1) Lyon and Monaco’s defensive performance papers over cracks of stale attack.

After the veritable disaster that was Lacazette’s injury, the onus was on the Benzia – Fekir duo, supported by playmaker Yoan Gourcuff, who is not always reliable due to injuries, to take up the rather daunting task of scoring against a side that hadn’t conceded in 12 hours of play. However, with the very notable exception of Fekir and Gourcuff opportunities in the first quarter of an hour, Lyon gave us nothing more than a stale, uninspiring attacking performance as with every attack that fizzed out it seemed more and more evident that there was a Lacazette-shaped hole. Afterwards, Monaco took charge of proceedings after the first twenty minutes dominated by Lyon (70% possession), but with no end product. Lyon’s dangerously high line allowed Monaco to cook up a few early chances, namely a Berbatov miss from a few yards out of an open goal which would have made Chelsea-era Torres proud, and while it seemed Lyon held their ground well against this onslaught, there was still a feeling that their fairytale hit a wall against Monaco’s pragmatism. With the untimely obstacle of PSG yet to come, Lyon’s defensive resolve may well be tested after Bisevac’s freak injury in the first half of Sunday’s game, but the continued absence of Alexandre Lacazette may well prove to be their downfall unless Fournier can conjure up a solution to this attacking crisis. Monaco, on the other hand, passed the 13 hour mark without conceding a goal – a testament to their monumental defence since November – and will be looking to capitalise on St Etienne’s recent slip ups to get back into the Champions League spots, and with the form they’re in, we may even see them mount a title challenge.

2) St Etienne’s stunted progress has put their hold on 4th place in jeopardy.

They were looking like a wildcard challenger to the title, but having failed to score in three games the dream is fading into a brutally harsh reality. Despite having the Lion’s share of the possession, Les Stéphanois failed to capitalise on any attack that came their way – contrary to Caen, whose 41st minute goal from captain Julien Feret gave them a desperately needed win to lift them out of the relegation zone. One thing is certain, the attack – spearheaded by none other than Ricky Van Wolfswinkel, best known for his catastrophic season at Norwich last year – will need to step up, and fast. Monaco, fresh off a well-deserved draw against the league leaders and having passed the 13 hour mark without conceding, are hot on their heels and may well catch up with St Etienne if do not start converting their chances. With a disappointing 12 corners coming to nothing, Galtier may well have to call on Mevlut Erding, whose atrocious performance against PSG ensured he was not even on the team sheet for this match day, but desperation may well lead to the out of favour striker getting another chances.

3) Bordeaux’s repeated draws putting their fantastic start to the season to waste.

Bordeaux has yet again failed to take 3 points away from a game, meaning that the last game they had won was back in the beginning of December. What started off as a season full of hope, the Marine et Blanc have produced very little in the last few games. The 4-1 thrashing of Monaco seems like a distant memory has the club has failed to beat the likes of Guingamp, Nice and Bastia who are well below them in the table. This has led to Bordeaux slipping down to table to 7th place meaning what appeared to be a glorious return to the Champions League has turned into a fight for Europa League. The Marine et Blanc are hoping that their season will improve with the signing of Clément Chantôme, but they also need to be more efficient in front of goal as a side only scoring two goals in their last 5 games is not worthy of a place in Europe. Hopefully new signing Kiese Thelin and Diabate returning from the Africa Cup of Nations can add much needed fire power to Bordeaux.

4) Borussia Dortmund show signs of improvement – even with a dull draw.

Dortmund’s relegation battle was given a massive boost on Saturday as the managed to hold a very talented high-flying Bayer, who currently sit 3rd in the Bundesliga. They have been able to keep their first clean sheet since November, making this a very solid result on which Jürgen Klopp’s men can build on. An away draw against a top German team leaves Dortmund only 2 points off safety. Even though their style of play was not very impressive, they were able to return home with valuable points that can be crucial at the end of the season. It is important to note that Dortmund are still in the Champions League after finishing top of their group ahead of Arsenal. A good campaign in Europe with its financial benefits and improved results in the League could help the club to finish mid-table, which would be regarded as a successful recovery after the mess Dortmund found themselves at the start of the season.

5) AS Roma’s new signings need to have an instant impact.

In AS Roma’s contest against Empoli one could not have guessed that the latter was 23 points behind the team from the capital, as the team fighting relegation dominated the entire first half of the game. The sending off of Manolas did not help the case of Roma, who have now drawn 4 of their last 5 games. The gap between them and in-form Juventus has now increased to 6 points, suggesting that the club’s title hopes are close to being destroyed unless they improve their form. Unlike Lorent Blanc at PSG, Rudi Garcia has used the transfer market to his advantage by signing Seydou Doumbia and Ibarbo. Perennial pace merchant Doumbia will add some much needed dynamism up front, and though Totti’s unquestionable technical skill remains, his waning speed will be remedied by this purchase and add much needed rapidity to Roma’s flailing attack. Ibarbo can play on the wings and as a second striker, meaning that AS Roma will undoubtably have one of the deadliest attacks in Seire A. By getting the best out of their two new signings, Roma could once again confidently challenge Juventus for the league title.