League Focus: Ligue 1's Top Defence

Last night the stars of Ligue 1 assembled in Paris for the annual awards ceremony to honour France’s brightest and best. With such a fantastic season just about to end it is always very difficult to pick just eleven players to make up the “best” team. Ask ten people and you will get ten different answers.

This is my defence of the year, using WhoScored.com stats to back up my reasoning. Plenty of players have missed out but over the last nine months the players selected have really stood out. This week we will concentrate on the defence, starting with the goalkeeper, where it is always a hard position to pick just one man. Steeve Elana has been superb for Brest, although his side have struggled and could still be relegated from Ligue 1. Without the heroics of Elana there is no doubt they would already find themselves relegated to Ligue 2.

During the eleven clean sheets he managed this season he was in imperious form against Marseille in the 1-0 home win back in February. He showed wonderful reflexes and an ability to stop shots that seemed destined to find the back of the net. There is already talk of the 31-year old being rewarded with a move to Lille or Marseille in the summer, and no doubt a few teams will be interested if he fancies a move.

Forming the defensive partnership in front of Elana is Lille’s Aurelien Chedjou and Montpellier’s Mapou Yanga M’Biwa. Chedjou’s importance to Lille was only really noticed when he missed a few games through injury and suspension throughout the season. He is the player that ties the midfield and defence together, is physically impressive, great on the ball and dominant in the air. He is only two short of 200 clearances this season, twinned with 50 interceptions and less than one foul a game; Chedjou epitomises what a modern day centre-back should be.

Just like Chedjou, Montpellier’s Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa is a physically dominant defender; his frame appears to be more that of a full-back but his speed, agility and ability on the ball makes him the perfect foil for the tricky and agile forwards in Ligue 1. Also two away from 200 clearances, Yanga-M’Biwa also boasts 2.3 tackles and 2.9 interceptions per game to show how his speed and reading of the game has been paramount to Montpellier’s success this season. It’s not just in his defensive duties that the newly called-up French defender impresses; controlled in possession he is able to break forward, either down the wing or through the middle. With nearly 85% of his passes reaching their destination, he is the perfect weapon in Montpellier’s system.

Either side of this impressive duo we have two of Ligue 1’s most consistent performers this season. On the right is Lille’s Mathieu Debuchy. The 26-year old will most likely start in the European Championship for France this summer and if so it would be well deserved for the attacking right-back. Chipping in with five goals this season, from onlookers he would look more like a right-midfielder than a defender but his work-rate allows for his forays forward almost at will. However, when Lille lose the ball, very rarely is Debuchy found out of position.

In 32 games this season only 21 times has a player managed to find his way past the right-back. Considering some of the talent Ligue 1 contains, this is impressive. With an average of 2.8 tackles, 2.1 interceptions and 4.3 clearances it would be cruel to label Debuchy as a defender that is better when going forward. He brings an all-round game to Rudi Garcia’s side and is an integral part of the system.

Question marks could be brought to the quality of his final ball and with 2.3 fouls a game, one red and nine yellow cards, recklessness can sometimes creep in. Debuchy has been part of Lille’s first team since 2003 and a member of the club since 1993. If he does leave this summer – as is being reported – it will leave a massive hole, not just in the team but the entire city.

On the other flank is a full-back that was playing for Debuchy’s rivals last season. After RC Lens were relegated down to Ligue 2 Montpellier acted very quickly to sign Henri Bedimo for a reported €2 million, which at this point looks like one of the signings of the season. Taking over from the veteran Cyril Jeunechamp, Bedimo added a whole new dimension to Montpellier’s play. Like Debuchy, the Cameroonian defender loves to get forward, and with his athletic frame and blistering acceleration he is a very tough player to stop once he hits top gear.

His pace and power made an instant impression on the Montpellier defence; only 17 times has a player dribbled past the left-back, combined with an average of only one foul per game he is an intimidating player to come up against. Defensively he is very consistent. He averages 2.1 tackles, 2.6 interceptions and 2.8 clearances a game. Like Debuchy he could add a final ball to his game and he needs to be more decisive in the final third for someone who gets forward so often.

Two goals and one assist is not good enough for one of Montpellier’s most prominent weapons and at 27 he is somewhat of a late developer. Impressive at Lens; it could just be a case of the right club at the right time. He will be a huge part of Rene Girard’s plans next season, if he can improve in a few areas, he will become another one of Ligue 1’s most wanted.