Pack snap at Marseille´s heels

Just three points separate the top eight sides in France as champions Marseille take their one point lead a short drive along the South coast to Nice with one eye on the rear view mirror.

Didier Deschamps’ former European champions Marseille have 26 points, Lille and Brest 25, Paris Saint Germain, Rennes and Montpellier have 24 and Bordeaux and Lyon 23.

It is said in France that the team topping the pile after ten rounds generally wins the league, that team was Rennes, now fifth, and they were the first team to stop Marseille from scoring this season in a 0-0 draw at Marseille on Wednesday, the 15th match for both teams.

But as winter approaches, slow-starting Marseille’s wealth and depth is starting to show, although Deschamps is far from excited.

“There’s a long way to go, including three away matches before the winter break,” he explained.

But in a topsy-turvey French season that has had six league leaders so far and has the country’s newly legalised internet-punters bamboozled, anything seems possible.

Serious outside contenders for the title, second-placed Lille, host Lorient and both sides boast eye-catching talent. Lille’s dangerman is the 19-year-old superstar in the making and multi-talented striker Eden Hazard.

The Belgian was voted young player of the year here last season and has been compared to Robinho. This week he received a fresh vote of confidence when Zinedine Zidane told French TV he’d mentioned Hazard to Real Madrid’s president as a potential target.

Lorient boast their own big money target in striker Kevin Gameiro, who is being tracked by AC Milan, Newcastle and Benfica thanks to his stealth and healthy goals per game ratio.

Famous for selling their top players Lyon’s talent drain finally looks to be taking its toll, especially as midfield tyro Jeremy Toulalan came back from the World Cup exhausted.

On top of this coach Claude Puel is struggling to motivate a side that failed to win the title for the first time in eight seasons last time out.

“It’s up to us to find the winning formula,” he complained last week.

They travel to fifth-placed Montpellier where a battle of the presidents is on the cards. Montpellier’s man-of-the-masses Louis Nicollin has been shocking anyone who’ll listen this season, while Lyon’s Jean Michel Aulas rarely misses a media opportunity himself.

Nicollin is from Lyon and has said he would love to get one over on the Lyonnais, who have once again qualified for the Champions League last-16.

Level on 24 points, Paris Saint Germian host surprise packages Brest, who will hope to pay back the city slickers for all the talent they taken off them in the past.

David Ginola, Paul Le Guen, Bernard Lama and Vincent Guerin all played for Brest before happier days at PSG.

The Parisians are on a roll after years of poor form and are kicking themselves that a dreadful goalkeeping error cost them top spot during last week’s 2-2 draw at Lyon.

Brest coach Alex Dupont meanwhile is still insisting that their objective is quite simply to stay up.

Former giants Saint Etienne will understand that. The 1970’s greats take on what was arguably the team of the 80’s Bordeaux in a game being billed as a retro classic.

Saint Etienne got off to a flying start and led the league after the sixth and seventh matchdays, but will struggle to hold Bordeaux, unbeaten in five games after getting used to the loss of their coach and two star strikers over the close season.

Elsewhere Lens host Auxerre, Sochaux play Valenciens, Toulouse host Caen and glued to the bottom of table Arles Avignon await Nancy.

Fixtures

Saturday

Lens v Auxerre, Sochaux v Valenciennes, Toulouse v Caen, Lille v Lorient, Arles Avignon v Nancy, Rennes v Monaco, Montpellier v Lyon

Sunday

Nice v Marseille, PSG v Brest, St Etienne v Bordeaux