week 3 opponent review Sochaux-Montbéliard

By: j | August 20th, 2008

Week three for PSG sits aside with a curious match against a very promising Sochaux-Montbéliard that has been under-performing to date. Paul Le Guen will need to approach this match with intense scrutiny as they have tremendous potential and will eventually hit full-stride. Prior to this weekends match, I’d first like to consider Les Lionceaux, their strengths and weaknesses. Given the fact, that clubs blog is vacant I thought this might help readers as well.

As a general consideration Sochaux-Montbéliard is what I would term as a “fine” club that while not being a serious threat for a European bid, they have the ability to stay well out of relegation concerns and sit safely mid-table with a comfortable target of fifty-plus points and certainly with good fortune good make a run towards sixty. They typify a hard-working club that will earn the points that you expect them to and tough-out important draws. Yet it has already been a challenging early campaign for Les Lionceaux as they have dropped their first two matches and sit at the very bottom of Ligue 1 table without a point. As PSG travels to Montbéliard, Francis Gillot will be looking to unlock their bad fortunes that have marked the season as they have lost both matches by one goal.

While it’s quite obviously early in the season, this years campaign has got off to an uncharacteristic start and they will need to right the course very shortly. In the opening match of the season they lost to Grenoble 2-1 even thought they dominated play, squandered numerous opportunities and were up 1-0 with three minutes left in regulation. It was a dreadful display of field management and discipline as they should have come out of that match with three points if not a draw. Last week at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard facing Saint-Étienne, the similar theme played out as they let the home squad get out to a quick start and were able to keep the visitors at bay throughout much of the match.

Yet while this may lead you to consider them an “easier” opponent, they have extraordinary promise, particularly on the attack. There major weakness is composure at this stage and not playing in their strong-suit, a attacking mindset, which coincidently plays into their defensive weaknesses. While their ‘keeper Teddy Richert is one of the best in Ligue 1, very quietly they have put together a brilliant Striking group of Kandia Traoré, Tunisian capped Francileudo dos Santos and a twenty-one year-old Turkish international Mevlüt Erdinç who I feel is destined for stardom in the Football world. However what really turns the screw of this attack and I should add has only been seen coming off the bench so-far, are midfielder’s Valery Mezague and the most notably, the highly impressive young Slovenian Valter Birsa. PSG will need to keep a watchful eye on this group in the attack and be aware how they are used in later stages of the match when fatigue is an issue. While they have yet to show it through it full match, as Les Lionceaux adopt a more confident, attacking brand of Football they will surprise many clubs in Ligue 1 and quickly climb up the table. What this leads to, should both clubs play to their best styles, will be a highly attacking, exciting match.

I will follow-up with the second-part of my review PSG’s approach to the match.