Olivier Giroud's fine form this season

It has been a good start to the season for Arsenal's Olivier Giroud. After a solid, if not spectacular, first season in England, Giroud has found his feet, so to speak, and is playing at the top of his game.

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Monaco return to top flight football and intend to stay (Video)

Claudio Ranieri has guided AS Monaco back to French top flight football after a season spent languishing in the second tier. Ambitious plans are now being set out for the future development of the club, with star names such as Falcao being linked with the side from the principality. It seems a long time since Didier Deschamps took them all the way to the 2004 Champions League final and a lot has happened in the intervening years. What will the next decade have in store for the club?

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French football’s fading influence in Europe (a follow up)

Two weekends ago Andre Ayew, Marseille’s Ghanaian forward received a red card in the dying seconds of their hard-fought 1-0 win over Lorient. He claims he had joined the melee following a slap to Mathieu Valbuena in order to calm things down

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Paul Lambert - Dortmund’s secret weapon

In case you thought Borussia Dortmund are intruders to the Champions League crème de la crème, think again. The recently-dethroned Bundesliga champions were the winners of the 5^th edition of the UEFA Champions League 16 years ago. And guess where they trounced Juventus 3-1?

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The Revival of AS Monaco (video)

Just 9 years ago, AS Monaco – the French principality’s only professional team – competed in the final of Europe’s premier club competition, losing 3–0 to Jose Mourinho’s Porto. Monaco defied all the odds to reach the Champions League final, beating both Real Madrid and a Chelsea side – then managed by Monaco’s current coach Claudio Ranieri – over two legs.

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