Happy New Year to everyone and welcome to a special edition of Le Bilan. For a little more than a year now I've been writing these weekly recaps about Ligue 1, a league that may not be the best in the world but still deserved more attention on /soccer.
I would have probably stopped doing them if it was not for the constant support from the small but very passionate french community on here who constantly provides me help, ideas and inspiration. That's why I wanted to have them on board for this one-off. So I gathered the Avengers of the french /soccer redditors to let them talk about their respective clubs and what happened to them so far this season.
I would like to thank everyone who accepted to participate in this collective work, it's been a real pleasure reading all your contributions.
The regular Bilan will be back on thursday after matchday 18. In the meantime, enjoy this one !

Ligue 1

Olympique Lyonnais by sugima

After the final 8, and the 4th harvest of Pep Guardiola's Manchester City by Maxwel Cornet in 2 seasons, we have only Ligue 1 and the Cup to play. No Champions League or Europa League, due to a 7th spot when the League decided to terminate the 2019-20 season. After 6 matches (1W-4D-1L), this season felt like it would be a second shit season in a row in Ligue 1 : 3 draw games against opponents who are in the 2nd half of the table (Bordeaux, Nîmes and Lorient), and one against Marseille who played 70 min with 10 men. Add to this an outrageous amount of crosses all going into the void, and Rudi Garcia was ready to miss a European spot twice in a row. But this awful streak came to an end, and OL won 29 points out of 33 in the following 11 matches. Despite this successful streak, these matches still include some poor performances compared to the expected standard of one of the richest French clubs : the 7th match against Strasbourg who came back from 0-3 down to 2-3 and could have equalized in the last minutes, the 8th match against Monaco (4-1 win, 4-0 lead at half-time with 4 generous gifts from Monaco's defense, but Monaco dominated the whole 2nd half) or the match against Brest at home (15th match day), where OL conceded the equalizer on a last minute penalty when Brest was down to 10 men (again ...). The difficulty to keep a result with an extra player on the pitch seems to go on, and often coincides with Garcia's choice to sub off an attacking player for a defensive one. On the bright side, our midfield now performs better than the past seasons, which helps the whole team.
Best player : ?
I'm not sure. Thiago Mendes seems to have replaced his ghost from the past season, Lucas Paquetà and Tino Kadewere also performed well for their first half season.
Revelation : Tino Kadewere
He was recruited as a good Ligue 2 striker last winter, stayed in Le Havre on loan and ended best scorer of the 19-20 season with 20 goals scored. Many recent Ligue 2 great scorers have failed in Ligue 1 (Charbonnier, Bozok ..), and there are already many strikers in Lyon, so I was afraid of the result. He turns out to be an intelligent player, and more than a pure striker. Let's see if he confirms on the long term.
Final place : Champion
(Despite Rudi Garcia)
With PSG and LOSC still involved in CL and EL respectively, we have to be a title contender until the end. We also improved our midfield and attack during the summer. There's still Maxwel Cornet playing left back, but it doesn't matter as long as the rest of the team plays well.

Lille OSC by PAT_The_Whale

We started the season very well with a 1-1 draw against a CL contender (Rennes), which is something we’ll see a lot during the season: Win against mid/low-table teams, draw against CL contenders. There were only 3 exceptions: draw against Nice, loss against Brest (only loss in the league so far) and draw against Saint-Etienne, and we can count the wins against Monaco and Montpellier as exceptions too, but in my opinion they are rather EL contenders. Our last two games of the half-season are against Angers and Nîmes, which means both are winnable. In that case, we’d beat our previous point record by mid-season, 42 points instead of the previous record of 40 during the 2013-2014 season (we finished 3rd).
In the EL, it’s the contrary: 2 wins against 3rd placed Sparta Praha, 1 win and 1 draw against 1st placed AC Milan, 1 draw and 1 loss against last placed Celtic. Fun fact, we were the only team to not win against Celtic, meaning that we gave them their only 4 points. Because of that, we’ll have to face Ajax instead of Red Star Belgrade.
Best player : Renato Sanches
Even if he is often injured, he singlehandedly destroyed AC Milan’s midfield and is one of our main creative forces. When he isn’t playing, our wingers and strikers have to be more creative. When he is playing, they can focus on being available, which makes a huge difference.
Revelation(s) :
Burak Yilmaz : Came out of Turkey, 35 years old. Nobody expected him to be this good.
Yusuf Yazici : He was absolutely shit last season, then ruptured his ACL. He said he worked hard to get back into form, and man did it work well. He’s become very good this season, a complete turnover for him.
Sven Botman : We sold our big CB talent Gabriel for 30M. Then we bought some no-name from Ajax who couldn’t even get to their first team. That man has serious world class potential. So fucking good.
Xeka : He was good 2 seasons ago, but nothing spectacular. Then he injured himself in the end of the season. Next season, he’s clearly below his level, we thought that the injury ruined him. Now comes this season where he often replaces Sanches because of his injuries, and he’s been better than 2 seasons ago. Not our most important player at all by far, but he’s also had a big turnover, and has shown to be very important.
Final place : 1st-3rd
Lyon don’t have to play Europe, so they get a form advantage, but we can safely say that Lille and PSG probably won’t be winning their respective competitions, so that advantage might not last. PSG might also stop getting unlucky with injuries. Jonathan David might figure out how to score again. It’s extremely hard to predict the league winner this season.

Paris Saint-Germain by Rerel

On the 24th of August 2020, Paris got defeated in its first final of Champions League against the German champion Bayern Munich. The LFP, who is the reigning body of Ligue 1, got the genius idea to start the season on the 22nd of August, before the CL final even took place.
Such generosity from LFP and the 8 Covid cases the team had, led to a poor beginning of the season for Paris. With 2 defeats against Lens (7th of Ligue 1) and Marseille (5th) right at the start. There were two more defeats against AS Monaco and Olympique Lyonnais later. PSG has never won the Ligue 1 title with more than 3 defeats. This season is definitely more challenging for the Parisian club who has to catch up on both Lyon and Lille to hope to win the title of 2020-2021.
In Champions League, Paris Saint-Germain also had a difficult start with two defeats against Manchester and Leipzig. But with an incredible turn of events, they managed to win both return legs against the group leaders and take the leadership of the group of death that sent Manchester United going to Europa league. Mainly thanks to Neymar with his 6 goals contribution in Champions League for PSG.
The unexpected recruit and success of Paris this season must be Moise Kean. The 20 years old striker managed to already score 7 goals in Ligue 1 and 2 in champions league. While invisible at Everton, the young Italian prodigy managed to win playing time in Paris earning the trust of his manager and beneficiating from Icardi's mysterious long term abductors injury.
While PSG is currently behind Lyon and Lille in the Ligue 1 table and a sudden managerial change has appeared... There are quite a lot of perplexity on the future of the club results this season. Qataris club owners seem to have lost faith in their German coach Thomas Tuchel and now resolved to chase the Argentine Mauricio Pochettino to replace him.
The fan base has been quite divided on this managerial change. A strong side of Parisians felt the team lacked identity in its playing style. While the other side defended the results Tuchel managed to achieve. The truth is that both sides are right. Indeed, Tuchel didn't have a team identity and style. He changed the tactics very often to adapt to injuries, competitions, opponents. The players themselves had doubts on some of his decisions: playing Marquinhos in the midfield, Danilo in defense, then reversing this situation completely, going with a 3-5-2 formation. PSG viewers noticed the constant lack of pressing and stability the midfield has without Verratti.
Can we blame it all on the ridiculous amount of injuries in his squad? (highest in Europe) Surely, PSG fans liked Thomas Tuchel, some of them only liked his first 6 months at the club when he looked like tactical genius. But the German manager has been looking fed up for quite some time and his communication showed it. It's also rumoured that he lost the support of some players after the 2nd leg against İstanbul Başakşehir.
Best player : Neymar
Revelation : Moise Kean
Final place : 2nd

Stade Rennais by ThePr1d3

What can I say about that first half of the season from Stade Rennais ? Probably the same that can be always said for this club. It's been a wild ride. Following that club is extremely interesting, deeply frustrating, even disappointing at times but God damn if it isn't rewarding, and the most exciting experience you can get. And those past few months have been all of that in a nutshell.
After an unexpected change in the administration, the club was entering the season to confirm its new ambitions, or fall back into averageness. The transfer season was encouraging, with the signings of Aguerd and Rugani (loan) to reinforce the CB, of Guirassy as a much needed competition to Mbaye Niang, of Terrier as a versatile deadly wingestriker, and investing in the young Belgian prospect Jérémy Doku. But the unexplainable loss of Raphinha to Leeds put a huge stain on the window, losing the highest performing offensive asset and only quality left footed winger, thus preventing Stéphan for playing with two inverted wingers like the past seasons...
And as far as results are, the club started like a cannonball (just like last season), ranking first after 6 matchdays and undefeated for another week. But, again just like last year, the start of the European Campaign really took its toll on the team, recording a sensationnal November month (6 defeats and a draw) and plumetting to the mid domestic table. Worse thing is, Rennes only managed to score 1 point in the UCL while performing more than decently, and being far from the embarassement they were supposed to be. But a severe lack of efficiency (3 goals, 2 being pens for more than 50 shots) on both areas, crippling injuries of key players (Camavinga, Maouassa, Terrier) and bad luck (Nzonzi suspended for kicking a bottle of water, Dalbert conceding 2 pens and getting a red in the first 40min vs Chelsea etc) meant the end of the club's Europeans aspirations, even missing on a well deserved EL knockout stage.
Fortunately, the month of December was a turning point with 4 victories in that many matchs (then again, last season the team went also undefeated in December after being kicked out of EL), and ends the year in a solid and promising 4th place.
Best player : Steven Nzonzi
Rennes's principle asset this season is definitely its midfield. The trio of Nzonzi, Camavinga, Bourigeaud is one of the strongest in the league, and is the main reason the team has shifted from a quick projecting offensive playstyle to a controlling, great at combining one. And out of those, Steven Nzonzi is probably the best element for the team. His calm and collected attitude bring serenity to the play, and you'll always see him go back in front of the CBs to allow nice and proper start of the play. His vision and quality of pass is something we've never had in Rennes, and his defensive positionning allows Camavinga to shine as a box to box midfielder.
Revelation : Adrien Truffert
After the long injury of our star left back Faitout Maouassa and the disappointing performances of emergency loaned Dalbert to fill his role, young academy player Truffert took it upon himself to secure the left flank, providing an assist for the equalizer and scoring the winning goal in his first appearance vs Monaco. After that, he managed solid regular performances, showing good defending for his age, and a rare crossing quality in front.
Final place : 3rd-5th
If we get spared by the injuries (which should be, given we won't have to play 3 times a week anymore), and manage to fix our efficiency problems up front (the infamous 15 shots on the post in 17 matchs), we should be a force to be reckoned with for the remainder of the year. I only rate Lille, Lyon, Paris and maybe Montpellier as being a better side than Rennes, though Marseille always somehow manage to get good results despite their level of play. I expect us to keep growing as we've done so far.

Olympique de Marseille by LondonNoodles

What could have been? If there was a movie made on OM's 2020-21 first half, that would be its title. Some of us would say we're almost relieved that Marseille is not in the top 3 at the end of the calendar year, as it would paint a false and unfair representation of the poor quality of this group, and the sadness we've felt watching an empty Velodrome filled with so little ambition. Yet, despite the horrible Champions League campaign that will be forgotten as "an accident", Marseille have not only won enough games to be in the podium race (with 2 postponed games to play), they've showed glimpses of collective talent, like in the first half of the game against Monaco, or the first half against Rennes, or even again the first half against Nantes! See a pattern here? Yes that's right, before trying to confront our ligue 1 rivals, our biggest challenge yet again will be to face our worst enemy : ourselves! As is tradition alongside Christmas presents and Provence's 13 desserts, we will be thrilled by the many names of star european forwards that will pour in the press until eventually we settle for the one name that no one really wanted. But the question for 2021 really is : if this team can step up and find the missing gears, what could be?
Best player : Steve Mandanda
Crazy to think of how many points he must have saved us in his career and in this half season alone. What a legend of the club.
Revelation : Pape Gueye
Didn't get much playtime yet but showed undeniable qualities, the game against Rennes before his red card he was absolutely phenomenal on the pitch. Thank you Turpin!
Final place : 4th
PSG will reclaim their crown, Lille look solid second, Lyon will fight it out and probably get above us.

Montpellier HSC by JeanneHusse

It's been a great start of the season for Montpellier, despite our current 8th place. We fixed our main problem from last season, which was us getting plowed by everyone when playing away from home, and if it wasn't for a few surprising loss (Dijon, Lille), we would be sitting around the 4-5th place right now. Der Zakarian even found some tactical flexibility, by departing from his beloved 3-5-2 and trying out a very offensive 4-3-3, led by a Mavdidi-Delort-Labord front 3. More surprisingly, he doesn't hesitate to field a midfield that would make Guardiola proud, by using one sentinel (usually Ferri) and two offensive midfielder, Savanier and Mollet. We can now be more adaptive depending on the type of opponent we're facing.
While Savanier is by far our most gifted player, and the beloved son of La Paillade, he's been suffering a few injuries recently, enough for Andy Delort to steal the spotlight and be our starplayer. The man has been scoring screamers left and right, pressing like a madman and feeding assists to Laborde, forming one of the best attacking duo in the league this season.
Most of the team is pretty much the same as last year, but we really improved on our wingbacks. Replacing Oyongo on the left, Ristic is probably this season's revelation. He's no Bédimo or Roussillon yet, but he's shown great promise, whether it's on a back-5 or a back-4. On the other side, Souquet, while being useful, was never that great a wingback. Thankfully, Junior Sambia finally stepped up to the plate after years of disappointing performances as a midfielder. Now, he's killing it on the wing and we can finally end the mouring of Ruben Aguilar's departure to Monaco.
If we keep at it, and don't repeat the same mistake against smaller teams, we're in contention to grab a Europa League spot. We've shown against Lille that we can battle it out with the best teams in the league, and apart from the current top4, I don't see a team that is so clearly above us. It'll be tough, but this might finally be the year we get this freaking 5th place !
Best player : Andy Delort
Revelation : Mihailo Ristić
Final place : 5th

Angers SCO by EastOfEden_

The fans went into this season a bit worried given the turmoil at the helm of the club (our director of football and talisman Olivier Pickeu being fired after 14 years of service, our president being sued for sexual assault...) and the loss of key players during the transfer window (Santamaria and Ait Nouri most of all), with very little of the big money made on transfers over the last few years being reinvested (Pepe, Toko Ekambi, Reine Adelaide, Tait). But as usual we've been very pleasantly surprised by the performance of the team, although nothing should surprise us from Stephane Moulin, who manages to have this team play pragmatic (some may say defensive) football and get results when it counts.
The core of the team, with the exception of the departing Santamaria and Ait Nouri, has been mostly unchanged, and the new recruits Bernardoni in goal (who is without a doubt our club's revelation this season) and Coulibaly in midfield have gelled nicely with the team. The biggest change has been the repositioning of Fulgini as a 10, which has allowed him to shine and contribute quite a few goals and assists as our best player of the first half of the season.
Best player : Angelo Fulgini
Revelation : Paul Bernardoni
Final place : 9th-11th

OGC Nice by erjiin

A mid-season crash after a promising start. After a nice (lol!) mercato, saluted by the press and almost all supporters, the season looked interesting. A lot of departures, almost all key posts reinforced, some youngsters in defense to play with Dante, the arrival of Morgan Schneiderlin, Rony Lopes, Hassane Kamara, the young forward Amine Gouiri and after a while of Jeff Reine-Adélaïde. The team seemed ready for Ligue 1 and Europa League... It began slowly with Patrick Vieira still struggling to find his way (and to convince the supporters he was the right man). However after a logical defeat again PSG at matchday 4, the machine seemed to take off and at matchday 9 the club was classed 4th, with a convincing draw against Lille (1st at this time) and a 0-3 win at Angers. Unfortunately at Angers happened also THE drama: Dante, captain and technical leader of the team has been badly injured (ACL) until the end of the season. It turns out the team and particularly the young CBs weren't ready at all for this. After 5 defeats including one at home against the last of Ligue 1, one against Monaco in the derby of Côte d'Azur and an elimination in Europa League, due to his incapacity to solve the problems, Patrick Vieira has been fired and replaced by his assistant Adrian Ursea. Adrian Ursea himself has barely managed to do better than Vieira but must compose with injured players (Dante, Atal, a lot of others), out of form players (Lopes, Dolberg), a prone to mistakes team (at least one goal leading mistake per game in recent games) and even a COVID outbreak at the facilities. Now the team is 12th, depressed and has a huuuge need: an experimented CB (and maybe also cocaine but it seems it's not allowed during games) However not everything is dark and some players have delivered: JRA has been very interesting lately, Amine Gouiri is a joy to watch, Lotomba is a good RB and Hassane Kamara a good LB.
Best player : Jeff Reine-Adélaïde
Revelation : Amine Gouiri
Final place : 6th
The club is looking for defensive reinforcement, as i'm optimistic I believe that with them and the comeback of injured players, we will do much much better.

Girondins de Bordeaux by NotMeladroit

After an eventful summer highlighted by a controversial logo change, a close call in the yearly DNCG hearing and the appointment of Jean-Louis Gasset only 11 days before the start of the season, Bordeaux started the season pretty well with 9 points in the first 6 games and only 2 goals conceded with 5 clean sheets. The Girondins didn’t concede a single goal in their first five games at home starting the season with an impressive 3 goalless ties streak! The end of 2020 was less impressive with 18 goals conceded in 11 games and 3 defeats at home in the last 4 games. The month of November was a clear example of Bordeaux’s incontinency this season from a 4-0 defeat at Monaco with 3 goals conceded in 4 minutes to 4 points earned in 2 games away at Rennes and PSG.
Best player : Hatem Ben Arfa
Despite being signed only in October and after only 158 minutes played in the 2019/2020 season at Real Valladolid, Hatem Ben Arfa is already a key part of Bordeaux offence being involved in 1/3 of the goals scored this season with 2 goals (2 game winning goals) and 4 assists, all of them in the last 7 games of 2020.
Revelation : Paul Baysse
Paul Baysse shining with his hometown club at 32 is unexpected but very welcomed. After not playing a single professional game with Bordeaux at the start of his career, Paul Baysse returned to the club in the winter of 2018. But the rise of upcoming star Jules Koundé made him ride the bench and being loaned out to Caen for the 2018/2019 season. He returned from his loan last season but was put in the fridge by Paulo Sousa and didn’t play a single minute. But injuries to habitual starters Pablo and Laurent Koscielny and trust put in him by coach Jean-Louis Gasset made him the center-back with the most minutes played so far and a key part to Bordeaux main strength, its defence ranked 7th in the league.
Final place : 9th-14th
Unless Bordeaux goes into a hot streak to end the season like they used to do to qualify for Europe this past decade, they will finish midtable between 9th and 14th too far from European spots battle but comfy enough from any relegation scares. The defence is the main strength of the team but the team is not well drill enough to be consistent over a full season and the offence is underwhelming, already being too Ben-Arfa dependant, despite having interesting offensive players.

FC Nantes by qqsharp

In view of the general situation of the club :

A mafia president involved in large-scale tax fraud cases
An unofficial "sports director" even more crooked, who led the club to a raid on the training centre for dubious transfers.
The appointment of Domenech, a mediocre coach, unfamiliar with modern football and deeply irritating, who pushes the limits of the absurd and ends up turning the fans against the management.
The probable closed-door sessions for the rest of the season that will undermine the atmosphere of a normally boiling stadium
An already limited workforce with executives in decline (Pallois, Touré) and probably ready to be plundered in January
A series of catastrophic matches in progress reminiscent of Strasbourg 2007-2008

I don't see how Nantes could end up in any other place than the last one. If it could at least give us the opportunity to get rid of those bastards at the head of the club who are always trying to smear our reputation...
Best player : Ludovic Blas
We don't score much, but he is always dangerous and has managed to take over from Simon and Bamba, who are like the team at the beginning of the season, weak. Fast, sharp in front, unfortunately a little bit inconsistent but a really interesting player.
Revelation : Randal Kolo Muani
By dint of looking for mediocre 9s everywhere (Coulibaly, Emond...), we end up realising that when you are Nantes the solution often comes from within. Twice man of the match (without scoring a goal but not being spoiled by the VAR...), he has a sense of purpose and it is only sadly logical that we talk about a departure in January for him.
Final place : 20th

RC Strasbourg by Colyris

This season started with a good number of players affected by the COVID just before the start of the season, which must have complicated the end of the preparation, and the start of the league. It should also be noted the absence of fans at home, Normally La Meinau is almost always full. There we have only one victory at home out of 8 matches. It's not brilliant. But the absence of the fans does not explain everything.
To put it simply, it's going to be a complicated season.
The main problem of Racing, for me, is quite simple: we concede too many goals for God's sake!
Defence hasn't been our strong point since our return to L1 but we've taken 32 goals in 17 games. That's almost 2 goals per game, it's complicated to get good results like that. Hopefully Sels will come back soon and correct this problem a little bit. Clean sheets guys please.
The positive point of this beginning of the season is probably the Ajorque/Diallo duo who are doing rather well, 6 and 5 goals respectively. I was rather skeptical about the arrival of Diallo at the very end of the mercato (10M€ from Metz) but considering the results it works.
Best player : Mohamed Simakan
I mention a defender whereas just before I said that defence is the problem, but Simakan is overall solid (even if 2 handballs -> 2 penalties against Metz =/). And above all there are starting to be rumours of contact with Milan. I have no illusions with the current situation (thanks COVID + Mediapro) we'll probably sell but I hope at least at the end of the season and at a good price (more than 15 M please). Seriously PSG are buying Diallo, Kehrer 30M+, ASSE is selling these 2 defenders 30M+ and so on and I feel that we will accept an offer at 15M-). Otherwise probably Ajorque, with 6 goals / 5 assists.
Revelation : Habib Diallo
It's not really a revelation for league 1, but Habib Diallo is interesting over this half season (5 goals / 3 assists). I would like to see the Ajorque/Diallo duo start more matches together.
Final place : 16-17th
I think it will depend on the resumption. The January matches are against Nîmes, Lens, St-Étienne, Dijon and Reims. They are almost all direct opponents for the survival.
If we win 4 out of 5 matches (it's Christmas, let me dream.) we could maybe finish 12-13th, but it's likely to be a battle to the end for survival, hoping to finish above them, like 16-17th.

Ligue 2

Toulouse FC by THZHDY

After a less than ideal 2020 (the club went winless in 23 consecutive games from october 31st 2019 to september 26 2020, (331 days) and a much deserved relegation, the club has found new hope. New ownership in the name of RedBird capital and Damien Comolli's leadership, a new manager (Patrice Garande) many new transfers and a focus on youth academy players allow us to sit in 3rd at the winter break, only 2 points behind first place. Since that 3-1 against Auxerre that marked the end of the winless streak, Toulouse have won 9, drawn 3 and lost only 1 game (a 4-5 thriller against Valenciennes, with their right back scoring 4 goals)
What happened? Solid recruitment, and players who look like they finally give a shit. Most of the new signings making an extremely positive impact. Stijn Spierings, a Dutch CM signed from Bulgaria, scored 6 and assisted 1 in 10 games (5 penalties) and has brought much needed composure to the team. Branco van den Boomen is a dead ball master, Brecht Dejaegere is a leader in the midfield, and Rhys Healey is on a major scoring spree, having scored in each of the last six games.
Top scorers: Healey (8), Spierings (6), Antiste (6)
Best player : Rhys Healey
His scoring spree earned him the Ligue 2 player of the month award for December.
Revelation : Amine Adli
His new role as a second striker and his partnership with Healey is amazing, he's scored some beautiful goals, and he's an academy product.
Final place : 3rd and a playoff loss
We have a tough schedule ahead, we play all of the top 8 in the next 7 games, so if we manage to get out of that still within reach of the top 2 I can see us getting promoted again, I'm hoping for 1st place obviously.

AJ Auxerre by PrisonersofFate

Auxerre has been in a bad situation for years. Once a strong team in french football, L1 Champions in 96, french cups and a strong academy, things went sour with the relegation. A chinese businessman bought the club back and invested enough for them to survive.
Auxerre in L2 have been disappointing since they got relegated. It's maybe the first time they have a shout to get promoted again, and that's thanks to the good work of Jean-Marc Furlan.
Furlan is really a L2 coach, who will promote a team often (Troyes twice, Brest). He tries to get good and offensive football and things start to work now.
Best player : Mickaël Le Bihan
Mickaël Le Bihan scored 13 times already and is the biggest threat in the team, he is clearly the best scorer of the league.
Revelation : Hamza Sakhi
Of course, going to the stadium this season is hard, and even watching the games thanks to Mediapro (I canceled my suscribtion) but I always liked to watch Hamza Sakhi, a hard working and creative midfielder.
Final place : 5th
I reckon Auxerre can push to the top 5 and play the playoff to get promoted again. The city would need that.

En Avant Guingamp by sgdbdjos

A season to (already) forget. No more ambitions to climb in Ligue 1 : remaining in Ligue 2 is the objective now. 15th after 17 games, 16 points taken, 16 goals scored (0.94 point and goal / game).
A disaster, given that the EAG is the 3rd budget of L2. 10 games without a win series in progress...
The causes: players are not at their true level, no team spirit, character or soul.
Coach Bazdarevic is struggling to convince, and the two men who made him come (Gravelaine and Desplat) are no longer at the club.
A "novice" and very (too) discreet president who has just taken the position. A too large staff (31 players) which should be reduced to the winter mercato.
We are clearly on a season of transition, it will be necessary to avoid the disaster of a descent in national and rebuild behind.
Best player : Ronny Rodelin
31 years old, 2 goals and 1 assist, he is one of the only engines of the Guingamp attack this season.
Revelation : Matthias Phaeton
20 years old, he has already scored three goals in 9 games, each time coming back into the game.
Final place : 12th

National 1

Red Star FC by ziggurqt

I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to talk about Red Star. But before talking about their whereabouts, a bit of trivia, shall we? Contrary to popular belief, the name of the club isn't a translation of “Étoile Rouge”, as it was named Red Star from the very beginning in 1897 by its founding father, namely Jules Rimet. For those who missed the story, Rimet was instrumental in development of football in the early age, as the founder of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) and the first World Cup trophy held his name until the actual trophy went lost (a first time in 66 in England) and probably melted for its gold in Brazil later on. I actually planned to say much more, but I don’t want to hijack the thread for my own profit (maybe I should plan a more thorough thread?). Anyway, being born and bred in Seine-Saint-Denis for 30+ years (but living in Montpellier now), this club is all kind of awesome, despite never being in the front stage in our living memory.
So, where’s the club now? Red Star plays in National 1 (third division). The start of the season was rocky to say the least (no win in the first four games), but they came back brilliantly and now are holding a solid third place (2 points behind the first). To tell the truth, and not being ashamed about it, I had a kind of football burnout just before the whole COVID situation and I’m still holding back. But the club has an amazing network to keep tabs on the ongoings of the club. So, truthfully, I haven’t watched a single game in its entirety since 20/21 but I feel I can still provide decent insights.
Best player : Cheikh Ndoye & Mayoro N'Doye
Revelation : Damien Durand
Final place : Promoted

Table

Ligue 1 Table

Next matchday

Wednesday 06/01, 19:00
FC Nantes - Stade Rennais
FC Metz - Girondins de Bordeaux
FC Lorient - AS Monaco
Stade Brestois - OGC Nice
RC Strasbourg - Nîmes Olympique
Wednesday 06/01, 21:00
Olympique Lyonnais - RC Lens
Olympique de Marseille - Montpellier Hérault SC
AS Saint-Étienne - Paris Saint-Germain
Stade de Reims - Dijon FCO
Lille OSC - Angers SCO
Previous matchdays :
Season 2020-2021
M1 - M2 - M3 - M4 - M5 - M6 - M7 - M8 - M9 - M10 - M11 - M12 - M13 - M14 - M15 - M16 - M17
Season 2019-2020
M12 - M13 - M14 - M15 - M16 - M17 - M18 - M19 - M20 - M21 - M22 - M23 - M24 - M25 - M26 - M27 - M28

Le Bilan - Ligue 1 Matchday 14 : Penalty Party

The yearly beating of french clubs in european group stages has come to an end with two teams getting out (Paris in Champions League, Lille in Europa League) and the other three (Marseille, Rennes and Nice) managing to earn a whopping combined total of 7 points in 18 matches. Congrats to them. This weekend, the Ligue 1 teams started a little marathon of four matches in ten days before the winter break with an exciting Marseille-Monaco on saturday and a climactic Paris SG-Lyon on sunday night.

Appetizers

On the day it was announced that Mediapro, the new broadcaster of Ligue 1, was giving up for default of payment after only four months, the opening match of the matchday, usually the symbol of a festive weekend, was an appealing Saint-Étienne-Angers. Yes, Saint-Étienne-Angers. 0-0. Next.
Marseille made a statement in the race for the podium, beating Monaco, a direct rival, 2-1 on saturday afternoon, their sixth straight win in the league. Despite a larger possession and more chances throughout the game, the monégasques conceded two early goals from the Benedetto-Thauvin duo who exchanged assists with each other to get that early lead. After the loss in Lille to another european aiming team, Monaco concedes another loss, a definite halt after climbing up the rankings in the past weeks.
Lens-Montpellier was expected to be a pretty entertaining fixture and it was indeed. Even though the southerners took a healthy lead in the first 30 minutes, their opponents from the other side of the hexagon came back thanks to a lucky goal and a penalty. In the middle of the second half, Gaëtan Laborde, usually assister, gave Montpellier the three points and a fifth victory across their last six matches (the other one being the loss last week against PSG).
The clash between the teams-that-play-in-red-and-black-and-that-ashamed-the-whole-country-in-Europe resulted in a win for Rennes away in Nice with a goal from Mbaye Niang at the end of a game easily controlled by the Bretons. Despite a managerial change, Nice is still struggling to get back in form, their last win dating from a month and a half (same for Rennes before this one).
Speaking of teams that hadn't won in a long time, Lorient was part of this not really prestigious club until this sunday where they dispatched Nîmes 3-0 at home. The Merlus (Hakes in english) were finally rewarded for their quality of play and their lack of efficiency (six matches in a row without scoring). Nîmes on the other end continues to fall and hit the 18th place, synonymous of a playoff spot.
After a great start of the season, Metz is starting to struggle a bit, suffering a fifth match without a win, this time in Strasbourg, at the end of a high-scoring match (for Ligue 1 standards at least). Bronn and Nguette successively gave Metz the advantage but they were answered respectively by Simakan and Thomasson.
Three days after throwing the first place of their Europa League group at Celtic Park, Lille had the opportunity to reclaim another top position in the case of a misstep from PSG at Lyon. And they did the job with a splendid strike from Jonathan Bamba and a rocket of a header from José Fonte. After a solid first half, Bordeaux was dominated quite heavily throughout the last 45 minutes and despite a recent good form couldn't avoid the loss.
The most anticipated match of the week (arguably of the whole season even) unfortunately didn't provide the most entertaining spectacle. Lyon's domination in the first half was rewarded by a goal from Kadewere following a disastrous misunderstanding between Kimpembe and Paredes. With only one shot on target during the whole game, the parisians were barely able to provide any danger towards Anthony Lopes. With that win, their first at the Parc des Princes since 2007, Lyon takes the second place, ahead of their opponents of the day.
With 0,48 penalty per match, Ligue 1 tops the rankings among the top 5 leagues in Europe (ahead of Premier League with 0,47 and Bundesliga with 0,45). Another seven of them were whistled this weekend.

Main Course

Matches

Home	Score	Away
AS Saint-Étienne	0-0	Angers SCO

Olympique de Marseille	2-1	AS Monaco
Thauvin 5', Benedetto 13'		Ben Yedder (p) 79'
RC Lens	2-3	Montpellier Hérault SC
Omlin (og) 36', Kakuta (p) 50'		Mavididi 16', Mendes 26', Laborde 69'
OGC Nice	0-1	Stade Rennais
		Niang 28'
RC Strasbourg	2-2	FC Metz
Simakan 66', Thomasson 78'		Bronn (p) 35', Nguette 70'
FC Lorient	3-0	Nîmes Olympique
Boisgard 2', Hamel (p) 29', Wissa 90'
FC Nantes	1-1	Dijon FCO
Simon (p) 24'		Konaté 54'
Stade Brestois	2-1	Stade de Reims
Honorat 30', Mounié 77'		Zeneli 65'
Lille OSC	2-1	Girondins de Bordeaux
Bamba 17', Fonte 45'		Bašić 30'
Paris Saint-Germain	0-1	Olympique Lyonnais
		Kadewere 35'

Table

#	Team	Pts	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
1	Lille OSC	29	14	8	5	1	26	10	+16
2	Olympique Lyonnais	29	14	8	5	1	25	11	+14
3	Paris Saint-Germain	28	14	9	1	4	33	10	+23
4	Olympique de Marseille	27	12	8	3	1	19	10	+9
5	Montpellier HSC	26	14	8	2	4	25	21	+4
6	AS Monaco	23	14	7	2	5	25	20	+5
7	Angers SCO	23	14	7	2	5	20	22	-2
8	Stade Rennais	22	14	6	4	4	20	18	+2
9	RC Lens	21	13	6	3	4	21	21	+0
10	Stade Brestois	21	14	7	0	7	23	25	-2
11	Girondins de Bordeaux	19	14	5	4	5	14	15	-1
12	OGC Nice	18	13	5	3	5	16	16	+0
13	FC Metz	17	14	4	5	5	15	16	-1
14	FC Nantes	14	14	3	5	6	15	23	-8
15	AS Saint-Étienne	13	14	3	4	7	12	20	-8
16	RC Strasbourg	11	14	3	2	9	20	26	-6
17	FC Lorient	11	14	3	2	9	15	24	-9
18	Nîmes Olympique	11	14	3	2	9	11	27	-16
19	Stade de Reims	10	14	2	4	8	17	24	-7
20	Dijon FCO	9	14	1	6	7	9	22	-13

1-2 Champions League group stage
3 Champions League qualifiers round 3
4 Europa League group stage
5 Europa Conference League play-offs
18 Relegation play-offs
19-20 Relegation to Ligue 2

Goals

Player	Team	Goals	This week
Kylian Mbappé	Paris Saint-Germain	10
Boulaye Dia	Stade de Reims	8
Karl Toko Ekambi	Olympique Lyonnais	7
Wissam Ben Yedder	AS Monaco	.	(+1)
Andy Delort	Montpellier HSC	6
Memphis Depay	Olympique Lyonnais	.
Gaël Kakuta	RC Lens	.	(+1)
Ibrahima Niane	FC Metz	.
Burak Yılmaz	Lille OSC	.
Ludovic Ajorque	RC Strasbourg	5
Stéphane Bahoken	Angers SCO	.
Jonathan Bamba	Lille OSC	.	(+1)
Irvin Cardona	Stade Brestois	.
Ignatius Ganago	RC Lens	.
Tino Kadewere	Olympique Lyonnais	.	(+1)
Moise Kean	Paris Saint-Germain	.
Florian Thauvin	Olympique de Marseille	.	(+1)
Kevin Volland	AS Monaco	.
Yoane Wissa	FC Lorient	.	(+1)

Assists

Player	Team	Assists
Gaëtan Laborde	Montpellier HSC	6
Jonathan Bamba	Lille OSC	.
Florian Thauvin	Olympique de Marseille	.
Andy Delort	Montpellier HSC	5
Memphis Depay	Olympique Lyonnais	4
Kylian Mbappé	Paris Saint-Germain	.
Romain Perraud	Stade Brestois	.
Pablo Sarabia	Paris Saint-Germain	.
Karl Toko Ekambi	Olympique Lyonnais	.
Burak Yılmaz	Lille OSC	.

COVID Championship

(May not be 100% accurate)

Team	COVID cases
OGC Nice	17
RC Lens	14
FC Nantes	10
RC Strasbourg	9
Montpellier Hérault SC	.
Olympique de Marseille	8
Paris Saint-Germain	.
Lille OSC	7
AS Saint-Étienne	.
Dijon FCO	5
AS Monaco	.
Nîmes Olympique	.
Stade Rennais	.
Olympique Lyonnais	4
Angers SCO	3
FC Metz	2
Girondins de Bordeaux	1
Stade Brestois	.
FC Lorient	.
Stade de Reims	.

Dessert

Top 3 Goals of the Week

#	Player	Match
1	Arbër Zeneli	Stade Brestois vs Stade de Reims
2	Franck Honorat	Stade Brestois vs Stade de Reims
3	Jonathan Bamba	Lille OSC vs Girondins de Bordeaux

Upwards

Stade Brestois : Le Bilan didn't talk about Brest yet, not in length at least, and it's a mistake because the team has certainly been one of the most interesting to follow this season. You just have to look at the table to understand what kind of team it is. With seven wins, seven losses and no draw, the 6th best attack and the 3rd worst defense of the league, the bretons, led by the former Dijon coach Olivier Dall'Oglio, have gambled everything on entertainment in a safer Bielsist way. And it works. Of course they have conceded a lot of goals, of course they have yet to play Paris, Lyon and Montpellier but as they have shown in the past, much like their english counterparts, they are not afraid of big teams. They beat Lille 3-2, Monaco 1-0 and lost 3-2 a match they should have won against Marseille. With four wins in the last five matchdays, the brestois have given themselves a large cushion so that they don't have to think yet about an eventual return in Ligue 2. Oh yes, we didn't mention it yet, they got promoted only last year.

Downwards

David Guion : After correctly predicting the dismissals of Patrick Vieira and Christian Gourcuff in the past two weeks, Le Bilan has basically become the equivalent of the Washington Post of french football, no less. Pulitzer, here we come. Anyway, there's another man whose job is more and more in danger. And it would be by far the saddest of the three if David Guion was showed the door. Not that it wouldn't do good (the way Reims has been playing for a long time now is quite shocking) but what he has done for the club in the past three seasons must not be overlooked. For his first year in Champagne in 2017-2018, Guion led Reims to a Ligue 2 champion title (getting the UNFP best Ligue 2 coach trophy in the process), followed by an 8th place, then a 6th place (though the season was stopped early) and a first participation in a european competition in almost sixty years (stopped early in playoffs against the modest MOL Fehérvár). Sadly, this season has not been good for David Guion and his team. At all. Reims curretnly sits at the 19th place, has not won in the last five games and does not seem to have many assets to get back on track. Their reputation of a solid defensive team has disappeared and it would be unrealistic to ask Boulaye Dia (8 goals already) to carry the entire attack by himself for the whole season. Even worse, Reims president said he wouldn't oppose a departure from his striker. If he does indeed leave, Reims would need a miraculous replacement to save themselves from a sure relegation.
Paris Saint-Germain : We may not get a lot of opportunities to have PSG in this category so let's not waste this golden one. Indeed, Paris has struggled lately in the league. With 4 points taken out of the last possible 12, already 4 losses in 14 matchdays (more than Lyon, Lille and Marseille combined), Paris has logically let go its top spot, reclaimed by Lille, their opponents on next sunday. In fact, PSG had not lost four times this early since 2009-2010, a season in which they ended 13th and Jean-Eudes Maurice had regular play time. Of course Paris won't finish 13th this year, they still have the best attack and the best defense of the league but it's clear that the crucial european matches against Leipzig, Manchester United and Istanbul Başakşehir have put an emotional and physical toll on players already tired since the end of Champions League this summer. One thing is certain though : for the first time since 2017, the league title is in play.

L'Équipe Team of the Week

https://imgur.com/a/C6My1P3

Quotes

André Villas-Boas, Marseille coach :

I am very, very happy. With our different systems, we have an element of surprise that we didn't have last year. It's harder for the opponents to prepare their match and it's interesting for us. Emotionally, it was very hard with the end of the european adventure. So to do a performance like that, I say bravo to the team.

Morgan Schneiderlin, Nice midfielder :

We have to keep this collective spirit, we take fewer goals but we score less or not at all, it's hard to win matches. Believe me, the fans are disappointed but we, the players, are the first to be affected by this situation. We are keen to rectify all this before the break. We don't want to spend a season playing nothing, getting bored. We're going to do everything we can to win on Wednesday.

Christophe Pelissier, Lorient coach :

It is a success both offensively and defensively. It's a perfect evening. It's a relief because it was a burden not to score, not to be rewarded. We must savour it and recover well. This victory allows us to be in the running, with 4-5 teams (Strasbourg, Nîmes, Reims, Dijon). We have a mini-Championship (for survival) where we have to perform well. We have to win that championship.

Thomas Tuchel, Paris coach :

We saw a very mentally tired team. I had the impression that the last sequence (Manchester United - Montpellier - Basaksehir) was too much for us. We missed even some easy passes. It's the fault of all of us, me first, the team. It wasn't serious enough, we must have enough quality to win every match. That remains my responsibility, that's clear.

Rerel, Paris supporter but football connoisseur first and foremost :

You give money to Arsenal, they turn it into shit.

Next matchday

Wednesday 16/12, 19:00
Dijon FCO - Lille OSC
Montpellier Hérault SC - FC Metz
Angers SCO - RC Strasbourg
Nîmes Olympique - OGC Nice
Stade de Reims - FC Nantes
Wednesday 16/12, 21:00
Paris Saint-Germain - FC Lorient
Olympique Lyonnais - Stade Brestois
Stade Rennais - Olympique de Marseille
AS Monaco - RC Lens
Girondins de Bordeaux - AS Saint-Étienne
Thanks a lot to Hippemann and NotMeladroit for all the clips and the tables ! For more news about the best league in the world (except for the other four) and to improve your french, come and subscribe to /Ligue1.
All feedbacks are welcome !
Previous matchdays :
Season 2020-2021
M1 - M2 - M3 - M4 - M5 - M6 - M7 - M8 - M9 - M10 - M11 - M12 - M13
Season 2019-2020
M12 - M13 - M14 - M15 - M16 - M17 - M18 - M19 - M20 - M21 - M22 - M23 - M24 - M25 - M26 - M27 - M28

Predicting Soccer Outcomes

International Student for NYU Tandon, Tufts, Vanderbilt, Colgate.

Le Bilan - Ligue 1 Matchday 10 : Crocodile tears

This week, Le Bilan celebrates its first birthday. Thank you everyone for being here every week to follow the last events of your favorite championship. And thank you to my londoner friend LeMexicanos for being the perfect Hermes last week.
In Europe, the french clubs had another shocker with 4 losses and a win. Lille was brilliant in Milan and french football is grateful to the Dogues and Yusuf Yazıcı for this performance, single handedly saving the coefficient.
Before the last international break of the year, there was still a Ligue 1 matchday this weekend with three obvious matches to follow : PSG-Rennes, Nice-Monaco and Lyon-Saint-Étienne.

Appetizers

Marseille won in Strasbourg in the most efficient and minimalistic way possible, with only one shot (but what a shot) in the whole 90 minutes. If Philip Glass was involved in football, he would coach Marseille.
Unsurprisingly, Montpellier won in Bordeaux 2-0 with goals from Mollet, who is starting to get his starting spot back regularly, and Delort. Bordeaux keeps disappointing with no visible signs of improvement. Their fans already knew from the start that the season would be long and certainly painful, it's looking more and more this way.
After an upsetting loss at the hands of RB Leipzig, Paris had to redeem themselves against another Champions League team, Rennes, defeated 3-0 by Chelsea this week. With eight injured players at the start of the game (and twelve at the end, seriously what are the physios doing ?), Paris still had no troubles taking the three points thanks to another goal from Kean and a brace from Di María (well one goal and a half in the end as the second one was given as an own goal for Da Silva). Rennes started the season very well but the last few weeks have been extremely rough to say the least, most likely a consequence of the heavy calendar, which is new for the team.
For the first time this season (and the first time in competitive matches since february), Lille fell. Brest was the team that finally defeated the Dogues. By scoring three times in the first half, they certainly made things quite complicated for a team probably physically diminished after their formidable feat in Milan (though according to Christophe Galtier, it was more the mentality that was lacking). Still, they didn't give up, getting back progressively with two goals from the inevitable Burak Yılmaz. The turkish striker even shot on the post late in the game but ultimately it was the Bretons who left the pitch victorious.
In the least Angers-esque possible, the black & white massacred Nîmes in their own home 5-1. You know you did poorly when even Loïs Diony scores against you (ok it was a penalty but still). Angers reaches the first half of the table, two points away from the Champions League spots (*shudders*, please don't). Meanwhile, the Crocodiles continue to feel the heat of the red zone.
Another high-scoring match saw Lens snatching a draw in the last minutes against Reims for their comeback after three weeks out of the pitches because of a COVID outbreak in the team. No less than five goals were scored in the last 15 minutes with Florent Sotoca being the hero of the Sang et Or (again should I say) with two goals at the end of the game.
After being humiliated in Prague against a team that lacked half of their players due to COVID, Nice had to bounce back, especially against their nearest rival. Unfortunately, they encountered a Monaco who seems to be (finally, perhaps, we will see) on the right track. Disasi opened the score, Diop doubled it in the second half before Pierre Lees-Melou reduced the gap. Not enough despite a clear domination in the last 45 minutes.
A derby between Lyon and Saint-Étienne is never a normal match and once again bizarre events occurred. First, Saint-Étienne played way better than expected and made their rivals suffer, especially in the first half with notable disappointing performances from Depay, Aouar and Bruno Guimarães, concluded by an own goal from Anthony Lopes following a great individual work from Bouanga. After an hour of playtime, Garcia made three changes, bringing in Thiago Mendes, Paqueta and, above all, Tino Kadewere. The zimbabwean, best scorer and best player of Ligue 2 last season with Le Havre, scored a brace something he dreamt about right before the match, delivering the Gones from a potential humiliating defeat. At the end of the game, les Verts had the opportunity to equalize but Denis Bouanga completely bottled the penalty.
34 goals were scored this weekend, as I predicted on thursday (and I've got witnesses to certify it). So far this season we've got on average 2,82 goals/match, compared to 2,34 last season at the same time.

Main Course

Matches

Home	Score	Away
RC Strasbourg	0-1	Olympique de Marseille
		Sanson 72'
Girondins de Bordeaux	0-2	Montpellier HSC
		Mollet 49', Delort 66'
Paris Saint-Germain	3-0	Stade Rennais
Kean 11', Di María 21', Da Silva (og) 73'
Stade Brestois	3-2	Lille OSC
Pierre-Gabriel 15', Perraud 19', Cardona 41'		Yılmaz (p) 45'+3, Yılmaz 57'
RC Lens	4-4	Stade de Reims
Banza 21', Foket (og) 77', Sotoca 90', Sotoca 90'+1		Cafaro 47', Dia 54', Medina (og) 79', Dia 81'
FC Lorient	0-2	FC Nantes
		Bamba 80', Blas 83'
FC Metz	1-1	Dijon FCO
Yade 21'		Baldé 13'
Nîmes Olympique	1-5	Angers SCO
Koné 90'+1		Pereira Lage 1', Bahoken 23', Bahoken 56', Diony (p) 82', Cabot 90'+4
OGC Nice	1-2	AS Monaco
Lees Melou 69'		Disasi 23', Diop 53'
Olympique Lyonnais	2-1	AS Saint-Étienne
Kadewere 65', Kadewere 74'		Lopes (og) 40'

Table

#	Team	Pts	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
1	Paris Saint-Germain	24	10	8	0	2	26	3	+23
2	Lille OSC	19	10	5	4	1	17	7	+10
3	Stade Rennais	18	10	5	3	2	18	14	+4
4	Olympique de Marseille	18	9	5	3	1	12	8	+4
5	Olympique Lyonnais	17	10	4	5	1	17	10	+7
6	AS Monaco	17	10	5	2	3	17	14	+3
7	Montpellier HSC	17	10	5	2	3	16	13	+3
8	OGC Nice	17	10	5	2	3	15	12	+3
9	Angers SCO	16	10	5	1	4	15	20	-5
10	FC Metz	15	10	4	3	3	11	8	+3
11	RC Lens	14	8	4	2	2	14	14	+0
12	Girondins de Bordeaux	12	10	3	3	4	9	11	-2
13	Stade Brestois	12	10	4	0	6	15	22	-7
14	FC Nantes	11	9	3	2	4	11	13	-2
15	AS Saint-Étienne	10	10	3	1	6	10	15	-5
16	Stade de Reims	9	10	2	3	5	16	18	-2
17	FC Lorient	8	10	2	2	6	12	17	-5
18	Nîmes Olympique	8	10	2	2	6	10	19	-9
19	RC Strasbourg	6	10	2	0	8	10	19	-9
20	Dijon FCO	4	10	0	4	6	5	19	-14

1-2 Champions League group stage
3 Champions League qualifiers round 3
4 Europa League group stage
5 Europa Conference League group stage
18 Relegation play-offs
19-20 Relegation to Ligue 2

Goals

Player	Team	Goals	This week
Boulaye Dia	Stade de Reims	8	(+2)
Kylian Mbappé	Paris Saint-Germain	7
Wissam Ben Yedder	AS Monaco	6
Ibrahima Niane	FC Metz	.
Burak Yılmaz	Lille OSC	.	(+2)
Memphis Depay	Olympique Lyonnais	5
Stéphane Bahoken	Angers SCO	4	(+2)
Jonathan Bamba	Lille OSC	.
Andy Delort	Montpellier HSC	.	(+1)
Ignatius Ganago	RC Lens	.
Gaël Kakuta	RC Lens	.
Karl Toko Ekambi	Olympique Lyonnais	.
Yoane Wissa	FC Lorient	.

Assists

Player	Team	Assists
Gaëtan Laborde	Montpellier HSC	5
Florian Thauvin	Olympique de Marseille	.
Jonathan Bamba	Lille OSC	4
Kylian Mbappé	Paris Saint-Germain	.
Pablo Sarabia	Paris Saint-Germain	.
Benjamin Bourigeaud	Stade Rennais	3
Romain Del Castillo	Stade Rennais	.
Memphis Depay	Olympique Lyonnais	.
Zinedine Ferhat	Nîmes Olympique	.
Amine Gouiri	OGC Nice	.
Neymar	Paris Saint-Germain	.
Arnaud Nordin	AS Saint-Étienne	.
Ismaël Traoré	Angers SCO	.

COVID Championship

(May not be 100% accurate)

Team	COVID cases
RC Lens	14
FC Nantes	10
RC Strasbourg	9
Olympique de Marseille	8
Montpellier Hérault SC	.
Paris Saint-Germain	.
Lille OSC	7
AS Saint-Étienne	.
OGC Nice	6
Dijon FCO	5
Nîmes Olympique	.
Stade Rennais	.
Olympique Lyonnais	4
AS Monaco	.
Angers SCO	3
FC Metz	2
Girondins de Bordeaux	1
Stade Brestois	.
FC Lorient	.
Stade de Reims	.

Dessert

Top 3 Goals of the Week

#	Player	Match
1	Morgan Sanson	RC Strasbourg vs Olympique de Marseille
2	Boulaye Dia	RC Lens vs Stade de Reims
3	Florian Sotoca	RC Lens vs Stade de Reims

The Toulouse Corner

I had already planned to take stock of Ligue 2 since one or two weeks given the fact there were 5 matchdays since the last one. So imagine my reaction when I learned Toulouse lost against Valenciennes, a team that hadn't won since September. 5-4. At home. With FOUR GOALS FROM A RIGHT BACK. Was it laughter ? Confusion ? How does one not feel like it was a gift to the Bilan from the Almighty ? So yeah, that happened. In his whole career before this match, the hero of the day Jérémy Cuffaut, now 32, had only scored 11 goals. Unsurprisingly, he becomes the first defender having done such a feat in the history of Ligue 2. And that includes two wonderful free kicks (here's the last one, credit to NotMeladroit).
Now I know laughing about Toulouse is fun but apart from this little hiccup, they have actually performed quite well lately. Since their first win in 11 months against Auxerre that we talked about last time, they have added another three wins to their tally, consecutively nonetheless, which allows them to reach the heights of the 9th place. And it's a dutchman, Stijn Spierings, who has become the technical leader of the team that still hopes to get back in the elite and with only one point from the playoffs spots, it's definitely doable.
But the team there's a need to talk about is definitely Paris FC. After a last season where they barely saved their place in Ligue 2, it was tough to expect something incredible from them. Yet not only are the parisians leading the ranking, they are crushing it. With eight wins in ten matches and seven points above the second Troyes, the best attack and the second best defense, PFC is currently on an autoroute heading towards Ligue 1. It would be the first time two teams from Paris compete in Ligue 1 since 1990 and the relegation of Racing Club de Paris ^{(though technically it can be debated since RC Paris is based in Colombes which is 6 km from Paris but let's not get too picky}^).
Apart from the huge gap at the top, Ligue 2 is extremely tight with only the tiny club of Chambly seemingly on the wrong track. The fact they survived last year for their first L2 season, finishing at the 10th place, was already incredible.
Also shoutout to Mickaël Le Bihan from Auxerre, top scorer of the league. Le Bilan 🤝 Le Bihan
The complete Ligue 2 results
Ranking

L'Équipe Team of the Week

https://imgur.com/a/ETlhpSO

Quotes

André Villas-Boas, Marseille coach, slightly angry at journalists :

You are not allowed to make efforts to win a match and when you win a match with your efforts the match is saved by others! What are you saying! But what are you saying sincerely! You have to stop sometimes! Make concrete analyses! If you look at other clubs, you will see this kind of things. You think that winning in Strasbourg away from home is easy! Extraordinary guys make the difference in all the clubs, it's always like that. It's a victory on a difficult pitch that takes us very high in the rankings. I know you're upset but that's how it is, that's life.

Thomas Tuchel, Paris coach, also angry at journalists :

For me you are disrespecting the players who are there and you are disrespecting the team's performance by asking five questions about Marquinhos, two about Florenzi and none about the game, none about the opponent or what is needed today. It shows that you have no respect at all for what we are doing and what the team needs to do here, and that is very sad for me.

Julien Stéphan, Rennes coach :

There was more realism, more efficiency, I also found more cunning in them, more intensity. We have a lot of progress to make to be able to fight against these teams. We saw it this week in wednesday's match (3-0 defeat against Chelsea in the Champions League) or today's match: even if they are two different match contents, at the end of the match, that makes two heavy defeats and there are a lot of things to correct.

Christophe Galtier, Lille coach :

We thought the kick-off was going to be at 2 p.m., we were an hour wrong. We found an opponent that we knew was determined, we didn't know how to respond to their commitment, especially in their offensive races. We didn't exist, it was difficult for us to make the counter-efforts, just like the first two goals. When it is the full-backs who score, it is because there is a real problem of balance. [...] When there is such a contrast between two matches, the explanation is mental, and the only person responsible is me. My starting eleven didn't work at all. We couldn't get back into Sunday's match. I should have injected more freshness.

ThePr1d3, Rennes supporter and #FrenchTech enthusiast :

Truffert is such a cone he could be a VLC ambassador.

Next matchday

Friday 20/11, 19:00
Stade Rennais - Girondins de Bordeaux
Friday 20/11, 21:00
AS Monaco - Paris Saint-Germain
Saturday 21/11, 17:00
Stade Brestois - AS Saint-Étienne
Saturday 21/11, 21:00
Olympique de Marseille - OGC Nice
Sunday 22/11, 13:00
FC Nantes - FC Metz
Sunday 22/11, 15:00
Montpellier Hérault SC - RC Strasbourg
Dijon FCO - RC Lens
Stade de Reims - Nîmes Olympique
Sunday 22/11, 17:00
Angers SCO - Olympique Lyonnais
Sunday 22/11, 21:00
Lille OSC - FC Lorient
Thanks a lot to Hippemann for all the clips and the tables ! For more news about the best league in the world (except for the other four) and to improve your french, come and subscribe to /Ligue1.
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Season 2019-2020
M12 - M13 - M14 - M15 - M16 - M17 - M18 - M19 - M20 - M21 - M22 - M23 - M24 - M25 - M26 - M27 - M28

DOUBLE FIXED MATCHES (19.12.2020). BEST FIXED GAMES !!!

Offseason Review Series: Denver Broncos

Team: DenverBroncos Division: AFC West 2019 Record: 7-9 Divisional Finish 2nd place ^higher ^than ^the ^Raiders!

Team Stats

Offense:

Category	Value	League Rank
Total Yards	298.6 YPG	28th
Yards Per Play	5.0	26th
Rushing YPG	103.9	20th
Yards Per Rush	4.1	21st
Passing Yards	194.7 YPG	28th
Yards Per Pass	6.7	T-21st
Total Touchdowns	28	T-30th
Rushing Touchdowns	11	T-22nd
Receiving Touchdowns	16	32nd
Scoring	17.6 PPG	28th
Pass Completions	312/504 (.619)	20th
Third Downs	64/202 (.317)	30th
First Downs Per Game	17.4	29th
Possession Average	29:21	21st
Sacks Allowed	41	T-16th
Turnover Differential	+1	T-13th
Penalties	110	19th
Penalty Yardage	912	18th

Defense:

Category	Value	League Rank
Yards	337.0 YPG	12th
Yards Per Play	5.4	T-13th
Rushing Yards	111.4 YPG	16th
Yards Per Rush	4.2	T-13th
Passing Yards	225.6 YPG	11th
Yards Per Pass	7.1	14th
Touchdowns	31	T-4th
Rushing Touchdowns	9	T-5th
Receiving Touchdowns	19	T-5th
Scoring	19.8 PPG	10th
Pass Completions	348/537 (.648)	24th
Third Downs	79/211 (.374)	13th
First Downs Per Game	19.1	T-9th
Sacks	40.0	T-17th
Forced Fumbles	9	T-26th
Fumble Recoveries	6	T-26th
Interceptions	10	T-25th
Penalties	121	29th
Penalty Yardage	1,041	T-28th

Coaching Changes

Title	2019	2020
Head Coach	Vic Fangio	Vic Fangio
Offensive Coordinator	Rich Scangarello	Pat Shurmur
Defensive Coordinator	Ed Donatell	Ed Donatell
Special Teams Coordinator	Tom McMahon	Tom McMahon
Quarterbacks Coach	T.C. McCartney	Mike Shula
Running Backs Coach	Curtis Modkins	Curtis Modkins
Wide Receivers Coach	Zach Azzanni	Zach Azzanni
Tight Ends Coach	Wade Harman	Wade Harman
Offensive Line Coach	Mike Munchak	Mike Munchak
Assistant Offensive Line Coach	Chris Kuper	Chris Kuper
Offensive Quality Control Coach	Chris Kragthorpe	Justin Rascati
Offensive Assistant	Rob Calabrese	Rob Calabrese
Defensive Line Coach	Bill Kollar	Bill Kollar
Linebackers Coach	Reggie Herring	Reggie Herring
Outside Linebackers Coach	Brandon Staley	John Pagano
Defensive Backs Coach	Renaldo Hill	Renaldo Hill
Defensive Quality Control	Nathaniel Willingham	Nathaniel Willingham
Defensive Assistant	N/A	Chris Beake
Special Teams Assistant Coach	Chris Gould	Chris Gould
Head Strength & Conditioning	Loren Landow	Loren Landow
Assistant Strength & Conditioning	Anthony Lomando	Anthony Lomando
Assistant Strength & Conditioning	Cedric Smith	Cedric Smith
Assistant to the Head Coach	Rob Grosso	Mike Hiestand

2019 ushered in a new era for the Denver Broncos: The Don of Fangio. After exiling Vance Joseph to the desert, the Broncos brought in the longtime defensive coordinator for his first ever shot as Head Coach. The season got off to a rough start as the Broncos fell to 0-4 before limping into the bye week at 3-6. Injuries took their toll on the Broncos early and often, but with Fangio's guidance and some late season lineup changes, the Broncos finished the year 7-9. After ending the season on a high note, Fangio is back for his second year in Denver.
Gone is Rich Scangarello, whose experience as the QB Coach in San Francisco had fans excited about the potential of the Broncos offense. As the season wore on, Scangarello's offense failed to live up to the hype. Whether it was ineffective quarterback play, poor game scripts, or too many weird sweeps to the tight end, the Broncos finished last in several key offensive categories (28th in Yards Per Game, 28th in Scoring, and 26th in Yards Per Attempt.) Scangarello was fired at the season's end and replaced with Pat Shurmur. Shurmur's stint as the Head Coach of the New York Giants was a wash, as the club won nine games in his two years. However, Shurmur's aggressive, down-the-field offense seems a better fit for sophomore quarterback Drew Lock. Shurmur bringing in his guy Mike Shula as the Quarterback Coach should help him learn the offense and take the next step in his NFL progression.
On defense, Ed Donatell returns to helm a unit that finished 10th in Scoring and 12th in Yards Allowed. One notable hire in this coaching group is John Pagano, who is here to boost the pass rush on a defense that finished with 40 sacks, nearly the league average. ST Coordinator Tom McMahon is still around, despite another middling year from special teams. Maybe new punter Sam Martin will help with that.

Free Agency: Arrivals...

Player	Position	Contract
Shelby Harris	DE	1 year, $3.25 million
Jurrell Casey	DE	2020 7th round pick (to TEN)
AJ Bouye	CB	2020 4th round pick (from SF trade)
Melvin Gordon	RB	2 years, $16 million
Graham Glasgow	OG	4 years, $44 million
Nick Vannett	TE	2 years, $5.7 million
Jeremiah Attachou	OLB	1 year, $1.5 million
Jeff Driskel	QB	2 years, $5 million
Jacob Bobenmeyer	LS	2 years, $2.3 million
Sam Martin	P	3 years, $5.7 million

Shelby Harris wound up re-signing with Denver after having less interest on the market than anticipated. The talented defensive end comes back on a cheap "prove it" deal to play opposite Jurrell Casey. The longtime anchor for the Titans defensive line was sent to Denver for a measly seventh-round pick in a move that freed up a good chunk of cap space for Tennessee. The Broncos got another steal via trade in cornerback AJ Bouye. After an up-and-down career in Jacksonville, the 28 year old corner hopes to have something of a comeback season in Fangio's zone coverage scheme opposite Bryce Callahan. Former Chargers RB Melvin Gordon is here now, too, replacing Devontae Booker (and maybe Royce Freeman. Who knows.) When healthy, Gordon is a terror on the football field and should give the Broncos the pass-catching ability and goal line punch that Freeman and Lindsay couldn't quite find last year. Do I love that he has the 8th highest guaranteed RB salary this season? No. Will I ever forgive him for wrecking shop against Nebraska in 2014? Also no. Former Lions guard and noted BIG BOY Graham Glasgow is the latest free agent to play on Denver's offensive line. Glasgow has missed one start in the last three years and should bring some much needed stability to the offensive line. Nick Vannett is here now, for some reason. The Broncos have a thing for Big Ten tight ends and I truly can't wrap my head around it. Jeremiah Attachou is back as a depth piece behind Von Miller and Bradley Chubb. Jeff Driskel follows our aforementioned BIG BOY over from Detroit to back up Drew Lock. Jacob Bobenmeyer replaces longtime long snapper Casey Kreiter. I don't know much about him, but he's a long snapper, and that's enough for me. Punter Sam Martin signed with Denver after eight years in Detroit, hoping to break the punter curse that has plagued the Broncos since the departure of Britton Colquitt several years ago.

...and Departures

Player	Position	Team
Will Parks	Safety	1 year, $1.6 million (PHI)
Connor McGovern	C	3 years, $27 million (NYJ)
Chris Harris Jr.	CB	2 years, $20 million (LAC)
Derek Wolfe	DE	1 year, $3 million (BAL)
Andy Janovich	FB	Traded to CLE for 2021 7th Round Pick

Will Parks got a chance to play for his hometown team this offseason. After seeing the contract details, many were confused as to why Denver let Philly Will walk, but the versatile safety was fighting for playing time behind Justin Simmons and Kareem Jackson. Connor McGovern got a decent payday from the Jets and will be a welcome addition on a line that has struggled to defend Sam Darnold (and Trevor Siemian. And Luke Falk.) The writing was on the wall for shutdown corner Chris Harris Jr. after Denver cashed in on the firesale in Jacksonville and scooped up AJ Bouye. Harris eventually signed a contract with the Chargers, who are not even the best soccer team in LA. Derek Wolfe was in a similar situation when the team landed Jurrell Casey in a trade with the Titans. Wolfe now joins Calais Campbell and Brandon Williams in the Ravens new and improved defensive front. Andy Janovich... I can't even talk about this, man. ^{^WHY} ^{^WOULD} ^{^GOD} ^{^LET} ^{^THIS} ^{^HAPPEN}

2020 Draft Class

Pick	Player	Position	School
1.15	Jerry Jeudy	WR	Alabama
2.46	KJ Hamler	WR	Penn State
3.77	Michael Ojemudia	CB	Iowa
3.83	Lloyd Cushenberry	C	LSU
3.95	McTelvin Agim	DT	Arkansas
4.118	Albert Okwuegbunam	TE	Mizzou
5.178	Justin Strnad	LB	Wake Forest
6.181	Netane Muti	OG	Fresno State
7.252	Tyrie Cleveland	WR	Florida
7.254	Derrek Tuszka	DE	NDSU

It wasn't exactly a secret that Denver was looking to add a receiver in this year's draft. After months of reports that Denver was high on speedster Henry Ruggs III and rumors of a trade up into the top ten picks, Denver stood pat at the fifteenth pick and ended up with the best WR prospect in the class. Jerry Jeudy is a master route runner with excellent YAC ability, and will give the Broncos offense a true #2 behind last year's breakout star Courtland Sutton. Denver had the choice between Jeudy and CeeDee Lamb at Pick 15, and really couldn't have gone wrong with either. Jeudy was considered by many to be the most pro-ready receiver in the draft, and he now has the opportunity to prove that statement correct in Denver.
The Kansas City Chiefs have put the league on notice: speed and field-stretching ability are a must in the new NFL. Enter KJ Hamler, who the Broncos picked in the second round of the NFL Draft. Hamler was a star for the Nittany Lions, racking up 906 yards and 8 touchdowns in his last season. He had 12 drops in 2019, which is some cause for concern, but he's got speed for days and can take the top off a defense without breaking a sweat. Between Hamler and Jeudy, the Broncos brass showed their faith in sophomore QB Drew Lock, who now has two talented rookies to sling the ball to.
Despite having inferior corn, Iowa has conistently managed to pump out NFL-worthy talent. Cornerback Michael Ojemudia is no different. Ojemudia has excellent size (6'0", 199 lbs) and was a crucial part of the Hawkeyes zone defense. Ojemudia is also a solid tackler, which is a non-negotiable if you're hoping to start in a Fangio defense. I wasn't sold on Ojemudia at first (I was pulling for Mississippi State corner Cameron Dantzler at this point in the draft), but his tackling ability and success in a scheme similar to what Fangio likes has made me a hopeful that the former Hawkeye can have some success in a secondary that was begging for talent last season.
Everyone gets hung up on Jeudy (and for good reason!) but my favorite pick in this year's draft was Lloyd Cushenberry in the third round. Cush was a star for LSU en route to their Natty win this past year. He's a better run blocker than anything else, but he kept Heisman winner and honorary Cajun Joe Burrow clean all season, and should be able to do the same for Drew Lock in 2020. Cush will likely end up starting Day 1 at Center for the Broncos, filling the void left by new Jets center Connor McGovern.
McTelvin Agim was a pick that had me scratching my head, but I've since come around on it. The defensive tackle was a rare bright spot on the Razorbacks defense. Agim has killer burst off the snap and good agility for someone who clocks in at 307 lbs. This pick was made with an eye on the future -- Shelby Harris might be leaving after this season, after all -- but Agim has both the chance and the skill to make some noise up front for the Broncos defense.
A quality defense and an affinity for Italian beef (citation needed) wasn't all Vic Fangio brought over from Chicago. Denver grabbed Albert Okwuegbunam in this year's draft, adding yet another tight end to an already crowded room. Albert O. is more of a receiver than a blocker, which is honestly fine. He's got great hands and is big enough to catch balls beyond the reach of the defender. He joins a tight end group that consists of Noah Fant, Jeff Heuerman, Nick Vannett, piles of bone meal, and whatever is left of Jake Butt.
For years, it feels like Denver has struggled to find even a solid inside linebacker. Fifth round pick Justin Strnad is the latest player to attempt to fill the void left by the departures of Danny Trevathan in 2016 and Brandon Marshall in 2018. It’s no secret that John Elway doesn’t like spending big money or draft capital on inside linebackers, hence the Day Three selection of Strnad, but that’s not necessarily indicative of his talent. Strnad is rangy tackler who showed excellent athleticism during his time at Wake Forest. Denver’s ILB cupboard is pretty spare: Alexander Johnson had a bit of a breakout year for the Broncos last season, but behind him is run-stuffer Todd Davis and Josey Jewell, who will likely be fighting for a roster spot this season. Strnad should bring some much needed athleticism to a unit that desperately needs it.
Every year, there are a handful of rookies who fall two or three rounds due to injury concerns. Fresno State guard Netane Muti is no different. The former Bulldog missed most of his 2019 season with a Lisfranc injury after missing much of the previous year with a ruptured Achilles. When healthy, however, Muti is an aggressive and athletic blocker in the run game and has the power to punch defenders off the line of scrimmage in pass protection. Denver’s offensive line is set, but Muti gives the team a talented depth piece with starting upside if he can stay healthy.
After selecting Jerry Jeudy and KJ Hamler in the first two rounds, Denver sprang for another wideout late in the draft. Tyrie Cleveland played in 46 games at Florida, starting 26 of them. Cleveland has good hands and an excellent catch radius, but his lackluster route running and struggles to get separation showed on the stat sheet. He’s a developmental receiver that will push depth players like Fred Brown and Juwann Winfree for a roster spot.
As is tradition, the Broncos spent a draft pick on a pass rusher, namely defensive end Derrek Tuszka. As a senior in 2019, Tuszka racked up 48 tackles and 13.5 sacks for the Bison. Tuszka finished his career in the lesser Dakota with 133 tackles and 29.5 sacks. Some will likely consider the talent of NDSU’s opponents a knock against Tuszka, but he’s a talented end who will be a good developmental player for the Broncos.

2020 Season Predictions

Week 1: vs. TEN (W)
The Broncos get a tough matchup to open the season when the Titans come to town for a late Monday night game. Tennessee is coming off a season that ended in a loss in the AFC Championship. The Titans return most of their starters from last season on both sides of the ball, with Derrick Henry and a newly extended Ryan Tannehill leading the offense. The two teams met last season in a game that Denver won 16-0, just before Tennessee ripped off a series of wins that earned them a 9-7 record and a playoff spot. Broncos newcomer Jurrell Casey will be eager to show his previous team what they’re missing, helping propel Denver to a close home win in their first game. Broncos 24, Titans 23
Week 2: @ PIT (L)
Denver’s first road test is likely the toughest one on their schedule aside from @KC. The Steelers finished 8-8 last season with their defense doing its best to overcome the early season loss of Ben Roethlisberger. Big Ben should be back this season, with newcomers Eric Ebron and Chase Claypool giving the offense some more firepower. The Broncos should be greatly improved on offense this year, but an early road game against a top five defense in 2019 is likely too much for Denver to overcome. Steelers 27, Broncos 17
Week 3: vs. TB (W)
Open your heart to the snake oil peddler, Tampa Bay. Tom Brady joined the team during free agency, with wrestling star and cruise ship aficionado Rob Gronkowski following close behind. Brady’s pursuit of a seventh (!!!) Super Bowl win brought him to Florida, where he’ll be spearheading an offense that includes talented wideouts Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. Denver is the only team Brady has a losing record against – he is 8-9 overall and 4-7 when playing in Denver. Look for that trend to continue this season when the Buccs come to town. Despite the best efforts of Brady’s offense and a defense led by former Bronco and 2019 sack leader Shaquill Barrett, Denver gets another win at home over the future Hall of Famer. Broncos 27, Buccaneers 24
Week 4: @ NYJ (W)
The Jets are one of three AFC East teams who finally saw their long nightmare come to an end when Tom Brady left for the greener pastures of Tampa Bay. Sam Darnold is still a young and talented QB. Former Broncos C Connor McGovern and rookie OT Mekhi Becton were brought in to give the Jets QB some much needed protection, and rookie WR Denzel Mims is aboard to help stretch the field. However, the team is still coached by Adam Gase, and thus will continue to fall short of their potential ceiling. This matchup has all the makings of a classic Broncos trap game, but Denver should be able to get a comfortable win on the road. Broncos 23, Jets 13
Week 5: @ NE (L)
As mentioned above, the Patriots will be beginning a season without Tom Brady for the first time in nearly two decades. Enter sophomore QB Jarrett Stidham and recent signing Cam Newton. The Pats are reportedly big fans of Stidham, but when a talent like Newton comes around, he’s not going to ride the bench if he’s healthy. New England’s defense finished the 2019 season as the best in the league and retained most of its starters. If you can believe it, the weapons at Newton’s disposal are probably better than those he had during the run up to Super Bowl 50. On paper, one would hope that Denver could squeeze out their fourth win of the year. However, a second consecutive road game against Bill Belichick and the vaunted Patriots defense is too much for this young team to handle this early in the season. Newton gets a modicum of revenge against Denver after becoming Von Miller’s son in early 2016. Patriots 24, Broncos 16
Week 6: vs. MIA (W)
After two trips to the east coast, the Broncos return to the Mile High City to try and get back in the win column. Despite being one of the worst teams to take the field in 2019, the Dolphins head into 2020 with a completely rebuilt roster. Free agents Jordan Howard and Matt Breida have come to keep Ryan Fitzpatrick from being the team’s leading rusher for a second year, while Shaq Lawson and Byron Jones have come to South Beach to shore up the league’s worst defense. Rookie tackle Austin Jackson will be battling for a starting spot, but will he be protecting Fitzmagic or rookie phenom Tua Tagovailoa? The Dolphins figure to be a better team in 2020, but a road game in Denver isn’t quite winnable for this team yet. Denver moves to 4-2 in a game that isn’t as close as the score would have you think. Broncos 30, Miami 17
Week 7: vs. KC (L)
Denver went into the draft looking to match Kansas City’s speed on offense; a wise decision, considering that speed won the team its first Super Bowl since the moon landings. Patrick Mahomes is now the highest paid athlete of all time, having recently signed a deal that will keep him in the AFC West’s collective nightmares for another twelve years. The Chiefs were quiet in the offseason but woke up one morning and bought themselves a gun in rookie RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire. This Broncos team is better than the one that lost both matchups with KC by a total score of 53-9, but a game against the reigning champs isn’t quite winnable for Denver yet. This one gets away from Denver early. Chiefs 31, Broncos 23
Week 8: BYE
Week 9: @ ATL (W)
A midseason Bye is a plus for any team, especially one coming off a loss to a division rival. The timing couldn’t be better for Denver, who travels to Atlanta in Week 9 to take on the high-powered Falcons offense. Atlanta swapped Devonta Freeman and Austin Hooper for Todd Gurley and Hayden Hurst in the offseason and added former Ram Dante Fowler Jr. to bolster their pass rush. I can’t really get a bead on this Falcons team, they could win twelve games or five, and neither would be terribly surprising to me. Denver comes out of the Bye strong and lets the defense do its job in a tight victory. Broncos 27, Falcons 24
Week 10: @ LVR (L)
Introducing your Las Vegas Raiders, who will certainly be just as good as the Las Vegas Golden Knights in their first season. In fairness, the Raiders didn’t have a terrible offseason. They addressed their longtime problem at linebacker by picking up Cory Littleton and Nick Kwiatkowski in free agency. Maliek Collins and Prince Amukamara join Richie Incognito in Jon Gruden’s attempt to build Huskers West. Rookies Henry Ruggs III and Lynn Bowden Jr. hope to give the offense some juice. (Is Bowden the best QB on the team? Perhaps!) Jason Witten is here, for some reason. Unfortunately, Denver gets caught sleeping in this one, as ~~Oakland~~ Las Vegas puts it all on black for a home win. Raiders 24, Broncos 20
Week 11: vs. LAC (W)
Sorry, Chargers, you’re on the receiving end of this home win. LA enters the 2020 season with a shiny new quarterback in Justin Herbert, former Broncos CB and fan favorite Chris Harris Jr, and rookie ILB/the entire Oklahoma defense Kenneth Murray. It wouldn’t surprise me if Tyrod Taylor starts the year for the Chargers, but barring any surprises, I expect Herbert to be trying to charm defenses into submission by Week 11. Despite having the most hype uniforms in the league, the Chargers lose a road game as a Melvin Gordon TD run seals the deal. Broncos 34, Chargers 17
Week 12: vs. NO (L)
The Saints come marching in for the Denver’s toughest home game yet. Hall of Fame QB and pyramid scheme enthusiast Drew Brees has maybe one or two years left to win another ring, and this Saints team is in a good position to help him do just that. Rookie OL Cesar Ruiz gives the Saints an impenetrable offensive line, perfect for giving Brees enough time to find Michael Thomas or former Bronco Emmanuel Sanders down the field. Alvin Kamara is healthy again, which should scare everybody who is not a Saints fan. Denver’s hot and cold streak continues as the Saints take this one. Saints 28, Broncos 24
Week 13: @ KC (L)
Sorry, Denver fans, but until the Broncos actually beat the Chiefs, I’m penciling every game in as a loss. Especially during a road game late in the year. With any luck, Denver won’t be playing this one in a blizzard. Denver keeps this game closer than their previous matchup, but that’s not enough of a bonus to take the win this week. Chiefs 31, Broncos 27
Week 14: @ CAR (W)
NORTH CAROLINA, COME ON AND RAISE UP. Denver travels to the newly statueless Bank of America Stadium to take on a Panthers team that looks poised to chase the first overall pick. Teddy Two Gloves defected from the bayou to start for the Panthers, replacing new Patriots QB Cam Newton. Christian McCaffrey is coming off a year where he played his way into a massive payday. Rookies Derrick Brown and Jeremy Chinn hope to give a boost to a defense that was only better than Miami’s in 2019. Denver gets back in the win column as Carolina continues its quest for Trevor Lawrence. Broncos 34, Panthers 16
Week 15: vs. BUF (W)
Denver returns home to take on a staunch Buffalo team that was a few weird plays from an overtime victory against the Texans in the playoffs last season. The Bills added Stefon Diggs to their receiving corps and snagged rookie AJ Epenesa to add to an already terrifying defensive front. Quarterback Josh Allen, who played his college ball just up the road in Laramie, should be able to throw the ball roughly two miles in the thin mountain air, but this game ends up being a low-scoring affair that is decided by the defense. Buffalo Bills, telephone bills, automo-bills, doesn’t matter. Denver’s defense grinds out a win at a chilly Mile High. Broncos 19, Bills 13
Week 16: @ LAC (W)
After a tough and wintry outing against Buffalo, the Broncos get a bit of a vacation to Los Angeles to take on the Chargers once again. The outcome is the same, but even the Chargers can have a little home field advantage, as a treat. Denver gets a win and is on a hot streak heading into the last week of the season. Broncos 27, Chargers 23
Week 17: vs. LVR (W)
After a bad weekend in Vegas earlier in the season, the Broncos host the Raiders in the regular season finale. Denver is rolling and the team’s first playoff berth since 2015 is on the line. Denver gets a commanding lead early and never really looks back. Oakland mounts a late rally, but a long Phillip Lindsay run keeps Denver ahead and runs out the clock on a winning season. Broncos 31, Raiders 24
It’s a tough schedule, but Denver’s hardest games are at home this season. They aren’t unseating Kansas City anytime soon for the division crown, but I’ve got the Broncos finishing 10-6 with a shot at the playoffs.

Shurmur’s New Offense

Pat Shurmur became the latest coach to join the Broncos earlier this year. After several years of rotating offensive coordinators (Rich Scangarello in 2019, Bill Musgrave in 2018, and a combination of Musgrave and Mike McCoy in 2017), Denver decided to take a chance on Shurmur. As mentioned earlier, Shurmur’s two years as the head coach of the Giants was less than inspiring. Denver didn’t hire him for his head coaching abilities, though. Rather, they brought Shurmur in based on his ability to squeeze good-to-great seasons out of his quarterbacks as an offensive coordinator (see Nick Foles in 2013 and Case Keenum in 2017.)
Shurmur’s offense could not be more different from the scheme that Denver ran last year. I’m not sure what Scangarello’s offense would have looked like in its second year; Shurmur doesn’t get as cute with his skill positions pre-snap, but he will motion receivers inside on play-action and for run blocking. This offense is also much more vertical and aggressive than the scheme we saw Denver roll out in 2019. The Broncos ran a lot of plays out of 12 and 22 personnel last season, a holdover from Scangarello’s experience in San Francisco. Shurmur, on the other hand, uses a lot of spread concepts to stretch the defense. Lock should have plenty of options downfield as Shurmur's scheme opens up the back of the defense.
Shurmur’s offense does not rely heavily on the use of fullbacks. (We miss you, Andy.) However, Shurmur still likes to run plenty, generally out of a zone scheme that got even Latavius Murray 842 yards and 8 touchdowns in 2017. Despite the impending shift to a more modern spread offense, the Broncos should still be running the ball plenty with their three solid RBs.

Projected Roster

QB: Drew Lock, Jeff Driskel
RB: Phillip Lindsay, Melvin Gordon, Royce Freeman, LeVante Bellamy
WR: Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, KJ Hamler, DaeShon Hamilton, Tim Patrick, Diontae Spencer
TE: Noah Fant, Jeff Heuerman, Albert Okwuegbunam, Nick Vannett
OT: Garett Bolles, Ju’Wuan James, Elijah Wilkinson
OG: Dalton Risner, Graham Glasgow, Netane Muti
C: Lloyd Cushenberry, Patrick Morris
DT: Mike Purcell, McTelvin Agim, Christian Covington
DE: Shelby Harris, Jurrell Casey, Dre’Mont Jones, DeMarcus Walker
OLB: Von Miller, Bradley Chubb, Malik Reed, Jeremiah Attachou, Justin Hollins
ILB: Alexander Johnson, Todd Davis, Justin Strnad, Josey Jewell
CB: AJ Bouye, Bryce Callahan, Michael Ojemudia, De’Vante Bausby, Duke Dawson, Davontae Harris
SS: Kareem Jackson, Trey Marshall
FS: Justin Simmons, Douglas Coleman
K: Brandon McManus
P: Sam Martin
LS: Jacob Bobenmeyer
Practice Squad: Brett Rypien (QB), Shakial Taylor (CB), Josh Watson (LB), Malik Carney (LB), Derek Tuszka (DE), Tyrie Cleveland (WR), Zimari Manning (WR), Douglas Coleman (SS), Essang Bassey (CB), Hunter Watts (OT)

Players To Watch:

Drew Lock, QB This feels like cheating, but that doesn't make it any less true. It took a while to get him into the starting lineup, but Drew Lock showed enough in his five starts to earn a vote of confidence from both Elway and the coaching staff. Granted, the bar wasn't set terribly high by either Joe Flacco or Brandon Allen, but the team brass spent the offseason building an offense around the second-year signal caller. Rookies Jerry Jeudy and KJ Hamler give a massive boost to the passing game, while Melvin Gordon provides a powerful threat in the running game. For the first time in several seasons, the Broncos offense looks like a strength rather than a liability. All Lock needs to do is deliver.
Garett Bolles, OT This is truly a make-or-break year for Bolles. The team declined to pick up his fifth year option this past spring, and the 2021 draft class has some quality tackles that could come in and replace Bolles on day one. The hope is that another year under the tutelage of OL mastermind Mike Munchak can help break Bolles of some of his old habits, not to mention having a quarterback who can move around in the pocket and avoid pressure (Bolles allowed pressure once every 46.8 pass rush snaps through the last five weeks of the season.) The one good thing anyone can say about Bolles is that he has remained healthy during his three years in Denver, but if he can't clean up his technique, don't be surprised to see Samuel Cosmi or Alex Leatherwood starting in his place next year.
Shelby Harris, DE Harris re-signed with the Broncos last spring after his market dried up -- rumor had it that he was headed to Indianapolis before the Colts made a late trade for DeForest Buckner. Harris was incredibly productive for the Broncos the last couple of seasons, especially after moving back to his more natural position of defensive end in Fangio's scheme last season. Look for Harris to have a massive chip on his shoulder as he builds on a 2019 campaign where he totaled 6 sacks, 49 tackles, and 9(!!!) passes defensed.
Bryce Callahan, CB No, really, can someone keep an eye out for him? I haven't seen him anywhere.

Link to THE HUB (Not that one.)

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Le Bilan Infinity War - Mid-Season Special

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Offseason Review Series: Denver Broncos

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Football Surest prediction Over/Under Correct Score ...