Ligue 1 special: http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Blaise-Matuidi-c7681 and Yann M’Vila – France’s new defensive midfield hopes
The 2010/2011 Ligue 1 season saw a lot of players rise to prominence. For Sochaux Montbéliard, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Moussa-Sow-c26939 became a goalscoring machine in his first season
with LOSC Lille while http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Olympique-de-Marseille-c40127.
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Jean-c18112 Fernandez and the AJA side held their nerves and pulled clear off the relegation zone. Sadly though, AS Monaco could not replicate Auxerre’s efforts and were finally relegated.
In recent seasons, the defensive midfielder position has become an integral part of the success of a team. This particular position is not as “charismatic” and “suave” as other positions in the midfield but without a holding midfielder, a club can definitely
find it hard to cope against a good attacking side.
Claude Makelele was arguably one of the finest defensive midfielders the game ever saw and http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Chelsea-c38786 international’s retirement has left a big hole in the midfield of Paris Saint-Germain which the cash-laden side is looking
to fill.
Bettor.com takes a look at the relatively young careers of Blaise Matuidi (Saint-Etienne) and Yann M’Vila (Stade Rennais) who have been touted to replace the now-retired Claude Makelele.
Blaise Matuidi
Age: 24
Club: AS Saint-Etienne
The 24-year-old midfielder from Toulouse is arguably one of the hottest prospects in ligue 1. Since making his debut for Saint-Etienne in 2007, the French player of Angolan descent has gone from strength to strength and is rapidly becoming a household name
in France.
Saint-Etienne struck gold when they signed the young midfielder from Troyes in the summer of 2007. Since then, Matuidi has made 132 appearances for Les Verts in the league and has made three appearances for the French national team.
What the future holds for him
Throughout the summer transfer window, Matuidi has been linked with a move to Paris Saint-Germain who are looking to find a replacement for Claude Makelele. A move to the cash-laden capital club would go a long way in making Matuidi a more regular member
of the France national side.
Though the youngster lacks the physical strength of Makelele, his strong tackling abilities and combative nature makes him one of the best defensive midfielders in France.
Yann M’Vila
Age: 21
Club: Stade Rennais
The 21-year-old youngster from Amiens has shown maturity beyond his years in the past two seasons for Stade Rennais.
The first thing Rennes manager Frederic Antonetti did when he arrived at Rennes in 2009 was to promote M’Vila to the first-team – something his previous manager Guy Lacombe never risked. Since then, the youngster has never looked back and has gained considerable
experience for a player of his age.
In the 2010/2011 Ligue 1 season, M’Vila was an ever-present for Les Rouges et Noirs and made 37 league appearances and scored two goals and even provided one assists which is quite decent for a player who isn’t known for venturing forward.
France manager Laurent Blanc handed M’Vila his debut in a friendly against http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Norway-c2974 last year. Since then, the 21-year-old has not looked back and is rapidly becoming an important part of the France national side that is looking to win automatic qualification
for the European Championships next year.
What makes Yann M’Vila a great defensive midfielder is his impressive physical strength and athleticism. As a strong tackler, M’Vila is also a good reader of the game and is equally good at distributing the ball and calming things down in the centre of the
midfield.
What the future holds for him
La Liga giants http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Real-c30728 Madrid were highly interested in signing the talented midfielder but Yann M’Vila chose to stay at Rennes. The youngster’s decision to stay at the Brittany club is definitely a wise one as the youngster could have become a bit-part player
for the Spanish giants had he decided to join them.
Though it cannot be denied that the midfielder would leave Rennais in the future for a bigger club, his performances for Rennais in Europa League next season would truly show if he has the mentality to perform on the big stage or not.
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