The rebirth of Steed Malbranque

This is in my opinion the single most surprising and most astonishing fact of this season in Ligue 1 so far. Steed grown up in our youth academy, developped into a very talented attacking midfielder for a few years, before leaving our club right before we started a complete 7 years domination of our championship.

He then made a good career in the Premier League, playing a lot of matchs over all these seasons, mainly as a winger, but dropped off the radar in France due to him playing for second rate Premier League club. He was forgotten and never was called in the national team.

After 10 seasons spent in England, he signed a contract with Saint-Etienne but less than one month after cancelled it, saying that he no longer had the motivation.

One year after, without playing a single match, he joined our training grounds and was finally given a one year contract after a few weeks of training. Our coach Remi Garde decided to give him a new role, as a center midfielder, a true number 8. His first match in the league was so impressive, that he has his starting spot locked up since. His performances are impressive week in week out.

He has turned into a true box to box midfielder, using his nearly infinite stamina to track down every opponent who has the ball, while holding the possession and rushing forward with the ball, always looking for the best pass. His technical and physical abilities are used with a maximal efficiency. He has been started a few matchs as a winger when others players were not fit and we suffered of it as he did not perform half as good as he is as a CM.

Played with a more defensive player like Gonalons and a more attacking one like Grenier or Gourcuff, he was really the missing link in our team since the times of Essien, Juninho and Thiago. I was skeptical when he was signed, a 32 years old winger with one year of inactivity did not look like a good idea. I was so wrong. Our best pick of the last few years.

Another case of BPL destroying careers of small technical attacking midfielders(who themselves made the decision of course). I would like to see the likes of Shaun Maloney and Leon Osman applying their trades in other leagues.

He has been absolutely fantastic this season. Many thought he would hang up his boots after the St Etienne stint but he came back stronger.

The midfield trio of Gonalons-Malbranque-Gourcuff is probably the best in France this season

I always wanted this guy at Arsenal because class was his middle name. And yes it was a shame that he always ended up playing as a winger instead of in his preferred role.

Only 32 damn I thought he was much older

SchinnerC wrote:Another case of BPL destroying careers of small technical attacking midfielders(who themselves made the decision of course). I would like to see the likes of Shaun Maloney and Leon Osman applying their trades in other leagues.

Would look like Zidane in our midfield atm.

So will danny shittu

Abramovich wrote:

SchinnerC wrote:Another case of BPL destroying careers of small technical attacking midfielders(who themselves made the decision of course). I would like to see the likes of Shaun Maloney and Leon Osman applying their trades in other leagues.