Since the start of the Ligue 1 season, Ablie Jallow (Metz), Nampalys Mendy (Lens) and Moses Simon (Nantes) have each distinguished themselves in their positions. What do these three players have in common? They do not reach 70 meters. Conversely, Skelly Alvero (OL) and Isaak Touré (Lorient), much less successful, peak at more than 2 meters. An advantage of being smaller to perform well on a lawn in France? Difficult to determine. Notwithstanding, we have made up an eleven of the biggest and another of the smallest in the French Championship.
The top eleven of Ligue 1. (Infographic/L’Equipe)
Arranged in 4-3-3, the eleven of the Golgoths of Ligue 1 look good and can see far. Left winger, Jérémy Le Douaron almost acts as an intruder by being the only element of the team below the symbolic bar of 90 meters. The Brestois (1.89 m) is accompanied by some great customers. The rearguard is made up of Marcin Bulka (Nice, 1.99 m) in goal and four equally imposing defenders: Jake O’Brien (OL, 1.97 m), Christopher Jullien (Montpellier, 1.96 m), Isaak Touré (Lorient, 2.06 m) and Kevin Van den Kerkhof (Metz, 1.90 m).
Unquestionably the tallest player in the Championship, Touré, constantly reduced to his size, confided to Foot Normand that with “his physique, [il devait] always do more than others” and that his size gave him “many advantages but also several disadvantages”. Behind the label of the slow and gruff central player often stuck to the skin of defenders who approach the double meter, certain profiles emerge and combine both speed and passing quality.
On this subject, the Irishman Jake O’Brien recently claimed on the LFP website to be “a defender capable of bringing out the ball well” contrary to what his size would suggest. Flashed at nearly 35 km/h this season, the Lyonnais draws his skills from hurling, an Irish team sport which is played with a stick, but also boxing. “It’s very physical but it’s also the fastest sport in the world. Boxing allows you to be in top physical condition and to work on your supports. »
In midfield, Nemanja Matic (Rennes, 1.94 m), Amir Richardson (Reims, 1.95 m), son of NBA basketball player Micheal Ray Richardson, and Skelly Alvero (OL, 2.02 m) form a complementary trident . The Serb and the Moroccan accompany the former Sochalian who recently declared to the Eastern Republican that he had the chance “to be more agile than the norm in relation to his size”. In front, Emanuel Emegha (Strasbourg, 1.95 m), Benjamin Tetteh (Metz, 1.93 m) and therefore Jérémy Le Douaron complete the eleven.
The small eleven of Ligue 1 (Infographic/L’Equipe)
Also arranged in 4-3-3, the 11 of the “pocket formats” would pose problems for many opponents. In the team, no one exceeds the height of 77 meters, if we except the goalkeeper Anthony Lopes (OL, 1.84 m), the shortest goalkeeper in Ligue 1. The defensive line, made up of Jimmy Cabot (Lens, 1 .64 m), Alidu Seidu (Clermont, 1.73 m), Ronaël Pierre-Gabriel (Nantes, 1.77 m) and Melvin Bard (Nice, 1.73 m) goes fast, very fast.
Repositioned right piston throughout his career, Cabot, injured in the left knee ligament since October 2022, has often returned to his modest size. “I have always been alerted to this. Physically, it makes some people skeptical. At 14, I was already too small. I’m still too small but I’m having a nice career. My 64 meter, I always knew how to show that it was a strength,” he explained to France Bleu.
“My size has never been an obstacle, on the contrary”
Nampalys Mendy (Lens, 1,68 m)
On the LFP website, another member of the rearguard of the eleven, Alidu Seidu, gave some tips, he who is placed in the axis of defense by his coach in Auvergne, Pascal Gastien: “When I play facing a big guy, like Steve Mounié (Brest, 1.90 m), who is very, very good with his head, I know that if he jumps, he will win the duel. So what I do is when he jumps, I push him a little to unbalance him, or if I see that I can take the ball quickly, I pass in front of him and I jump before. »
With Nampalys Mendy (Lens, 1.68 m), David Pereira da Costa (Lens, 1.68 m) and Angel Gomes (Lille, 1.68 m), the midfield highlights three players from the two clubs of the Nord Pas de Calais. “My size has never been an obstacle, on the contrary” maintains the Senegalese. For his part, the Englishman told us in October that he plays on other assets than his size: “My first touch must be immaculate, it is crucial, my way of placing my shoulders, seeing what is happening around, immediately knowing the distance with my middle partner, with my opponent, how he will come to press me…”
On the attacking front, Ablie Jallow (Metz, 1.66 m) and Moses Simon (Nantes, 1.68 m) accompany Wissam Ben Yedder (Monaco, 1.70 m). The French international striker (19 caps, 3 goals), former futsal player, managed with his size to score a slew of goals in his career (153 in Ligue 1). When he was younger, his friends nicknamed him Javier Saviola, in reference to the Argentinian with a similar physique (1.68 m).
2023-12-28 08:27:00
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