After going through a rough period, the French national team finally rose to the occasion in the UEFA Euro 2016. Despite the fact that they were unable to get past the resolute Portuguese in the finals, the team displayed renewed confidence and ability to beat the best in the business and re-established themselves as one of the teams to beat in Europe.
While the team’s success makes for an interesting topic of discussion, we would like to believe that it is their dependence on young hungry players that truly drives this team. In the context of the same, we would like to bring to you, yet another young French player who is making the right moves in the Ligue1 with Monaco, midfield sensation Thomas Lemar.
Background
Born in Bale-Mahault, Guadeloupe on 12th November 1995, Lemar learned the tricks of the trade at the academy of his hometown club Solidarité-Scolaire. It was in 2010 that the player made the much-desired move to Ligue 2 side Caen in a bid to improve his chances as a professional and after impressing with the youth sides in between 2010 and 2013, he was finally handed his senior debut on 2nd August 2013 in a Ligue 2 tie against Dijon FCO.
He featured 32 times for Caen and his performances as the side’s leading playmaker were enough to attract the attention of the French heavyweights Monaco who paid a fee believed to be in the region of £3.4 million to acquire his services.
Lemar has since gone on to establish himself as the creator-in-chief of the Monaco side and is fast establishing as one of the fan favourites at the Stade Louis II.
Style of play and Strengths
While he is essentially a playmaker by trade, the diminutive French international is also comfortable to play either as the left or right midfielder. It is perhaps his creativity that has caught our eye the most as Lemar has shown the capability to tear open even the tightest of defences with his instincts and vision.
The 21-year-old has been the creator-in-chief for the Monaco side in the Ligue1 as well as the Champions League, having created a goal scoring opportunity every 42 minutes, which is a very healthy return for a player his age.
While that might in itself make him indispensable to the Monaco team at the moment, there is a lot more that he offers on and off the ball that truly marks him as one of the brightest young talents on the continent.
His ability with the dead-ball is yet another important trait that has helped him rise through the ranks of the clubs he has been with. The Monaco attack has been a great beneficiary of his services as the player tends to create opportunities every time he has the ball at his feet.
A diminutive figure, Lemar has a very low centre of gravity, making him a constant menace to the opposition defenders as he spins and swirls his way past them. The player is a tough man to dislodge off the ball and with his passing being tidy, the opposition needs to constantly keep a tab on him since he could prove detrimental to their fortune if he is afforded time and space on the ball.
Add to this his own ability to find the back of the net (he has scored 9 goals so far this season) and he is soon developing into a force to reckon with in French football.
Weaknesses
Like any other young player, the Frenchman has his set of flaws that need to be eliminated for him to achieve his true potential and nothing hurts their chances more than decision making. He tends to take too many touches and has developed a tendency to delay passes at times, a trait that has not entirely gone down well with the club’s fans.
While it is understandable that he is still at a very nascent stage in his career, the player needs to actively work on this game.
What’s next?
The midfielder has made a lot of fans during his time at Monaco and his current manager, Leonardo Jardim is one among them. The Portuguese manager expressed his love for the player in an interview, where he was quoted as saying, "He's a player I like a lot, he has really improved and he has become an important player for us”.
Lemar’s current contract with Monaco ties him to the club until the end of the 2020 season. However, that has not deterred several clubs from seeking a transfer for one of the brightest French football talents on the planet with the likes of Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool, Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City and Antonio Conte’s Chelsea believed to be tracking the player.
For the midfielder, though, his focus remains on establishing himself as a regular with the French national team. The player, who featured for the French youth teams at several levels will be keen to add to his solitary cap going forward and should he continue with his glorious performances, there is no reason to believe he would not.
