Ligue 1. The revelations at the start of the season. Sport

We repeat it regularly, the League 1 often requires some adaptation time for newcomers. It is not Jonathan David, recruited 27 million by Lille (0 goal scored) who will say the opposite. However, several neophytes of the championship, shone at the start of the season.

Sven Botman

In Lille, second in Ligue 1, Sven Botman directly imposed himself as a central hinge alongside the experienced José Fonte (36 years old). At 20, the Dutchman arrived from Ajax Amsterdam for € 8million to replace Gabriel, who left for Arsenal. “It has an important technical quality, has a good ability to assimilate and reproduce what is asked of it, to print quickly. I am very satisfied with his debut ” commented his trainer Christophe Galtier.

Strong in the duels (73% won, the best ratio in Ligue 1), but also precise in the recovery and effective in reading the game, Botman was rewarded for his start to the season by being called up for the first time in the selection of Netherlands this week to fill the package of Nathan Aké. If the Mastiffs have made 5 clean-sheets, they owe it in large part to Botman.

Facundo Medina

Lens is the pleasant surprise of the start of the season. Despite two fewer matches due to Covid-19, the Sang et Or have won half of their games and are provisionally in 11th place. A success due in particular to a perfect integration of their recruits including Facundo Medina in central defense.

At 21, the Argentine, who arrived quietly in the North from CA Tallares (Argentina), immediately won in the eleven of Franck Haise, to the point of being now essential. Aggressive and endowed with a strong character, the left-hander even scored with a magnificent chisel returned during the victory of Lens in front of Lorient (3-2).

Within a playing team, the Argentinian must fill in the gaps and he does it rather well, so much so that he was called for the first time in September in Argentina by Lionel Scaloni and continues to appear in the group of l ‘Albiceleste. Coincidence or not, RC Lens’s heavy 4-0 defeat against neighbor Lille took place the only time Medina was suspended.

Romain Faivre

He had played only three small professional matches with AS Monaco, rather squatting the reserve on the Rock before signing this summer in Brest, at 22 years old. Suffice to say that Romain Faivre did not necessarily have the profile to explode in the eyes of all and settle in Ligue 1. However, the midfielder did not need a lot of time to show his value.

From the first day of Ligue 1 he suffered the rearguard of Olympique de Marseille even allowing himself to score without being able to prevent the defeat of his family (2-3). Nine days later he added two achievements to his hunting roster including a very symbolic against Monaco to offer victory to his team (1-0). The technical quality of his left paw also allowed him to make his way in the French Espoirs team where he was decisive twice in three matches.

And its versatility is an asset: “He’s a player who goes quite fast, who has good technique and who runs a lot. He can play in several positions of attacking midfielder: to the right, to the left, and in the axis in support of an attacker ”, details Olivier Dall’Oglio. Effective in the one against one and in the game in combination, the native of Asnières-sur-Seine has fun in Finistère under the orders of the Brest coach. 400,000 for such a player, his arrival has all of a sudden for the Brestois who hope that his technique will keep the club at the end of the season.

Amine Gouiri

It was only a matter of time for Amine Gouiri to show all his talent on the lawns of Ligue 1. Prodigy of the Lyon training center, the player never really had his chance in his training club, barred by strong competition in attack. A cruciate ligament rupture in August 2018 also delayed its outbreak when it was due to settle in the Lyon group. The one who has always wanted to win in his club has made a point this summer and left to put his luggage on the Côte d’Azur at OGC Nice.

While he had never started a meeting in the elite, Patrick Vieira did not hesitate for long to throw him into the deep end and Amine Gouiri gave him back. From the first day, the attacker scored twice against RC Lens (3-2). Trained at the number 9 position where he impressed even up to the young French teams (8 goals in 4 matches at Euro U17), Gouiri regularly plays on the left side of the attack, the tip being reserved for the Dane Kasper Dolberg.

He copes with it very well by already scoring 7 goals in all competitions with the Aiglons. His teammate Morgan Schneiderlin is raving about his teammate: “You can see his talent with his touch of the ball, and he is very attentive to advice, asks to improve every day. He’s going to have a great career, that’s for sure. “

Tino Kadewere

He was the hero of the derby between Lyon and Saint-Etienne. Tino Kadewere scored twice against the Stéphanois after leaving the Lyon bench. The kind of performance that makes you grow. But this match is far from being a coup for the Zimbabwean. The 24-year-old striker arrived from Le Havre in Ligue 2 after scoring 20 times in 24 appearances last year and was therefore expected this year on the banks of the Rhône with the scheduled departures of Depay and Dembélé.

Unfortunately for him, the two men are still there, which did not prevent him from gradually grabbing playing time. Before the match against Saint-Etienne he remained on four starts in a row and a goal against Strasbourg pushing Moussa Dembélé on the bench. With his performance in the derby he should continue to chain meetings.

Yvan Neyou

Author of a great start to the season but now in the bottom of the wave, Saint-Etienne, like his trainer Claude Puel, relies heavily on young people within the workforce. While many are playing and discovering the elite for the first time, some are doing better than others. Yvan Neyou is one of them.

The midfielder is an indisputable holder in the eyes of Claude Puel who is under the spell: “We see the importance that Neyou has taken. He has this ability to get the balloons out cleanly. Of course we have more fluidity with him. “ And to continue: “It brings a lot of freshness and not just physical. He is very mature, with a lot of humility, reflections on the game. It’s a great discovery. He has to stay that way because he is very important for his teammates, on the pitch and in the squad. He’s a player who knows where he’s been. He did not give up despite the galleys. “

It was indeed difficult to predict such a trajectory for the 23-year-old. In 2017-2018, the native of Douala (Cameroon) played a season in Ligue 2 with Laval (23 matches) before going into exile in Braga in Portugal, where he will not play. It therefore arrived this summer discreetly in loan with a purchase option of 400,000 euros. There is no doubt that the adventure should continue in Forez beyond this season.

They could also have been cited: Burak Yilmaz (Lille), Jonathan Clauss (Lens), Yoan Wissa (Lorient), Yvann Maçon (Saint-Etienne), Birger Meling (Nîmes)

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