GFFN 100 Latest
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! The GFFN 100 ! A Get French Football News Publication Rights Reserved ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !1 Note From the Editor: Welcome to the Get French Football News 100, a publication that celebrates the enactments of footballers associated with French football over the course of 2013. " The Get French Football News team got together last December to bounce ideas about a way in which we could mark the end of an explosive year in French football and we invite you to indulge in the final product. " After all, it has been quite some year. Qatari-backed Paris Saint Germain lifted their first Ligue 1 title for 19 years and were unlucky to be edged out in their Champions League Quarter Final duel with one of Europe’s greatest clubs in FC Barcelona, only on the away goal rule. " French football history was made on many fronts in 2013 with a Claude Puel-inspired OGC Nice team qualifying for their first European campaign for 15 years, St Étienne winning their first ever Coupe de la Ligue and the French national team becoming the first side in history to turnaround a 1st leg two goal deficit in a European World Cup Qualifying Playo# to book their place in Brazil for 2014. " Invariably in football, where there are highs there are also lows. One of the former mainstay clubs Le Mans FC went into liquidation and were subsequently relegated to the 6th tier of French football (DH). The French football world was rocked by the loss of former manager and player Bruno Metsu who famously took Senegal to the quarter finals of the 2002 World Cup, tragically losing his battle with cancer at the age of just 59. " Tax-exempt AS Monaco ru$ed feathers with regards to equality as French football clubs continue to be threatened by the possibility of a 75% tax on individuals earning more than %1m a year, while their Monegasque counterparts would be comparatively less a#ected (only French nationals that are employed by Monaco would be subject to Hollande’s proposal). " Great footballing occasions were often tarnished by violence this year, including the scu$es at the Trocadero during PSG’s title celebrations, St Étienne fans’ attempted destruction of the away end of OGC Nice’s brand new stadium the Allianz Riviera and the attack on the Marseille team bus by Napoli ultras before their Champions League group stage encounter. The following evidence forces one to realise just how much work there is still left to do to ameliorate the French footballing experience. " Still, Ligue 1 had one of the most progressive years in recent times in terms of becoming a recognised and respected league across the globe. We saw the arrivals of Edinson Cavani, Falcao and David Beckham (albeit briefly) onto the French footballing stage; with Diego Maradona ever so nearly (not really) becoming the manager of Montpellier HSC. " This publication is of course published exactly five months after the end of 2013, so it is only fitting that I say a few words on the conclusion of the 2013/2014 campaign in addition, even if events of 2014 will not be included in any of the profiles you will read below. " Paris Saint Germain undeniably achieved a season of progression, winning Ligue 1 again but also adding the Coupe de la Ligue to their seemingly ever-growing trophy cabinet, after Laurent Blanc brought with him a more direct, attacking style of play to the capital, which deservedly earned him a contract extension. " EA Guingamp sparkled as they won the Coupe de France and staved o# the distinct threat of relegation to Ligue 2, which many had doomed them too in August of 2013. The town of 6,500 inhabitants will have the opportunity to rub shoulders with some of Europe’s most established teams in the Europa League next season. Meanwhile, Lille surprised everyone with their qualification for the Champions League and Claudio Ranieri was sacked despite guiding Monaco to a 2nd placed finish and their highest points total ever in their Ligue 1 history. With a serious managerial shakeup expected this summer, Ligue 1 will return with an exciting host of new faces come August. Before that, we await with baited breath to see what Didier Deschamps’ troops can muster up in Brazil this month, with the supposed underdog tag likely to favour one of the World Cup’s probable surprise packages. " Now, please enjoy the GFFN 100, a unique celebration of the immense talent that French football has to o#er." Christian Nourry, Get French Football News& !2 !What is the GFFN 100? The Get French Football News 100 comprises of our selection of the top one hundred talents that French football has to offer, judged solely on their performances in 2013. ! 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 2013. ! For example, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is ineligible despite playing half of the calendar year at St Étienne because on the 31st December 2013 he was plying his trade at Borussia Dortmund. ! However, João Moutinho is eligible for the GFFN 100 despite having joined Monaco in the summer of 2013 because on the aforementioned date he was a registered squad member of theirs. ! Players that are eligible are however judged on all their professional appearances in 2013, regardless of whether or not they were playing abroad for a part of the calendar year. ! Players are ranked in descending order: with the highest-rated talent ranked 1st and the 100th highest-rated talent ranked 100th. ! All of the profiles in the GFFN 100 speak solely of each player’s 2013, as a calendar year. ! As the profiles were written solely as a reflection of the players’ performances in 2013, the statistical data used is only valid as of !the 31st December 2013. ! !3 100. Emmanuel Rivière & Club: AS Monaco FC " Date of Birth: 3rd March 1990 Position: Attacker ! After a frustrating 2012 at Toulouse, Emmanuel Rivière Rivière has tended to perform best positionally just in appears to have turned a corner in 2013 with newly- behind the striker as a sort of attacking midfielder. promoted big spenders Monaco. The 23 year old Frenchman has been labelled in the past as one of Whether this is the position where Rivière wants to France’s most exciting attacking prospects, ‘the new establish himself is unknown, but the player has Thierry Henry,’ and is now giving some credence to this shown great vision for the pass here and, as bold comparison. The Frenchman started his career at mentioned, can work off the main striker, running Coupe de la Ligue holders St Étienne, before moving to intelligent lines across the opposition back four. Toulouse in July of 2011. Rivière then made the trip to the South East coast of France to join Monaco for €4m at There are however areas of his game which the the start of the calendar year, the amount being €2m less Frenchman must improve upon if he is to play a part than what he joined Toulouse for two years previously, in Monaco’s future. Rivière is light on his feet and is which perhaps shows his apparent recent decline as a developing a marksman-like approach to shooting footballer. but he needs to perhaps start spending some time in the gym due to his apparent lack of strength when Rivière was forced to accept that his situation may yet attempting to hold the ball up. worsen before it ameliorates, after spending the first 6 months of 2013 struggling to get into the then Ligue 2 The 23 year old also must improve his tactical side Monaco’s team; playing second fiddle to the likes of awareness, as he is flagged offside all too often, Valère Germain and Ibrahima Touré, who got 32 goals much to the annoyance of his teammates. There a between them in the whole of last season’s 2nd tier- clearly substantial areas of Rivière’s game that need winning campaign. Nevertheless, when Rivière got his improving, but his impact at Monaco has earned him chance, he grabbed it with both hands. Despite featuring a spot in the GFFN 100. However, at the age of 23, in 14 Ligue 2 games at the back end of last season, he Rivière must be playing games if he is to make a managed to contribute 4 goals to the title winning team, lasting impact in Ligue 1, or even have a chance of when only actually featuring from the start in 4 games. playing for the French national team. For Rivière’s sake, one would hope that Monaco did not look for Since the beginning of the 2013-2014 season, Rivière any more attacking reinforcements in the near future. seems to have grown in confidence and fearlessness. The sale of Touré and the waning favour of Germain has put Internationally-speaking, Rivière has, in the past, Rivière second in the striking pecking order, the represented France at all youth levels, but it remains Frenchman is second choice only to Falcao and has on to be seen whether he will be able to take it to the occasions this season started up front alongside the next level and represent his full country in the future. Colombian. One notable occasion where this was 2013 has been his 2nd year out of the international effective, was during a 4-1 thumping of Bordeaux, where circuit, as he is now too old to play for the Under 21 the two combined brilliantly, with Falcao acting as a side.