The Gffn 100 2018: Ten to Watch
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GFFN 100 2018 THE GFFN 100: AN INTRODUCTION Welcome to another edition of the Get French Football News 100. Published at the end of ev- ery year by GFFN, the guide you are reading is as detailed and comprehensive a set of player profiles as one is likely to find, especially in English. Some of these players are well-known, even to the casual fan, and though they have been the subjects of countless profiles, we hope that you can gain a bit more depth in knowledge of their stories. This is especially true with the likes of Neymar and his Paris Saint-Germain team-mate Kylian Mbappé. In 2018, neither was ever far from the limelight in a year in which France won the World Cup, thanks in large part to the teen- age sensation. Neymar may have garnered the odd headline for less positive reasons, but both remain as compelling off the pitch as they do on it. It is thus no surprise to see Mbappé top the rankings again; it does not take much objectivity to realise his immense talent and potential, but the present document is much more than a narra- tive driven by celebrity. We have watched the matches that do not generate headlines, seen the teams that are rarely on television, especially internationally, and artfully blended statistical anal- ysis with old-fashioned scouting to create what we feel is a definitive guide to the professionals currently plying their trade in France. If some rankings seem high, or low, read the profiles before making a snap decision as to our choices; this is a meritocracy. Do we think Florian Thauvin is a better player than Neymar? Decidedly not, but in the year 2018, it is hard to argue the French- man’s impact has not outweighed that of the Brazilian star, especially in light of the latter’s injury. To wit, to be eligible for the GFFN 100, the player must have been a registered squad member of a Ligue 1 or a Ligue 2 club on the 31st December 2018. For example, Thomas Lemar, despite his World Cup success and play with Monaco, is ineligible despite playing half of the calendar year in the Principality, on the 31st of December 2018 he was plying his trade in Madrid. Howev- er, Moussa Dembélé is eligible for the GFFN 100 despite having only joined Lyon from Celtic in the summer of 2018 because on the aforementioned date he was a registered squad member of theirs. Players that are eligible are judged on all their professional appearances in 2018, regard- less of whether or not they were playing abroad for a part of the calendar year. This applies to the international appearances they might have accumulated, during the World Cup, or the UEFA Nations League, for example. Players are ranked in descending order: with the highest-rated talent ranked 1st and the 100th highest-rated talent ranked 100th. The selection process involved a nomination stage whereby the GFFN 100 contributors chose their favoured list of one hundred, alongside the use of statistical data to rank players according to a range of over 50 distinct parameters across different playing positions. We have also includ- ed our “Ten to Watch”, a guide to ten young players whom we think will make a big impact on next year’s guide. Seeing the placement in the current edition of the likes of Houssem Aouar, we like to think that given the seemingly endless churn of fantastic young talent to have emerged from France in the last few years, that we have spotted some players with bright futures who may not yet be highly touted, but are clearly promising talents. From all of us at Get French Football News, we sincerely hope this guide provides a hearty dose of information while also generating no small share of debate, as any set of rankings would do. — Eric Devin, Chief Features Writer BORN: 1983/05/06 | JUAZEIRO CLUB: PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN POSITION: DEFENDER AT CLUB SINCE: 2017 LEAGUE MATCHES IN 2018: 16 DANI ALVES (-83) 100 When Dani Alves looks back on his career as a whole, it is unlikely he will remember 2018 with great fondness. Despite a natural fulfilment in the accumulation of a treble of domestic honours, the second half of his maiden season with the Parisians was disrupted by patchy form that – in addition to injuries and suspensions - ultimately resulted in losing his place to Belgian right-back Thomas Meunier. Casting back to the Parc des Princes in July 2017, Alves was undoubtedly seeking a fourth Champions’ League winners’ medal to add to an already dazzling CV in what may or may not be his final major European move when he decided to make the move to Ligue 1. For PSG, the arrival of the accomplished former Barcelona and Juventus man signalled their intentions to court the highest profile of global names - a transfer policy that was only further confirmed with the striking world-record signing of Brazilian compatriot Neymar from Barcelona just a month later. The Brazilian’s first season in the French capital showed that he was a player who was defying his age and his five goals in 41 appearances – across all competitions – served notice that he was making a significant contribution on the pitch to a club who were going all out on all fronts to earn the prestigious Champions’ League honour. His year was defined though, by one of the very moments of the game that would decide their last-16 Champi- ons’ League tie against Real Madrid. Following a 3-1 reverse in the Spanish capital, five minutes into the second period of the return leg with the game goalless, Alves was directly at fault for the concession of possession that led to Zinedine Zidane’s side securing the next goal to all but end the tie. It was a fatal moment of negligence on the Brazilian’s part to inadvertently present the ball to Marco Asensio, who swiftly played in the advancing Lucas Vázquez. The Spanish winger’s accurate cross was pin-point for Cristiano Ronaldo to swoop home with a powerful header to give Unai Emery’s side a mountain to climb. The 35-year-old was to suffer a major setback in May when, in PSG’s Coupe de France Final victory over third tier minnows Les Herbiers, Alves limped off four minutes from time with a knee injury that would not only ruin his chances of a third career World Cup appearance for Brazil, but would rule him out of football entirely for six months. In Alves’ absence, Meunier has often been deployed as Thomas Tuchel’s trusted option as a wing-back in the German’s preferred system that predominantly employs a three-man defence. A role that permits the full-back to equally contribute offensively as well as defensively is certainly tailor-made to a player of Alves’ profile and experience. The Brazilian recently made his return in two substitute appearanc- es during PSG’s domestic and Champions’ League home wins over Toulouse and Liverpool respectively, but the question lingers whether he will remain Meunier’s understudy in the New Year or if Tuchel will be under pressure from the club hierarchy to bring the 35-year-old back into the first team picture for the remainder of the campaign. * BORN: 1997/10/27 | MEAUX CLUB: RACING STRASBOURG POSITION: MIDFIELD AT CLUB SINCE: 2018 LEAGUE MATCHES IN 2018: 25 IBRAHIMA SISSOKO (*) 99 Brought in this summer to replace Jean-Eudes Aholou in the heart of Strasbourg’s midfield like the Ivory Coast international Ibrahima Sissoko is also a product of the second division, having joined Thierry Laurey’s side from Brest in July. He, is however, a much more heralded presence, having been regularly capped for France’s various youth sides, and seems a steal for the Eastern club at a mere €2m. He recently made his debut with Les Espoirs, France’s U-21 side, and with the likely continued involvement of Tanguy N’Dombélé in the senior team, seems set to become a fixture for Sylvain Ripoll as the U21s continue their preparations for this summer’s European Champi- onships. He is not as gifted in his eye for a pass as the Lyon midfielder is (although few players in Ligue 1 are), but he is certainly blessed with a great deal of ability on the ball, ranking second for his club in dribbles completed. Though nominally a defensive midfielder, especially when playing alongside Jonas Martin, Sissoko’s pace and power has been a key element in allowing the club’s early switch to a three-man back line to flourish, with Kenny Lala and Li- onel Carole being afforded a great deal more space in wide areas. Too, with Strasbourg playing such an expansive style, Sissoko’s range of passing has also improved, something which had not readily been on display at Brest. His best asset, though, is surely his ability to act as a screen in front of the defence, breaking up play and starting Strasbourg’s counter-attacks. A lanky presence and strong in the air, his long stride allows him to move about the pitch with consummate ease, even if his tackling could perhaps do with some refinement. It is clear from the num- ber of bookings that he has earned this season and last that his technique can certainly be improved, but that is hardly a massive knock on a player who has only recently turned 21 and is playing his first season in the top flight.