Short post today as Nikhil won’t be able to post the preview due to personal circumstances.

There’s precious little to say other than Lyon are pretty much assured to keep the 4th spot, so this game is of little importance… except for Gourcuff and the other European internationals who want to be noticed and selected for the Euro championship.

Ajaccio are currently 16th and fighting to remain in L1 next season. In the first confrontation in Gerland they caused us problems and managed to get away with a draw, so it’s likely they’ll want to get all of the 3 points today… Lyonnais beware.

But obviously Garde nonetheless wants to win this game, as he’s trying to justify why Aulas handed him a contract extension; Just after the joy and pride of winning the Coupe de France, he’s been thoroughly disappointed by the Brest game, and still tries to figure out how the heck the dynamics of this team work… Why do they perform on a day, and remain sterile the other?

Let’s see how the kids behave in front of this promoted team and their passionate stadium… Definitely an interesting experience for them who, bar a few senior players, don’t have much…

Allez l’OL!

Ajaccio : Ochoa – Lippini, Poulard, Diawara, Bouhours – André, Pierazzi, Mostefa, Cavalli – Tiberi, Eduardo
Lyon : Lloris – Dabo, Cris, Koné, Cissokho – Fofana, Gonalons, Gourcuff – Pied, Briand, Gomis

So indeed the interest, if any, of this game is not obvious, as the outcome won’t make much difference to the two participants’ fortunes. The reason is there’s not much at stake: Evian is assured to stay in Ligue 1 next season, and Lyon is assured not to play the CL next season but to reach the Europa’s cup group stage.

So here are a few suggestions of potential reasons to be interested in this game:

Lyon will be wary of this bold opponent who would be too happy to challenge him.
For many years, Evian-Thonon has been looking at Olympique Lyonnais with the eyes of a child a little dazzled by the brilliant Olympian scene . But -ask Monaco, Lens, etc.. – the wheel turns relatively quickly in football, and the gap between the two clubs has seriously narrowed . And tonight, at the Parc des Sports d’Annecy, former master Lyon, in fourth position with 60 points, should be wary of this apprentice ranked ninth with 49 points. Their dramatic draw in Montpellier is a good testimony of the philosophy of play and the never say die attitude of this team, who do not give up easily.

Rankings DO matters irrespective of the CL or Europa League
Just because OL is qualified for Europa League doesn’t mean that they don’t care about their final rank (4th, 5th, 6th…) other than by pride.
Each rank won earns you about 1.7 M€ more in TV rights. Better incentive than just pride, right, Jean-Mi?

OL should save face after the Brest draw
Like Rémi Garde and many of us, Jean-Michel Aulas was disappointed with the performance of some players and the result of his team against Brest on Sunday. “I did not see against Stade Brestois a conquering team. I think I can say, as the president, that I am disappointed by this game, this result, the overall behavior of the team. Sunday, there was a lack of efficacy. There may be fatigue; can this fatigue be blamed for a lack of aggressiveness, and motivation? ” But to him there’s no agonizing over this “failure”. “I trust the players. Tonight, they owe us a revolt, and have the opportunity to demonstrate the confidence I have in them. The group needs to give me the answer I expect, in order to win and definitely secure the fourth place on the occasion of the fifth derby of the season. We then can say the OL had a reasonably good season, even if the club does not qualify for the next Champions League. ”

Gourcuff, the French patient
A man has a part of its future at stake: Yoann Gourcuff. Engaged in a desperate race to recover and impress the coach of the French National Team ahead of the Euro selection, he’s been putting in a good performance last game, probably one of his best since he joined the club. If he can keep up, he may be salvaged at last by Laurent Blanc and win a trip to Ukraine.

Finally looking at the future OL?
The personal challenge of Gourcuff to make it to the Euro may not be enough to make this end of season super exciting; but after all, to get there Gourcuff will have to show how influential and useful in the game he can be. As he’s not likely to leave the club (very few clubs would have an interest, and Aulas wouldn’t sell him in the current conditions anyway), he may allow us to have a preview of what the team could look like next season. A team with Dabo as an alternative to Cissokho, with Lacazette (or Licha in a 4-3-3) as an alternative to Bastos, and with Gourcuff with the hat of the playmaker which Grenier found a bit difficult to fill this season.

Allez l’OL!

Probable teams:
Evian TG : Andersen – B. Dja Djedje, Angoula, Cambon, Wass – Tie Bi, Sorlin – M’Madi, Kahlenberg, Babrosa – Sagbo.
Lyon : Lloris – Réveillère, B. Koné, Cris, M. Dabo – Gonalons, Källström – Lacazette, Gourcuff, Lisandro Lopez – B. Gomis.

Matchday 35 – Stade Municipal de Gerland, Ligue 1

Engage the landing gear y’all! Just a final patch of four matches is left to go. And for the first time in the season, Lyon’s helplessness in the league has actually left them with a choice!

To fight Lille in the capacity of an improbable Champions League spot contender, or to contend with the Europa League spot courtesy a Coupe de France win, or even to ‘earn’ it in a symbolic 4^th place finish ahead of Rennes and Toulouse. In the case of the latter, it will be the first time in 14 long and eventful years that Lyon will have finished the league scowling at the podium finishers from the outside. This is most likely, as Lille needs just 3 points from 3 matches to make a Champions League spot a sure thing, given the large goal difference-difference over Lyon (+28 for Lille, +12 for Lyon).

In tonight’s fixture, Brest has it all to do, as they have a relegation battle to fight. Until March, they had been coasting their way mid-table. But what followed was 4 match losing streak, followed by a stunning 3-1 victory over Lille, further followed by 3 more consecutive defeats and a 0-0 Toulouse draw. Brest does have a 1-0 Marseille win as well, giving it an impressive total of 8 draws, 2 wins against the current top eight teams of whom only PSG have come off unscathed in two encounters.

This fact alone amply declares the potential of the team to be a party pooper for teams with European ambitions. Stade Brestois is yet to score a goal at Lyon in their previous 6 L1 matches here, all of which have been Lyon wins.

Let’s hope for one here tonight as well!

Team Lineups

Lyon - Lloris, Réveillère, Cris, B. Koné, Cissokho, Gonalons, Källström, Lacazette, Gourcuff, Lisandro, Gomis.

Brest : Elana, Daf, Baysse, Kantari, Lorenzi, A. Sissoko, O. Coulibaly, Poyet, Grougi, Lesoimier, Jemâa.

</Small Writeup>

Short post today. After winning the Coupe de France against Quevilly (1-0) and therefore qualified for the group stages of the Europa League, the OL players (currently 5th with a game in hand) will try to end the season with panache and climb onto the podium. Les Gones stand nine points behind the third (Lille) and one point behind current fourth Rennes, but they rely on a postponed game to play against Evian TG on May 10.
Further North, the Valenciennes players (12th) want to quickly validate their presence in L1 next season by eliminating any mathematical possibility of a relegation, so a good result at the Stade Gerland could be decisive in order to achieve this goal.

The teams:
Lyon : Lloris – Dabo, Cris, Koné, Cissokho – Fofana, Gonalons, Gourcuff – Lisandro Lacazette, Briand

Valenciennes : Penneteau – Ducourtioux, Gil, Isimat-Marin, Bong – Djuric, Camara, Saez, Cohade – Dossevi, Samassa

Coupe de France Final 2012, Stade de France.

The day your under-performing opponents become over-powering, is the day you know you shouldn’t have left home at all. Yes, Lyon never ‘turned up’ in the Coupe de la Ligue Final, to quote Rémi Garde. Marseille brought on their sure-thing in the form of Brandao and walked away with a thoroughly undeserved Europa League spot and with one of the only three title opportunities Lyon has had in the last four years. (Well, the Champions League Semi Final wasn’t really an opportunity in hindsight, but after the German leg it wasn’t all grim!)

Demand a change of habit.

We fans need to hear from our players on the pitch. Whatever the length of the season thus far, (this is the 53^rd game of the season for us), whatever the injury and coaching issues, Lyonnais players have a lot on their shoulders tonight. The immense weight of falling pride – to be precise. Enough slack defending. Enough!

They have to play out of their skins tonight. US Quevilly will turn up in their giant killing boots. The team from a town of 22000 people is out to try and defeat the team with the longest consecutive reign of French titles ever.

OL has to convincingly declare – Ils ne passeront pas ! (They shall not pass !)

Demand a change of emphasis.

While the initial legs of the tournament consisted of OL having to run over Lyon Duchère and Vendée Luçon Football, the going with the flow stopped when we went head to head against Bordeaux in the Round of 16 of the Coupe de France. The game went into extra-time, and it took goals from Bafe and Briand to conquer Bordeaux 3-1 that night.

The next game in the tournament was against PSG. After a Nene penalty on the 19^th minute, it looked like things may go downhill. But a certain Kim Källström thought otherwise. He initiated a comeback, which was followed by Licha, and then killed off by Gomis. The score was once again 3-1 and Carlo Ancelotti wept to bed that night.

Unsurprisingly (if you know what I mean), the toughest task yet was to come from a battling Gazelec Ajaccio. Fearless in their approach, if Gazelec had any nerves they made sure to hand them over to their grandmas before the match. While the final score-line read an absurd 4-0 to Lyon, it wasn’t until the 60^th minute – and with an Ajaccio red card – that the game had finally broken in favour of the away OL team.

Herein lay the lesson of the season for Lyon. The team that gives its all is rather inferior to a team that dares to TAKE IT ALL!

We demand that the Lyon squad which shows up tonight is the one that is after the gold medal alone.

It's not 'A' Cup Tie, It's THE Cup Tie!

Demand the Coupe de France!

Nothing less will do! Quevilly is a team that is in a relegation battle in the Championnat National (in 14th place currently). The crowd likes to see the under-dog perform. I sure as hell won’t. Not tonight!

Bastos has been ruled out with a bad back. This will be the umpteenth crucial game that he will have missed this season. I’d rather him and his brilliance fill Garde’s coffers this season end.

Gourcuff is back, I’m eager to see how he performs in this one. Ederson did okay after coming back from longish injury. The sense of guilt HAS to get on to people, right?

Gomis, please don’t go missing in the game. Cris, you do not have much of a career left. But Lyon potentially does. Lloris, Lovren and Gonalons – Stand your ground! Well, Lloris can fly around a bit I suppose.

Whatever you guys do, GET US THE CUP TONIGHT!

Probable Teams

Lyon – Lloris – Réveillère, Cris (c), Lovren, Cissokho – Gonalons, Källström – Lacazette, Gourcuff, Lisandro – Gomis

US Quevilly – El-Kharroubi – Vardin, Weis, Beaugrard (c), Vanoukia – Diarra, Jouan – Laup, Valéro, Capelle – Colinet

Allez l’OL!!

The only battle reasonably left is the fight for the fourth spot, currently occupied by Rennes as I write these lines, and for which 3 contenders are competing, with exactly the same number of points (53, just one less than Rennes): Lyon, Toulouse and St Etienne. That’s the sad reality following the uninspired and, to be frank, dismal performance against Toulouse.

“Boy is it fun, as a L1 observer, to watch OL this season !”

Now, to be honest there is indeed something inspiring in this club : the OL feminines. This is the only group with which Aulas can get consolation and pride. Why? Because they combine individual talent AND collective mindset at the service of the club, something that is really lacking with their male counterparts. And this team, really pleasant to watch, just qualified today for their third champions league final in a row. Well done girls! May you inspire the boys to get a third win over Lorient this season…

Allez l’OL, get your pride back, get your football back, and get your fans back!

The teams:
Lyon : Lloris – Dabo, Lovren, Cris, Cissokho – Kallstrom, Grenier, Gonalons – Lacazette, Briand, Lisandro

Lorient : Audard – Koné, Ecuele Manga, Bourillon, Lautoa, Le Lan – Mvuemba, Jouffre, Autret – Aliadière, Monnet-Paquet

Stadium Municipal de Toulous, Week 32, Ligue 1

Back to our daily bread tonight!

A cup loss inevitably stirs up a hornet’s nest all around the team. And seemingly contradictory to all the adjectives being hurled upon team Lyon, I happen to believe the team continues to be in good shape under the conditions made abundantly clear at the start of the season. We do not have money. Woof!

Kids, do no try this at home without adult supervision.

Appetizers for you, Mr. and Mrs. Such-and-Such?

• 5 OL players have been sent off at Toulouse in the last 4 trips.
• TFC has the best defensive record in the league until tonight – only 28 goals conceded in 31 matches. The buggers.
• Toulouse has strikers in lousy form. Only 8 of their 32 goals have been scored by the front-men.
• Ceremonial kickoff will be taken by French swimmer Julien Sauvage who has qualified for the Olympics this year. Eh-kay.
• Lyon and Toulouse are both fighting for a Europa League spot at worst, and a Europa League spot at best. Since Week 34 for us has been postponed to May 10^th for the final against Quevilly, it would be nice to keep a healthy margin in advance so the likes of Rennes do not keep poking up Lyonnais noses like spoilt children while our pending match against Evian takes place at the later date.
• Lyon hasn’t had a SINGLE 0-0 game this season. Same with Montpellier.
• OL is unbeaten in 5 league games and has lost once in 7.
• Gomis has 23 goals in all competitions, Lisandro has 20!
• TFC has never won the French league. Just saying. So what doesn’t kill you does not necessarily make you stronger.
• There is a moss that grows at 6,480 metres (21,260 ft) on Mount Everest. No, I do not want it in my living room. Just checking to see if anyone reads these things at all.

Who’s in the Lineups and who’s trying out for Ultimate Fighting Champion?

Gourcuff! That’s who! The poor old girl is trying to recover with the tender care her nanny has been providing. Nanny, what fat wallet you have!

Cissokho and Ederson sat out in training on Monday. Cissokho asked the Santa for a groin problem and Ederson asked for a pulled hamstring. Well, to Ederson’s credit he just asked for a shiny g-string. Typos I tell you.

And get this. John Mensah is out for “Calf Fatigue”. I TOLD him not to sit on the pot all day!

Possible Team Lineups

Toulouse : Ahamada – Ninkov, Congré (c), Fofana, Mbengué; Capoue; Regattin, Sirieix, Sissoko, Machado; Bulut

Lyon : Lloris; Réveillère, Cris (c), Umtiti, Dabo; Bastos, Gonalons, Grenier, Källström; Lisandro, Gomis

Being a Coupe de la Ligue final, its result will be carved in stone. The name of the winner will be added to the list of glorious predecessors, those who at least once have been the heroes of this recent but well publicized competition.

But today’s result may well make history for another reason. Caught in a terrible downwards spiral, the Olympique de Marseille has long forgotten the sweet taste of winning. One even has to go back several decades to finf track of a such a long winless streak for Marseille. Another loss tonight would definitely make this season recorded as one of the poorest ever in the club’s contemporary history.

Last chance vs first chance
So it’s a euphemism to say that there is a huge pressure on Deschamps’ shoulders and on his boys. Eliminated in all competitions they were playing in except for the French Championnat in which they lost all hopes of playing the champions League, team and staff alike are under increasing criticism from their supporters, whose subtlety and sense of diplomacy are about as visible as the winning spirit of their team. So this final is their very last opportunity to win a trophy this season.
For Lyon, on the contrary, this is the first chance to reach one of the 3 objectives that are still achievable: the coupe de France, the Coupe de la Ligue, and the third spot synonymous of access to the Champions League.

The bookmakers do not leave much hope to the observers who think that with their backs against the wall the Marseillais will give everything and win this final. The dynamics of the two teams seem to go in opposite directions, with tension, frustration, internal quarrels and lack of confidence on the Mediterranean coast, and serenity, confidence and hunger on the Rhone shore.

So yes, OL players are widely seen as the logical favorites, and Deschamps’ squad have an axe above their head and feel the breath of their Ultras in their neck.

However, in hindsight things look a bit different. Granted, Marseille winning the cup certainly would calm down their angry fans, and would give Deschamps a bit of respite; but it wouldn’t really salvage a truly disappointing OM season. On the other hand, whilst winning this cup could be seen as just a bonus for Lyon as they focus on their podium quest, this would actually mean much, much more to the club. That would put an end to a 4 year trophy drought, and would definitely close the Puel chapter of the club’s history, starting a promising new one, the Garde era.

The warriors:
Lyon : Lloris, Réveillère, Lövren, Umtiti, Dabo, Gonalons, Källström, Briand, Bastos, Lisandro (cap.), Gomis.

Marseille : Mandanda (cap.), Fanni, Nkoulou, Mbia, Azpilicueta, Cheyrou, A. Diarra, Amalfitano, Valbuena, Ayew, Rémy.

Allez l’OL!

Okay, this is just filler post for comments.

The match looks really really ugly. I’m 74% sure Marseille has paid Ajaccio to injure Lyonnais players.

Referee has lost control of the match, and Ajaccio has had a red card as of halftime. And its still 0-0.

Allez Lyon!

Stade Municipal de Gerland, Week 31, Ligue 1

Just last season, one could see Auxerre trying to fight their way in the Champions League group stages, against Real Madrid, AC Milan, and Ajax. Heck, they even beat Ajax at home! But things have changed, things have changed.

Flash forward to the present, Jelen has left, Pedretti has left, and Auxerre find themselves at the bottom of the broth that the French top league is. Unfortunately for them, it’s a bit too hot over there. Sitting at No. 20 in the league for the 3^rd week in a row, it tries to make a few jabs at its last opponents in an attempt to continue to play with the big boys for another season. Well, those being the likes of PSG, Bordeaux, Marseille, and Montpellier! We have a fight on our hands.

Week 31

Lyon were tied on points against Toulouse until game 30, and ahead only on goal difference (+4). There are only 24 points to play for till the end of the season. “We will see where we are at the end of the season,” said goalkeeper Hugo Lloris. “With 24 points to play for a lot can still happen. If we can take all 24 points then we will not be far away from that third place. Our number one objective is still to qualify for the Champions League. We know it won’t be easy but we hope we can do it and the desire is there.”

That says it all. Lloris would want to make sure Lyon reaches the Champions League, especially if that is the last thing he does for the club.

Auxerre has had a poor time in Stade Gerland lately, winning only once (2009) in their last 22 matches here.

Who’s in the Lineups and who’s nearly too late to post match previews?

Michel Bastos has a back injury worry. He came off in the match against Rennes holding his back, and things didn’t look too good then. Well, its not like we have to play a Semi-Final and a Final in the next week, right? Oh but we do.

Cris and Gourcuff are still injured. On the flip side, Bakary Kone and Alexandre Lacazette are back after suspension!

Auxerre has many more problems in the medical department. Amadou Sidibé is out for 6 months. Jérémy Berthod, Delvin Ndinga, Donovan Léon, Ben Sahar, Adama Coulibaly and Yaya Sanogo are also missing.

Team Lineups:

Lyon : Lloris – Réveillère, Lovren, Umtiti, Cissokho – Briand, Gonalons, Grenier, Källström-  Gomis, Lisandro.

Auxerre : Sorin; Dudka, Boly, Grichting, Hengbart; Mandjeck, Cissé; Chafni, Traoré, Contout ; Oliech.