VALENCIA. Ligue 1, called talent league For reasons as obvious as they are real, this campaign is offering a very good show, making evident the great moment French football is going through. France is a tireless factory of young talents who receive the necessary filming in their country’s domestic competition to revalue themselves in a short time and possibly make the leap to any of the major European leagues, with the Premier League as the main and most ambitious exponent.
If we talk about the French football capital in the English league, the most powerful on the continent, the list is endless. The most valued French players in the Premier enjoy a future and a reputation that give the English league a tremendous plus: Wesley Fofana and Benoît Badiashile (Chelsea), William Saliva (Arsenal), Raphael Varane (Manchester United), Ibrahima Konate (Liverpool), Allan Saint-Maximin Kurt Zouma (West Ham United), Michael Olise (Crystal Palace), Boubacar Kamara (Aston Villa), Illan Meslier (Leeds United) Boubakary Soumare (Leicester City) or the already veterans N’Golo Kanté (Chelsea), Lucas Digne (Aston Villa), Anthony Martial (Manchester United) and Alphonse Areola (West Ham United) are just a few examples of non-negotiable pieces of the Premier with nationality and French training.
“Most of the young players from France go to England because they are physically ready to play that tournament. In terms of physical talent, the French League is one of the best”
Óscar García Junyent, former coach of the Stade Reims, for Brand
The great bet of the French clubs for their quarry extends to the entire championship. Even PSG can boast of a very important academy structure in the country, despite the fact that the multimillion-dollar signings significantly reduce the opportunities of some academy players who find accommodation in other leagues. The ambition to lift the Champions League title has been left in the mud for another year, with which the Parisians they only have the league as their goal, even though it is a completely insufficient challenge after also losing in the round of 16 against Olympique de Marseille in The classic. Not even the current leadership of Christophe Galtier’s men and the possibility of renewing the league title serve as consolation to a fan that has been dreaming of lifting the highest continental trophy for years.
Precisely the executioner of the Parisians in the Cup, an OM currently led by the legendary excentral Igor Tudor and that drags the hottest and most numerous fans in France, occupies the second position and grits his teeth to cut the 7 point disadvantage compared to the aforementioned leader. After leaving PSG out, they fell in the Cup quarterfinals against the modest Annecy of Ligue 2 and they only have to ensure their presence in the Champions League and wait for a disaster on the Champs-Élysées. By the way, they have the veteran Alexis Sánchez, who already has a total of 16 goals so far this season.
The Ligue 1 podium closes the great revelation of the current championship. Lens is the team that has conceded the least in the entire league, a merit that places it in an extraordinary position in the Champions League. Their central defenders are to blame for this: two international men like Kevin Danso for Austria and Facundo Medina for the world champion, Argentina. We will probably see both of these men at a club with high aspirations sooner rather than later. From behind are Monaco, Rennes and a Lille team that lifted the league title two years ago and has former Valencian player André Gomes on its payroll.
“Ligue 1 is a mixture of quality and intensity, a hybrid between the Premier League and La Liga”
Andre Gomes, LOSC player for The Team
At this point, many will wonder, partly betrayed by their historical memory, where is another of the greats, Olympique de Lyon. You have to go down to tenth position to find the legendary Rhône team, the same one that won seven consecutive leagues at the beginning of the century. The truth is that things have changed, and the Lyonnaises have not lifted a title for 11 long years (they did it in 2012 with the French Cup and Super Cup), although their last major international appearance took place in 2020, when they reached the semifinals of the Champions League.
The trajectory of recent years is not rosy for the OL. Last year he was eighth and this season he is in the middle of the table, with practically no European options. Right now he trusts everything to the Cup, where he is in the semifinals and where he has all his hopes to achieve a title that would break a worrying drought, in addition to ensuring a passport for the next edition of the Europa League.
“The situation is not easy”
Laurent Blanc, Olympique Lyon coach
Despite everything and with the Cup as the only incentive, the board already has its sights set on next season. Participation in European competition would vary the plans in terms of economic and sports planning. Footballers such as the former Arsenal striker Alexandre Lacazette, the former athletic Moussa Dembélé, the young talent Rayan Cherki, Corentin Tolisso, Oussem Aouar (in the spotlight after regretting having played for France instead of Algeria), Maxence Caqueret or the international goal Portuguese Anthony Lopes would have a great showcase to claim. Dembélé and Aouar are out of contract this coming summer, so their future is a mystery.
The sensation that the OL leaves in the last days is of great fragility. In the match against Nantes, he made it clear that he concedes many chances, and Blanc knows that. And that the defense presents a list of footballers of good level: the veteran Croatian international Dejan Lovren is the quarterback of the rear, accompanied by the international under-21 Castello Lukeba in the axis and the young international Sinaly Diomandé, who has been acting on the right side but it is central. World champion Nicolás Tagliafico starts on the left side of the defense.
Laurent Blanc has guaranteed replacements on the bench such as the veteran Jerome Boateng and the young Malo Gusto, on loan from Chelsea, who has been a starter on the right side for much of the season. Therefore, the quality of the defensive line is much higher than what the results and the situation of the team in the table reflect. Not in vain, the Turkish central defender on loan at Valencia Cenk Özkacar never had a chance to find a place in the Lyon squad. The Turkish loan includes a purchase option of 5 million euros that Valencia can execute to keep a footballer who is not having much prominence but who seems to be earning a few integers since Rubén Baraja landed on the bench That. 
It was difficult for him to start the season, but little by little Cenk has gained ground. Since Pipo’s arrival on the bench, the center-back has higher quotas of minutes, starting the last three games against Barcelona, Osasuna and Atlético de Madrid. In addition, these days he has left summoned with his team together with his teammate in the rear Eray Cömert, a privilege that he already enjoyed last November.
The defense’s interest is to stay in Valencia, grow and make merit so that the club considers executing the purchase option. Obviously, a lot will depend on whether the team manages to save the category and Rubén Baraja remains on the bench. In Lyon he does not seem to have a place due to the extensive list of good center-backs, all of them with a good line-up internationally. However, if the mythical French club fails to win the French Cup and does not play in European competition, it could use the Turk as a center of rotation, even if his prestige has improved both in Valencia and in his team. For now, he is a fixture for Baraja and for the Turkish team led by the German Stefan Kunz.
