by Gary Linton
Hello and welcome back, thanks to all the lovely people who viewed the piece last week and to those two lovely people who commented on it. Feel free to comment and interact anytime you like. This week we’re covering four players, one from England, one from Italy and yes of course two from Spain. First up, Italy.
In Serie A there is a team that sits third in the league, that team is Lazio. At the weekend they were helped by a clean sheet and a single goal win over Cagliari, and it was all thanks to a massive help from Frenchman, Mobido Diakité. The Frenchman again was at the centre of attention, helping his back line to a clean sheet again at home, but not only that, he always helps the front line, this time scoring the only goal of the match. The goal came courtesy of a free-kick with a minute to go, Diakite got on the end of the in swinging cross and got his head on to it, to keep Lazio’s push for Champions League football alive!
Next it’s time for us to leave Italy and fly over to England, this week it’s one that is long overdue for an appearance in the Frenchmen abroad section. It’s Hatem Ben Arfa. At the weekend he was here, there and everywhere for Newcastle as they travelled away to West Brom. His first big involvement in the match was in the sixth minute as a cross from the wing by the Frenchmen set up new signing Papiss Demba Cissé who opened the scoring for the away side.
Within another six minutes the favour was returned as Ben Arfa received the ball just outside his own box, played it back to a Newcastle defender and then started to make a run. Approaching the half way line Ben Arfa got the ball back and out muscled the West Brom player, he then fed the ball to Cisse and continued his run, Cisse then popped the ball to the advancing Ben Arfa, who with an ever so lovely drop of the shoulder, hesitated and then bagged it into the bottom corner, all that after a sixty, seventy yard run. It wasn’t finished there, Ben Arfa thankful for his goal, set up Cisse for his second and Newcastle’s third. On this kind of form, it’ll be impossible to leave the young Frenchmen out the squad for the Euro’s.
Next up it’s Spain, and La Liga. The first inclusion of the week is a new entry, that’s right not only one but two new Frenchmen this week! It’s young Raoul Loe. The twenty-three year old was included in the Osasuna side that travelled away to Levante at the weekend and the young man did himself proud. The youngster was making one of only his handful of starts that he’s had for the club but showed he can cope with the big boys.
Osasuna won the game in the end comfortably but a lot was down to the strong defensive midfielder, winning all his aerial duels on the day, letting next to no man past. He made more tackles than all the Levante players bar one, not bad for a youngster who hardly gets a game. As I said, he’s not one to get many games, but after that performance I wouldn’t be surprised to see him starting more and more as the weeks pass.
Last but by no means least it’s one of our favourite Frenchmen abroad, he seems to be hitting form right in time for the Euro’s, in fact he never seems not to be hitting form. He put in yet another man of the match performance at the weekend at home to Real Sociedad, it’s Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema. At the weekend he was on fire, no, not literally. He was in the thick of the action as early as the sixth minute, taking a pass on the half way line from Alonso, he then gathered some pace up the right wing, before passing to Higuaín on the edge of the area who slotted it home.
His next involvement wasn’t until just before half time, but boy was it worth the wait, a long punt up the park by the Real Madrid defender bounced just in front of the advancing Benzema whose strength helped him passed the Soceidad defender and he finished it with a lovely chip over the goalkeeper, just inside the area. That wasn’t it, as five minutes after the restart he got his second and Madrid’s fourth of the game. He’s a striker that may surprise a few come the Euro’s as he may, and yes this is going to be my bet of the Euro’s. He may just finish top scorer of the tournament, you heard it here first.