Ligue 1: Five Christmas Conclusions
While Ligue 1 players head home for their winter breaks, let's take a look at five things we've learned in the first 19 games of the 2011/2012 campaign.
1) Money can't buy happiness, not even in Paris...or at least not yet.
The growing pains of Paris-St. Germain have been by far the most interesting story in French football this year. When new PSG owners Qatari Sports Investments bought the financially troubled club last May, installed Nasser Al-Khelaïfi as president and immediately dropped €85 million on talent, they probably expected to win. While they have indeed done so, it's been a rough transition...and the first half of the season might have been the honeymoon. The imminent release of skipper Antoine Kombouaré--who, despite his success, is apparently being let go for lack of pedigree--and the arrival of 36-yeard-old David Beckam at a salary roughly double that of any other player in Ligue 1 history will hardly calm the storm swirling around the capital's team. The question is whether or not PSG can manage the distractions and nurse its three-point advantage through another 19 matches.
2) Defense isn't what it used to be.
After taking abuse in recent years for boring, cautious play that discourages scoring opportunities, Ligue 1 has gone goal-crazy in 2011. At a clip of more than 2.6 goals per match--as opposed to 2.3 over the last five seasons combined--Ligue 1 is out of control! While league officials might be happy with all the excitement, some of us wonder why defense has suddenly become the forgotten art of French football.
3) All is still not right in Marseille.
Don't let a December win over relegation candidate Nancy and a questionable victory over Lorient fool you: France's most popular team still has serious defensive concerns, locker room trouble and a stubborn consistency problem. While one has to give Didier Deschamps credit for not glossing over the general weakness of his team's play, going on TV and saying "things aren't going well for OM right now" will only get him so far. In any case, all will be revealed in January, as the Phocéens get Lille, Rennes and Lyon to kick of the second half.
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