Ligue 1 special: Saint-Etienne star Blaise Matuidi on a career crossroad as he looks to become a regular starter for http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/France-c2899
Saint-Etienne finished fourth in the 2010/2011 Ligue 1 standings. The season turned out to be a good one for Les Verts and especially for their defensive midfielder http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Blaise-Matuidi-c7681.
The 24-year-old is looking to make it to the France squad that is hopefully going to play in the 2012 European Championship in http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Ukraine-c3032. After having represented Les Bleus at Under-19 and Under-21 levels, the youngster has managed just three games for the senior national side.
Though the youngster is torn about the prospect of him leaving Saint-Etienne, he knows that he needs to take his career to the next level. Although Matuidi is in search of a club that would allow him to play in the Champions League, the midfielder should be sure if he is going to be a regular starter there if he wants to stay under the monitor of Laurent Blanc.
Subsequently, Matuidi should also worry about ‘not being able to move to the next level’ if he stays with the Les Verts. Over the years, English Premier League side http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Liverpool-c39809 and Newcastle United are interested in his services.
After graduating from the Clairefontaine academy, the youngster was picked up by Troyes where he earned a YTS contract (http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/U-17-Youth-team-c40787 Squad). At that time, Charlton Athletic were highly interested in the player but after Charlton’s relegation, the youngster chose to join Saint-Etienne.
Since his arrival at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, the Toulouse-born player has transformed into a deep lying midfielder. Though he has been likened to Claude Makelele, Matuidi is a bit more rangy and explosive then the former http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Chelsea-c38786 man. Although he is less destructive and dominating than Yann M’Vila of Stade Rennais, Matuidi is good at doing things that make every defensive midfielder an important asset to the team he plays for.
Visibly discreet, Matuidi’s contributions usually go un-noticed but he is a good team player who always keeps the midfield in a proper shape and does all the dirty work that players blessed with flair can’t do. Furthermore, he is not prolific at all – a http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Total-c40747 of three goals in 132 games for Les Verts in four seasons speak volumes for a player who tends to be a bit hot-headed at times.
Matuidi’s ability to anchor the midfield and making his teammates look better is something Saint-Etienne benefited from all season. Throughout the 2010/2011 Ligue 1 season, Matuidi’s ability to keep the midfield in shape allowed the likes of http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Bakary-Sako-c7217 to flourish in their respective attacking roles.
Furthermore, his workrate allowed veterans Loic Perrin and http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Laurent-Batlles-c21731 some breathing space.
Though the future is still uncertain for the Frenchman of Angolan descent, the youngster has all the talent in him to become an influential player for any team he joins. Matuidi might move on to a new club this summer but no one can deny the fact that the youngster has been a loyal servant to Les Verts.
The time is right for the 24-year-old to move to a new club as he needs to play consistently at the top level in order to cement his place as a regular in the France national squad.
Tags: