed going forward in addition to at the back, picking up 2 WhoScored.com man of the match awards along the way.
Azpilicueta demonstrated his defensive ability with a fantastic 3.9 tackles and 5 clearances per game, bettering the Rennes man’s 3 and 3.7 respectively, but
Théophile-Catherine led the way on clearances making 2.5 to Azpilicueta’s 1.6.
The Marseille right-back was also better in possession, with a pass accuracy of 79% to 76%, made more crosses (0.4 to 0.3) and showed his creative talents with 0.5 key passes to the 0.2 of Théophile-Catherine. The latter offers our XI more goal threat- averaging 0.5 shots per game, finding the net on 2 occasions.
Centre Half
Bruno Ecuele Manga, Lorient. Age 22. 31 apps. WhoScored.com rating 7.06
Mamadou Sakho, PSG. Age 21. 35 apps. WhoScored.com rating 7.11
Our centre-half pairing have both been linked with moves to bigger stages in Europe and it’s easy to see why- both are superb at the back and strong in possession, with Sakho’s eye for goal adding an extra factor to their presence in our XI.
The PSG man manages 2.6 tackles per game, superior to Ecuele Manga’s 1.8 but the latter is superb in both interceptions (2.3 to 1.8) and, in particular, clearances (8.1 to 6.7). Sakho’s 0.9 blocks just edge it -Ecuele Manga averaged 0.7- but both players’ stats are indicative of their reading of the game and ability to prevent an opponent breaking through on goal.
In possession, again the pair are mightily impressive- Ecuele Manga has an 87% pass accuracy and Sakho 84%. In the air, with 73% and 70% aerial success, their commanding presence at the back would trouble the very best of opposing forwards. Sakho’s eye for finding the net makes him a constant menace from set-pieces, as he found the net 4 times last term, with Ecuele Manga netting once.
Centre Midfield
Yann M’Villa, Rennes. Age 21. 37 apps. WhoScored.com rating 7.06
Ettienne Capoue, Toulouse. Age 22. 37 apps. WhoScored.com rating 7.01
Our central midfield pairing add experience to the XI’s spine- M’Villa and Capoue missed just 1 game each last season. Their ball-winning ability in the middle of the park offers the back-four further protection, as they look to harass and harry opponents, stealing the ball and feeding the creative attacking midfield talents ahead of them.
Capoue was the star performer for Toulouse last season, making 3.3 tackles and 3 interceptions per game. M’Villa’s defensive stats- 2.9 tackles and 2.4 interceptions are still hugely impressive for a central midfielder, and with both players winning 64% aerial duels, it’s clear how much will-to-win they offer in their challenges.
M’Villa is better in possession, managing 82% to Capoue’s 78%, and also edges it for key passes, 0.5 to 0.4 per game. Of the pair, Capoue is more adaptable- he played in three positions last season, including centre-half, and he’s the more skilful, too, making 0.9 successful dribbles per game, with M’Villa a little behind on 0.5. Their physical game offers a goal threat at the other end of the pitch- both had 0.6 shots per game on average, and their conversion rate was also identical, with 2 goals apiece.
Attacking Midfield
Eden Hazard. Lille. Age 20. 38 apps. WhoScored.com rating 7.35
Ryad Boudebouz, Souchaux. Age 21. 38 apps. WhoScored.com rating 7.01
Andre Ayew. Marseille. Age 21. 37 apps. Whoscored.com rating 7.15
Our three attacking midfielders offer plenty of adaptability. Eden Hazard, more familiar with playing on the left, takes his place on the opposite flank; the young Belgian played 23 times on the left but made 8 starts on the right, scoring 3 goals and making 2 assists from that position. Marseille’s Andre Ayew was fielded in five different positions last term but we field him out left, with Sochaux’s exciting young Algerian Ryad Boudebouz playing through the centre.
Backed by the solid defence and midfield behind them, the trio offer bags of trickery on the ball- Hazard made a brilliant 2.7 successful dribbles per game, with Boudebouz and Ayew also impressing on 1.7 each. Hazard leads the way for creativity, too, with 2.6 key passes per game- Boudebouz, on 1.3, and Ayew, on 1.1, also chip in with plenty of menace.
Playing in the role behind our lone striker, Boudebouz shows the returns that have the likes of Liverpool chasing his signature- his 81% pass accuracy is the better of the three and with 8 goals and 8 assists from 1.1 shots per game, he offers goal and creative threat in equal measure. Ayew weighs in with 11 goals from an average 1.6 shots, and although he grabbed just 2 assists, Hazard, with 10, more than makes up for any deficiency. The Lille man also grabbed 7 goals from his 38 appearances, from an average of just 0.9 shots per game.
Front Man
Brown Ideye. Sochaux. Age 21. 35 apps. WhoScored.com rating 6.86
Ideye was the main beneficiary of Marvin Martin’s creative talents last season- Martin made more assists than any player in Europe’s top five leagues and his service helped Ideye average 2.1 shots per game for Sochaux last season on his way to scoring 15 goals. He’s more than just a finisher though- Ideye made 1.1 successful dribbles per game and showed his eye for a pass, making 1.3 key passes per game, picking up 6 assists. However, his summer move to Dynamo Kiev will leave a significant gap in the Sochaux front line next season.
