1. It was a mistake to write Lyon off.

Going into the match were predictions of doom, with many expecting a resounding victory for Barca as well as a masterclass display of their superiority. But Lyon aren’t minnows, and while they might not be a super club, they are still a big club in their own right, and today they played like it. Even UEFA.com admitted that Lyon didn’t deserve the tie.

In the beginning, Lyon pushed Barca and had them so rattled that they were being spun around left and right. They knew that they couldn’t out-possess Barca, so they played much of the game off the ball, and consequently, despite Barca’s possession (which was mostly in their own half), Lyon spent most of the game in their territory. The first half was all Lyon, and if it hadn’t been for the crappy finishing, Lyon should have been up by two or three goals (more on that later). Many times Lyon broke past their back four and had clear shots on goal.

Unfortunately, the second half had Lyon losing their steam, and the high energy that characterized the first 45 minutes tapered off. That allowed Barca to get back into the game, but again, the expected Catalan dominance never came. Even pushing forward, Barca could not get around Lyon’s well organized midfield and defense. Besides Samuel Eto’o hitting the post, the only real threat that Barca posed was that corner Thierry Henry scored from. So Lyon did a good job at shutting off Barca. I was a bit alarmed that the strategy became defensive towards the end of the game, but I guess that’s to be expected with all the players so tired.

2. Old age and treachery almost always triumph over youth and skill.

At the end of the day, despite all of Lyon’s spunk and effort, a clear head is what ultimately wins you the game. Karim Benzema was more dangerous than Thierry Henry, but it took Henry only one second and the smallest of openings to score while Benzema’s youthful exuberance had him trip up at a crucial moment. (Also, how ironic that they guy who scores against Lyon is France’s all-time leading scorer?)

3. Lyon need to go to finishing school asap.

What frustrates me about this game is not the draw itself but the fact that Lyon could easily have scored two other goals. Ugh. How often do you get opportunities like that against Barca? Two weeks from now, Puel will rue the fact that Karim Benzema, Jean II Makoun, and Kader Keita forgot how to finish. They may not have these same opportunities at the Camp Nou.

4. Some players need to stop being so selfish.

And I think we all know who I’m talking about. Yeah, you, Karim. I know you’re amazing and you want to be the top scorer in Europe, but you can’t do it all on your own. It is okay to pass sometimes.

5. Jean-Alain Boumsong deserves our respect.

He had an amazing game tonight. In fact, he’s had an amazing season. Whoever was inhabiting his body during his Newcastle days has since been exorcised, leaving behind the player he was at Auxerre and Rangers. I’d go so far to say he was man of the match after Juninho, with Hugo Lloris and Jeremy Toulalan following close behind.

6. Juninho is divine. No doubt about it. This is his 43rd free kick and his 96th goal for Lyon.

7. My bad, Cris isn’t going to be suspended in the return leg.

I had forgotten that Cris and Juninho picked up deliberate yellow cards to miss the Bayern match. But both Jeremy Toulalan and Fabio Grosso have two yellows, so in the event that Lyon do make it to the quarterfinals (and this is a very tall order), they are the ones in danger of suspension.

8. I didn’t think Kader Keita did a bad job.

Though I seem to be the only one who thinks so. I mean, he didn’t do a great job, but he made a lot of space in the Barca defense, and he definitely knew how to muscle past opposition players. I can remember a particularly sweet moment when he stole the ball right under the noses of three Barca players. Too bad he doesn’t know what to do with the ball once he has it.

9. Lionel Messi wasn’t scary today.

Maybe there is some sort of cosmic rule that there can only be one deity on the pitch at a time. And since Juninho was obviously the one shining tonight, Messi couldn’t access his god-like powers. Though I’m not going to be naive and assume this is how things always are. It was pretty obvious that Messi was having an off night (I mean, both John Mensah and Jean-Alain Boumsong were bossing him around). Let’s just hope that he doesn’t recover from his little funk until after the return leg is over. Then he can go back to being god-like.

10. Can Lyon progress?

Well, it’s going to be really tough. Barca have an away goal, and they will have home advantage in two weeks time. They also now know that Lyon can be dangerous and won’t underestimate them (as they might have done today).

But…keep in mind that Lyon don’t have to win at the Camp Nou. A 1-1 draw will push the game into extra time and then penalties if need be, and a higher score draw will ensure that Lyon qualifies due to more away goals (I might have confused some of you in the comments in the last post – I was having a brain fart – so I looked up the regulations just to be sure). Lyon must avoid a loss or a scoreless draw.

My esteemed co-blogger Kevin at the Barcelona Offside is convinced that Lyon cannot repeat their first half performance in Spain. I think I’ll have to disagree because some of Lyon’s best games have been play away in very hostile environments. True, Lyon’s last visit to Camp Nou was memory to forget, but that was a special instance (Alain Perrin, multiple injuries to key players, etc) that I don’t think that loss means anything anymore. Lyon have what it takes to get a favorable result. They’ll have to play at their very best and can’t afford to make mistakes like they did today, but they can do it.

They just have to believe.

Here’s a recap, for both me and you.

1. The nitty gritty on Lyon’s postponed French Cup match:

The match against Concarneau, which was supposed to have taken place on January 3rd, was postponed due to the frozen state of the pitch at Guingamp (where the match was supposed to be held). Concarneau, used to playing in such conditions, were upset at the cancellation because of the money and effort already expended. But the referee decided it was too risky to the health of the players.

Even more drama erupted when it was discovered that the French Cup, under the jurisprudence of the FFF, would follow standard protocol (Article 6.7, to be specific) and reschedule the match during an open midweek slot. Concarneau argued that as an amateur team, they had “day jobs” that take place during the week, and most of the families and supporters also had work, so the only time that would be fair would be during a weekend.

Unsurprisingly, due to the extensive lobbying by Concarneau and the silent support of every other club in France, the FFF decided to accommodate Concarneau by rescheduling the match to Saturday, January 24th.

Pule wasn’t too happy because, assuming Lyon beat Concarneau (and this could be doubtful based on OL’s current form), they have to play Marseille in the next French Cup round four days later, and four days after that, they have a derby against St. Etienne.

Lyon launched an official statement pointing out that by law, postponed French Cup games are supposed to be rescheduled to the midweek. They also said that they regretted that the city of Guingamp, who are responsible for maintaining their stadium, did such an inadequate job of it. Lyon also said that since the new timetable will not allow Lyon to meet the organization security guidelines required for the French Cup, they expect the FFF to take full responsibility for any incidents that might occur (something usually left to the two clubs).

2. Transfers, or lack thereof.

This has got to be one of the most boring transfer windows ever. There is so little happening that the press is just making stuff up. Like the rumors of Patrick Vieira’s arrival. Ha. That Lyon might swoop for Simone Perrota. Or that Julien Faubert is being tracked by Lyon. Because that’s what we need, more old, injured, and useless midfielders.

Up front, both Fluminense and Tottenham have been tentatively sounding out transfer possibilities for Fred, with the price around €5m. Fred has apparently turned down Fluminense and will probably also refuse Tottenham because in a few months, he’ll be a free agent. The bastard. Portsmouth is once again “interested” in Sidney Govou, and Govou is once again “considering” his options. Sadly, there have been no requests for Kader Keita.

Lyon most desperately need defensive recruits, but that’s where the rumors are the stingiest. Rod Fanni claims that Lyon tried to sign him this winter, but he thinks it’s too early to leave Rennes, especially since a winter transfer can be more difficult. If the press is to be believed, Lyon are “this” close to signing Charles N’Zogbia, a LB/LW from Newcastle. Or, if you read other sources, Lyon are about to signing Kleber, a LB/LW from Santos. Gee, I thought the problem was on the right?

3. Benzibye?

Karim Benzema gets his own little blurb. In an interview today, he says that his future at Lyon is in doubt. While he wants to stay at the club, he also doesn’t want to keep getting kicked out in the Round of 16 in the Champions League. So whether or not he stays until 2010 depends in large part on how Lyon fare against Barcelona. So we might as well say goodbye now.

The vultures are already circling, with Barcelona themselves apparently preparing a €65m bid. Manchester United are also keeping tabs on the situation, and in the event that Carlos Tevez leaves, something that’s looking increasingly likely, they too will go after one of Fergie’s favorite young players.

Just….ugh.

4. Lyon’s overall suckitude and the resurgence of the title race.

It looks like the winter break didn’t do Lyon any good since they started the second half of their season with as much mediocrity as they ended the first. They tied 1-1 with Lorient, which as most of you know is a huge powerhouse in French football. Ederson managed the only OL goal, Fabrice Aubriel scored the other, and that’s it for any high points in the game.

I didn’t watch this game, but in hindsight, I didn’t need to because I’ve seen Lyon play a dozen like it since the season started. And yet teams like Bordeaux and Marseille are in better form than ever, not only scoring goals but also keeping them out. As things stand, Lyon are only one point ahead of second placed Bordeaux, who are now so confident that they believe they can win the title. Other clubs are also sounding out, some saying that Lyon’s time is over, with the team getting progressively weaker and becoming vulnerable because of their dependence on individual talents. All this is true, I’m sad to say.

No comments in the Lyon camp, except from Govou, who says that there is no unity amongst the players. Is it just me, or is that always the issue with Lyon?

5. At least the Ladies show some signs of ambition.

OL Féminines are on course to being the Chelsea of women’s soccer. They are buying up talent that they don’t really need and have such a surplus of talented players that they could line up two competitve teams. Their newest recruit is Ingvild Stensland of Norway, who wanted to leave Goteborg (Lotta Schelin’s old team) for new pastures. She also had offers in Germany, Norway, England, and from the WPS, but she turned them down in favor of Lyon. It’s a mystery to me because she’s a DM, and Lyon already have two internationals in that position.

But Stensland comes with a shining resume, having been named Norway’s Player of the Year last season, and having been among the nominees for FIFA’s Player of the Year for the last several seasons. She also has 50 caps with Norway and will be reuniting with Bente Norby at OL. Stensland is Lyon’s sixth fully professional player.

Lara Dickenmann, a Swiss international and OSU All-American, who was signed last summer, just finished her last semester at college and has finally arrived. She’s a striker, so Lyon’s arsenal is seriously jacked now. I’m not sure if there will be anymore transfers, but with OL Féminines having so much more money than their competitors, it looks like the only constraint is how many lockers are available. At any rate, Aulas wants to stave off the influence of the WPS in Lyon and has promised to offer new contracts (most likely professional ones) for some of the other girls who are currently only semi-professionals.

That’s it for now. I’ll be back once more information is available.

I say that because yesterday’s game turned out to be the match from hell, and for all the wrong reasons. In one of the biggest upsets in the history of this tournament (and probably in the history of Lyon), Metz walked all over Lyon in a fairly comfortable 3-1 victory.

What follows is my post match tirade commentary. If there ever were a time for justified bitching, I think this would be it. Match highlights at the bottom of the post. Try not to laugh too hard.

First of all, it was a home game for Lyon. In the last three years, Lyon have lost at home only four times in all competitions – to Bordeaux, Marseille, Roma, and Rangers. That’s it. And those teams are hardly chumps. Amazing that the list can now include a team that’s currently hanging out in France’s second division.

Secondly, rotation aside, the lineup Puel put out last night shouldn’t have lost like that. Besides Sebastien Faure and Lamine Gassama, the other nine players are all very experienced, many of them internationals to boot. Sure, Lyon were resting Hugo Lloris, Jeremy Toulalan, Karim Benzema, and Cesar Delgado, plus some other players to injury, but still…it’s Metz, not Barcelona.

I suppose in the grand scheme of things, the Coupe de la Ligue was the lowest priority of the club, so by the end of the year, I doubt too many people will be shedding tears over this game. But the fact that Lyon was kicked out in such a fashion and in such an early stage of the competition makes it a little hard to bear. It’s also a little scary that this is the second trophy Claude Puel has missed out on – he was also the first OL coach to lose the Trophee des Champions since 2001. It’s not a big deal, I know, but I hope this isn’t some sort of ominous sign of impending change.

This picture says it all, really.

As for the players themselves, they were all really mediocre. I’m not even being harsh. If I had to give them ratings, the highest would probably be a 5. I’m not sure why the players had such a meltdown of epic proportions. Juninho was probably the best of the bunch, and he tried, but there is only so much he could do with the incompetence around him. Fabio Grosso picked the wrong day to forget his defensive duties. Cris fluctuated between good and bad. I don’t know if he was nervous playing next to the babies Faure and Gassama, or if he was revisiting his form from the earlier part of the season, though I will say that he made up for it during some moments and was responsible for Lyon’s only goal of the match. Kim Kallstrom, Ederson, Frederic Piquionne, Kader Keita, Anthony Mounier, Fred, and Jean II Makoun all had a match to forget.

And OMG, Fabio Santos was injured AGAIN. He has the worst luck ever. After receiving a nasty tackle from Metz’s Pascal Johansen, he was in so much pain that he had to be taken off immediately. Apparently it’s an ankle sprain, which means he might be out for another couple of weeks. I hope it’s not too long because he is a good player and deserves to play. It would be terrible if injuries ruin his career – which is ironic because despite all the injuries, he’s not injury prone, but he gets injured by other players on a fairly regular basis.

Jean-Michel Aulas was very pissed in his post match interview, saying that it was really annoying when high caliber players, who are fighting for playing time, decide to waste the opportunity instead of proving to the coach that they deserve a place in the starting XI. He also put additional pressure on the players by reminding them that great teams never lose twice. Puel on the other hand gave full credit to Metz for a deserved victory, and by the look on his face, it was obvious that he plans to put his players through hell for their performance today. I kind of feel sorry for Bordeaux, who are Lyon’s next opponents.

Finally, I want to end this with a word of congratulations for Metz. While Lyon were so wrapped up in their certainty of success (everyone down from Aulas to the ballboys), Metz came to the Gerland with an appropriate mixture of determination of humility. They knew they couldn’t match Lyon player for player, so they worked harder and pitched a very intelligent battle of tactics. They knew which players to shut down and which players to exploit. Before the match, I had never heard of Victor Mendy, Sebastien Renouard, and Romain Rocchi (Metz’s three goal scorers), but I won’t forget them ever again. So bravo to Metz, and I hope they continue their good run into this competition.

Highlights:

Goals: Lyon (Cris 49), Metz (Mendy 20, Renouard 28, Rocchi 66)
Warnings: Lyon (Faure 58, Gassama 59), Metz (Johansen 31, Delgado 85)

Also, Evilo is now piloting the Ligue 1 Prospects Blog at the Offside, so stop by to say hi. Given that L1 is a breeding ground of some of the world’s best players, his blog is most welcome for those who want to keep track of France’s latest talents.

1. When picking Brazilians, it’s Ederson you want. Leave Fred behind with the rest of the garbage.

I don’t mean to come off as a Fred hater, but did he accomplish ANYTHING in today’s match – besides the countless times he squandered easy shots on goal? Yeah, yeah, I know, Fred creates space for Karim Benzema. But if that’s all he does, I’d rather see Frederic Piquionne play up front in that case. While Fred may have been hot shit three years ago, his career has been on a steady decline, and he can’t even muster up a decent shot on goal. Forget actually scoring. Any more displays like this, and Piquionne will be owning that #2 striker spot.

Fred was a waste of air.

2. Lyon need to find a working CB pair ASAP.

Alright, so I understand why Puel chose the back four he put out today. Cris has been utter crap these past couple of weeks (he was the one responsible for both of Nice’s goals), so I get why Puel didn’t want him on the pitch tonight. Mathieu Bodmer, on the other hand, has been stellar in every single instance that he’s played as a defender this season. Ditto for Jean-Alain Boumsong, who hasn’t put a foot wrong since arriving from Juventus eight months ago (remember him against Manchester United?).

Logically, it all made sense. In fact, I was one of the people clamoring for this pairing because they’ve looked really well in previous outings (whereas Cris has only looked rusty). It’s just too bad that it was going to be this night of all nights when things finally exploded. I don’t know who Puel will select for the Bayern game, but here’s hoping that Cris will return to form immediately.

3. Speaking of the defense, how about that left back spot?

As horrible as the noveau Chuckle Brothers were, the person at fault for both of Fiorentina’s goals was Kim Kallstrom, who failed to make any contribution tonight, both offensively and defensively. He played in this position against St. Etienne a few weeks ago, but there’s a huge gap between Les Verts and La Viola. Kallstrom was confused all evening, and coupled with the incompetence of Bodmer and Boumsong, he ran around like a headless chicken and failed to mark his man.

If you’re wondering why John Mensah didn’t get the nod, since he played in this position much more effectively over the weekend, it’s because he was unjustly arrested and brutalized by French police Sunday night, and there were concerns over his mental and physical fitness. But in hindsight, an emotionally disturbed Mensah would have been better than a useless Kallstrom.

OL defense was incredibly slapdash.

4. Lyon were far and away the best team tonight. But that’s not good enough.

Besides the two goals, gifts to Fiorentina courtesy of our Three Stooges in the back, Lyon dominated the match, were dangerous from the first minute to the last, created tons of chances, and played the sort of fluid attacking football that everyone likes to see. However, though Lyon were the best team, they weren’t the most realistic. It’s not enough to be better than the other team. You have to be able to put away your chances, and that’s something Lyon didn’t do time and again. Whereas Fiorentina took the few chances they had and created two goals out of them. It took Lyon twice as many chances to do the same, despite the fact that they had home court advantage and the bulk of the possession.

5. Lyon are starting to become a second half team.

On one hand, it’s nice to know that Lyon have the mental fortitude to come back from a two goal deficit. That, and Puel has a damn good half time talk. Last year, this wouldn’t have been the case. But chasing isn’t as hard as killing, and Lyon’s biggest weakness remains their inability to hold onto a lead (something that Fiorentina also ought to learn). It would also be reassuring if Lyon could begin a match as strongly as they end it, as opposed to the wishy washy way they spend the first 45 minutes of the game.

6. Karim Benzema won’t be around the save Lyon forever.

Today I saw something truly frightening. Karim Benzema, the truly phenomenal striker that saves Lyon from utter ruin every other minute, was the brightest spot on both sides of the the pitch tonight. He was shining so brightly that it’s obvious the rest of Lyon can no longer keep up with him. Right now, most of Lyon’s attacks go through Benzema. But what if he’s injured, and in the long run, what will we do if he leaves? We’re going to lose Benzema sooner or later (though I hope it’s later), and games like these serve to remind us that he really does deserve to be playing for the best team in the world.

Benzegoal to the rescue…again.

7. Every point – and every goal – counts in this group.

Even though Lyon and Fiorentina drew today, it’s Fiorentina who have the advantage because the return match will be taking place on their home ground. Does anyone remember the last time Lyon came away with a win in Italy? But on the flip side, we’ll at least have Fabio Grosso back, and our defense should be sorted out by then.

However, in tonight’s other Group F match, Bayern won at Steaua, though they did so by only one goal. That puts Bayern in the driving seat when Lyon go to Munich in two weeks. Lyon will still be missing Grosso, and who knows what will happen in central defense, whereas Bayern will be at full strength (assuming Franck Ribery meets his target return date). Anything can happen in the next couple of games, so this group will most likely go down to the wire. I don’t think anything will be decided until the last day, and it’s likely that it may even come down to goal differential. So the two completely unnecessary goals Lyon conceded tonight may come back to haunt them.

8. Statistics might not mean much, but boy do they sometimes make you feel good.

Lyon had almost three times as many shots, nearly twice as many shots on goals, forced Frey into twice as many saves, had over two thirds of possession, over four times as many corners, half as many offsides, half as many fouls, and only one yellow card to Fiorentina’s four. Of course, the overwhelming math still resulted in a draw, but the fact that Lyon were able to control and dominate a good team like Fiorentina does a lot for player confidence.

9. Juninho still has it. And when is Toulalan going to score?

Against Nice, it was two terrific free kicks. Today, his long distance shooting was off, but he compensated with the kind of guile that is born out of hard earned experience. When everyone was expecting Juninho to shoot that free kick like he does 99.99% of the time, instead he slotted a clever little pass to Benzema, who used the confusion of the Fiorentina players to his advantage to rescue a point for Lyon.

Jeremy Toulalan was equally decisive tonight, though in a completely different way. He obstructed Fiorentina’s midfield from working and forced them to rely on the wings, and he showed that he could do more than just defend – he was at the heart of a lot of offensive action and had some terrific shots on goal, some of which forced Sebastien Frey into tough saves. He really deserves to score a goal – he’s been wanting it for some time now, but he just has to learn how to control his shots. He has a lot of power on them and has pretty good control, but he doesn’t know where to place the ball strategically. Someone needs to tell him to aim for someplace other than directly at the goalkeeper.

Juninho has more than one trick up his sleeve.

10. Lyon are not cheaters.

In light of the shady game against Nice and now the one against Fiorentina, I feel compelled to defend my team against those who are calling Lyon cheaters, match fixers, and getting special treatment by the league.

Nice: The first two Juninho goals were legit. Watch the Canal+ highlights. The third Lyon goal, a penalty in stoppage time that gave Lyon the win, was in hindsight not deserved. But it was an honest mistake by the linesman, who thought that it was a deliberate hand ball by Vincent Hognon. Notions that the referee was favoring Lyon are ridiculous because he failed to award Lyon a penalty when Fred was brought down in the box during the first half of the game. I don’t see Maurice Cohen complaining about that in his rant Saturday night.

Of course I feel bad for Nice, but it’s hardly the first time that this sort of thing happened, and it’ll continue to happen as long as replay technology isn’t used. How many times have Lyon been forced to give up totally unfair penalties? Definitely a lot more than they are awarded, that’s for sure. Had Nice won an undeserved penalty, no one besides Aulas would care. And that is because there is a double standard amongst the fans and the media. It’s okay when smaller teams benefit from refereeing errors because they are the underdogs and could use all the help they can get. But when it’s a big team, it’s not just unfair but naturally, the league has to be behind it as well.

The reason that Lyon seem to be favored by referees is because they aren’t naive. They know how to win smart fouls, how to avoid getting carded by tackling players just so, know when to argue with the referee and when to shut up, and they are good at utilizing whatever advantage they get, unfair or not. Lyon will never, ever look a gift horse in the mouth. Now, if Lyon missed all their “free” chances, no one would care. But I bet if I looked at all the decisions that went Nice’s way in the past year or so, I’d find quite a few instances of refereeing generosity as well.

Bitch, get out of my face!

Fiorentina: Chris put up a post complaining about the way Lyon scored their first goal. You can also read how Fiorentina fans are taking it. I’m gonna say my piece here.

So what has some people’s knickers in a twist is that a Fiorentina player went gone down, but play continued, which ultimately led to a Lyon goal. Because Luciano Zauri had fallen right next to the net, that meant that Karim Benzema was onside (otherwise he would have been off), so his pass to Frederic Piquionne was valid. Some are claiming that Lyon should have followed the unwritten rule of kicking a ball out of play when a player is down. But because they didn’t, that means they are lying, cheating bastards who have no concept of fair play and who deserve bad karma. Which is hilarious because it was Fiorentina’s bad karma that led to that goal in the first place.

Let’s take a more in depth look at the situation, shall we? If you watch the highlights, players from both teams aren’t even aware that Zauri is down until Benzema is practically on top of him. Zauri at the point starts getting up. The referee saw this but failed to whistle. Now, when you find yourself in a really good scoring position, with your team two goals down and with only 15 minutes left, with the referee continuing play, of course you’re going to keep going. You’d be retarded if you didn’t.

There is a reason the referee didn’t whistle, and that’s because most of the time, a player falls down with fake injuries. It just so happened that Zauri was genuinely hurt (though it wasn’t anything threatening). Fiorentina had already spent the latter portion of the second half committing unnecessary fouls and basically doing whatever they could to halt Lyon’s attacks. They did as much time wasting as they could, so it’s no wonder that no one, neither the referee nor the Lyon players (and even most of the Fiorentina players), took Zauri seriously. In that moment, Zauri’s fall in a rather strategic location seemed too convenient. Lyon naturally took their chance. If anything, it’s Fiorentina’s naivety that’s to blame for not keeping their concentration while the game was still in play. Their inability to hang on to a lead and their discouragement after an unfair call is what prevented them from walking away with three points.

I’m not going to go into the French vs. Italian rivalry that many people are immaturely delving into. It has nothing to do with national identity and everything to do with a murky issue that needs to be clarified. It’s a problem that stretches not only across all leagues and all teams, but in every game. The rule is that you are supposed to keep playing until the referee tells you to stop. But many times, the players will stop the play themselves when someone is down. However, this trust gets abused so easily that it’s no wonder it leads to situations like these. Referees and players need specific guidelines. It’s easy to say that downed players deserve the benefit of the doubt, but they are lying 90% of the time, and it’s so frustrating when a team has to stop good momentum for a fake injury.

And that’s all I’m going to say about that.

The Goals: Lyon (Piquionne 73, Benzema 86), Fiorentina (Gilardino 12, 42)

Match Pictures:

Not as bad as I first feared.

First of all, Juninho was given the captain’s armband. It’s not really a surprise because he was the captain during the last two seasons, and he’s also the most senior and most experienced player on the squad. Still, I was concerned because Juninho and Puel got off on the wrong foot at first.

Going into the match, there was a lot of speculation about what players would be aligned for this game.

Still on vacation: Karim Benzema, Sidney Govou, Jeremy Toulalan, Kim Kallstrom, Jean II Makoun, Francois Clerc, Sebastien Squillaci, Fabio Grosso
Injured: Fred, Fabio Santos, Anthony Reveillere, Hugo Lloris
Transfered/Out of Contract: Hatem Ben Arfa, Frederic Roux, Patrick Muller, Gregory Coupet, Loic Remy, Marc Crosas

FYI, that’s nine of the usual starters missing. For any coach, it’s always a challenge to come up with a competitive team when such a huge chunk of the senior squad is missing, so to compensate, Puel used many of Lyon’s younger players, some of whom are in the reserves and some of whom play in even younger divisions. I seriously doubt Puel had any idea what sort of team he wanted until ten minutes before the game started.

For this game, Puel basically aligned two different teams in each half. In the first half, it was basically Lyon’s “B” team, and in the second, it was the “C” team (with an average age of 12). What surprised me was that he elected to use a 4-3-3. I was hoping expecting that he’d try something different – that’s the point of friendlies, right? Anyway, here’s how it looked:

First half:

Vercoutre
Gassama – Paillot – Cris – Fontaine
Bodmer – Juninho
Ederson
Keita – Tafer – Delgado

Second half:

Hartock
Gassama – Faure – Seguin – Valdivia
Beynié – Mehamha
Pjanic
Pied – Grenier – Mounier

Typically of these types of friendlies, Puel was more concerned with easing his players back into the season than anything, so it’s important not to take the result too seriously. It’s also difficult to form a solid opinion on performances since most players were on the pitch for 45 minutes. Plus you could definitely tell that some of the guys were taking it a little too easy (*points at B team*).

Still, I do have some comments. First of all, it’s so obvious that Remy Vercoutre hasn’t played in a while. The first goal he conceded was absolutely cringe worthy and something my fourteen year old sister could have prevented with ease. On the second, he was way off his line and looked clueless as a Nimes player chipped a ball over his head. His replacement in the second half, Joan Hartock, didn’t have anything to do, though the one time Nimes threatened, he was saved by the post (also, this was the first time I’ve ever seen Hartock play…he’s very loud for a keeper).

The backline was hard to evaluate. Cris looked okay while Sandy Paillot (who is so tall) showed signs of the experience he got last season at Grenoble. He also had a rocket of a shot that the Nimes keeper barely saved. The two fullbacks in the first half, Thomas Fontaine and Lamine Gassama, were really solid. Gassama in particular impressed (he was the only one who played the entire match) and has made a very strong case for making it into the senior team (it also helps that Lyon are really short of fullbacks at the moment). The CB pair in the second half, Nicolas Seguin and Sebastien Faure, looked alright, but they weren’t really tested.

Mathieu Bodmer and Ederson looked good in midfield, Bodmer especially. Ederson needs to get used to playing with his new teammates some more, but he looked promising. Juninho didn’t really do much, but the little he did do was the most crucial – he got Lyon back into the game. In the second half, the midfield was less active, with both Romain Beynie and Said Mehamha rather lukewarm (but then again, they were played slightly out of position). Miralem Pjanic took a while to get settled, but once he did, he was terrific, creating chances for both himself and his teammates. He was unlucky not to have scored.

Up front, Kader Keita did his usual Houdini routine. I was hoping that Puel would immediately get Keita back into his Lille-form, but I guess he’ll need more time. Cesar Delgado played well technically though he really needs to work on his fitness and physical strength. It’s obvious that he’s having trouble coping with the more physical aspect of the French game, but this is something that will improve over time. I thought Yannis Tafer (the top scorer in the Euro U17 Championship this spring) did really well considering he’s only 17. He might not be the “new Benzema,” but he’s a special player that will grow into his own as he gets older.

In the second half, I was a little surprised to see Clement Grenier used as a striker since he’s actually an attacking midfielder. But he showed a lot of complicity with Pjanic and looked good on the ball. At his side, Jeremy Pied was pretty much invisible, but Anthony Mounier was IMO the best player in the second half and possibly the best Lyonnais over all. He looked really good and should definitely be on the senior team for next season. Then again, this is what happened last season too – Mounier impressed in all the friendlies and subsequently vanished at the start of the season.

I’m trying to hunt down the entire match, but for those of you looking for highlights, you can download then here (courtesy of the fantastic Jejeinho).

Pictures (you guys know how much I hate posting watermarked images, but these are all I could find):

Goals: Lyon (Benzema 1, Fred 9, Kallstrom 52), Auxerre (Thomas 77)

We had to wait until the last day, but we did it! So cue the cheesy “Seventh Heaven” headlines! Match and celebration pictures after the jump.

Alain Perrin: “We didn’t win, but at least we didn’t lose.”

Jean-Alain Boumsong: “We must be happy with this point because it will be important in the next few days.”

Juninho: “We wanted to win and get away from Bordeaux, but getting a draw at Nice is a good result.”

Karim Benzema: “This is a good point earned. We didn’t lose against Nice, which is a very good team. We would have preferred a win to be safe, but the aim was not lose.”

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

A POINT IS A GOOD RESULT? SINCE WHEN?

Look, getting a point from Barcelona is a good result. But against the 9th placed side in France, it isn’t getting a point but losing two points. It’s not Christmas, so there’s no need to give away points for free. Nor do Lyon have such an insurmountable lead that they can afford to be charitable.

Before the optimists jump on my back, I just want to point out that I’m not criticizing their performance. I’m criticizing their attitude towards it. They’re practically grateful about the point they “earned.” Goddammit, I want to see some PASSION from the team. I want to see players stomping their feet and walking off the field in a huff. That’s infinitely preferable to the polite way Lyon act both during and after the game. Maybe Aulas should ask Hope Solo to come back to Lyon, except this time to play for the men’s team. At least she has balls and would tell it straight.

A draw should never be acceptable for a team like Lyon. Instead, they should be mad and treat it like a loss. They should be saying, “No, we aren’t happy with this result. We had a chance to go ahead and we didn’t. And that’s not okay.”

Lyon should be expecting victories both home and away, against every team on the table and in every competition. Do you think Manchester United would ever consider an away draw against West Ham a good result?

Fabio is not having a fabulous time in France

Unfortunately, I wish Grosso had restrained his rather volatile temper. Who knows how long the LFP will suspend him, but there are only three games left to play, and he might end up missing all of them (there are also two potential French Cup matches). Worse, Grosso is Lyon’s only LB, and while Anthony Reveillere can take his place on occasion, he’ll also be suspended from Wednesday’s match against Sedan for too many yellow cards. So who knows what tactics Perrin will come up with for the French Cup semifinal.

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In more positive news, Karim Benzema’s brace against Caen today has raised his tally to 30 goals for Lyon in all competitions (19 in the league), and 32 goals if you include national team games. He’s three games away from being the youngest ever best scorer in the French Championnat. Not bad, huh?

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This Monday, OL players will be packing their bags and heading to Evian, where they will spend the next week in peaceful isolation as they prepare for the grueling few weeks ahead of them. Sounds more like a week at the spa, but if it makes the boys play better, I hope they get all the manicures and pedicures they need.

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Lyon have signed Clement Grenier and Yannis Tafer to professional contracts. Both are graduates of Lyon’s academy and currently ply their trade in Lyon’s U16 and U18 teams. I’ve never heard of Tafer, but Grenier has been in the news quite a bit.

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Not done with collecting midfielders, Lyon are apparently frontrunners to land the signature of Miralem Pjanic, who would prefer Lyon as a destination as opposed to Marseille, PSG, or a big club abroad. Pjanic has also received a concrete offer from Barcelona and is the subject of heavy interest from Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United, Valencia, Inter Milan, AC Milan, Napoli, Schalke, Wolfsburg, Fenerbahce, and Fiorentina.

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Lyon’s request to move the date of their French Cup match against Sedan forward one day was rejected by the French Football Federation (FFF). The match, which is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, May 7th, leaves only two full days of rest before Lyon receive Nancy, who are in third place. Aulas wanted an extra day because Lyon-Nancy is a game that could potentially decide the title, but no one else agreed. Sedan coach Jose Pasqualetti took Lyon’s request really personally:

“Mr. Aulas mustn’t forget that football doesn’t belong solely to him. If he wants to play his B team, we’ll be happy…He’s not the boss of French football. The LFP has also refused to shift our Friday match at Clermont. We’re not crying about it. If he doesn’t want to play, that’s his problem. Despite all the respect I have for Olympique Lyonnais, we shouldn’t be browbeaten. He’s not the president or the pope, he’s just Mr. Aulas, president of OL.”

Lyon didn’t get why Sedan’s knickers were in such a twist since pushing the match back by a day doesn’t affect Sedan. Not to be deterred, Lyon then asked the LFP to shift their league match against Nancy back one day, from Saturday, May 10th to Sunday, May 11th. The LFP also refused their request, saying there was no regulatory reason for the postponement.

Now Aulas is threatening to boycott the French Cup semifinal by either not showing up or by taking a reserve team. Great. Talk about taking the high road.

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Lyon’s stadium plans have hit a roadblock (the first of many, I’m sure). The new secretary of the UMP du Rhône, Michel Forissier, has said that OL Land will cost too much of the taxpayer’s money and that for now, he plans to block plans for the stadium by not allowing the building permits to be filed. The problem is that Decines, the site of the stadium, is currently served by a dinky old tram that can’t sustain huge match day audiences, and the 9,000 parking spaces are hardly enough to accommodate 50,000+ people. The only way to make the stadium more accessible is for the city to extend the metro, but as Forissier says, public transportation is paid by the public, even if the stadium itself will mostly be privately funded.

No wonder French stadia are so far behind…it’s nearly impossible to build them!

So unless Lyon can resolve the transportation situation, Forissier doesn’t intend to approve anything because he’s worried such a traffic disaster will disturb the neighboring communities. He suggested as an alternative that Aulas look into expanding the Gerland’s capacity and that Forissier himself will be happy to sell the stadium to him (which probably won’t be allowed either because the Gerland is classified as a historical monument). He also said that he resents the fact that the stadium is being imposed on Decines and that he doesn’t see how OL Land can possibly be built.

Lyon have angrily responded to Forissier by saying that Project OL Land is progressing as it should and that they plan to do whatever it takes to build their new stadium. Luckily, the opposition to OL Land is a minority, and Gérard Collomb, the mayor of Lyon, is fully behind the project. And we can trust Aulas to bribe convince whoever is necessary to see that Project OL Land gets the green light. However, it looks like the projected completion date of 2010 won’t be happening – 2011 looks more likely.

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OL Féminines, like their male counterparts, are in the semifinals of the Challenge de France, the women’s French Cup. They will be facing Soyaux tomorrow, and if they win, they will face either PSG or Juvisy in the final. And for the first time ever, the Challange de France will be held at the Stade de France, which is where the Coupe de la Ligue and Coupe de France finals are also held.

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Lyon have scheduled a friendly in Dubai in the last week of May against Al-Shabab. Since most players will be off getting ready for Euro 2008 or other sorts of international duty, it’s a good opportunity for players like Anthony Mounier, Cesar Delgado, Marc Crosas, etc.

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And finally, I’ll be on this week’s Offside Podcast to talk about French football. If you have any topics you’d like me to address, stop by here.

So if you’ve been wondering why I haven’t been around the last week or so, it’s because Lyon have been embarrassing themselves lately, and I didn’t want to associate myself with that. And seeing how quiet it’s been around here, I’m guessing that I wasn’t the only one.

Perrin has the amazing ability of making easy things difficult.

Last weekend, Lyon drew 1-1 with Rennes at home in one of the worst games I’ve seen in a long time (Anthony Reveillere’s lightened hair made the game almost unbearable). Rennes showed up with the express purpose of getting a draw, and their tactics reflected that. As for Lyon…what tactics? Without Jeremy Toulalan, all of Lyon’s attacking players had to operate more cautiously and help out defensively, but the fact that Lyon was that afraid of Rennes tells you the real story.

Because, and I say this with all due respect to Rennes (and Shazback), Lyon should have won that game despite Toulalan’s absence. Given Lyon’s attacking talent, we shouldn’t have had to rely on Cris to score our only goal. And worse, Lyon conceded in the very last corner in the very last minute of stoppage time. What is this, the U10s?

Then yesterday in the French Cup quarterfinals against Metz (who are officially relegated to L2), Lyon struggled. You read that right. Lyon struggled against Metz. Sure, the first half they dominated (if you can call it that), but from the second half, Lyon had their backs to the wall thanks to Metz constantly attacking (that’s normally an oxymoron). The fact that Lyon had to rely on a single goal by Karim Benzema against the poorest team – by far – in the French top flight is just sad, sad, sad.

It’s no wonder that the rumors of Alain Perrin’s departure are circulating with an almost feverish intensity. Jean-Michel Aulas publicly criticized Perrin last week (he basically said that while he wouldn’t dream of interfering with Perrin’s tactical choices, he had his own ideas), and yesterday, Bernard Lacombe refused to say much about Perrin, just that he had expected Hatem Ben Arfa to start.

And why is Perrin insisting on playing Fred and Benzema together in a 4-3-3 when it’s just not working? Yes, it has potential, but it hasn’t yielded good enough results to make benching Ben Arfa worthwhile. If Perrin wants to play two strikers, use a fricking 4-4-2. Why use one of the best strikers in the world as a winger? That makes no sense from a tactical perspective given how much it restricts Benzema, who is a far better player than Fred. What are we, Barcelona and Chelsea?

A rare Ben Arfa sighting.

As for Ben Arfa…WTF guys? He didn’t even come on as a sub against Metz. Perrin’s excuse is that Sidney Govou and Kader Keita (who are competing for one spot as it is) are in better shape. Puh-leeassse. So the guy had a couple bad games. That doesn’t mean Ben Arfa should be benched for the rest of his life. If that were the case, Govou would have been in a convent by now. Ben Arfa can’t be expected to return to top form if he doesn’t play. And yet Perrin won’t play him because he’s not in top form.

Just. Go. Away. Alain. Or get a brain transplant. Or a lobotomy. Anything to stop the idiocy.

Edit: If you want to hear more ranting on this subject, check out this week’s episode of the Offside’s Podcast, where I join Christian, Ryan, and Ian to talk about Lyon’s bungled title race and the crime of Perrin’s 4-3-3, as well as the race between Nancy and Marseille and the relegation battle between PSG and Lens.

Jean-Michel Aulas has thrown all his considerable weight behind Lyon’s ladies team, who have the weight of an entire nation on their shoulders. And Aulas is very serious about bringing home a European trophy, something his men’s side haven’t yet managed to do.

He’s tired of the guys letting him down all the time!

Next Sunday, OL Féminines will be taking on Umeå IK in the first leg of the UEFA Women’s Cup semifinals. This is Lyon’s first year in the tournament, but you wouldn’t know it from the fearless way the women are taking on the challenge. So far, they’ve dispatched the traditional powerhouses of Kolbotn, Brøndby, and Arsenal .

Lyon really believe they can go all the way in this tournament, and after such great results in the earlier stages of the tournament, the women are full of hope. Of course, they’ll be coming up against Umea’s very own superstar, Marta, as well as a whole host of other talents, but Lyon have quality players of their own, including several international players representing France, Norway, Denmark, Costa Rica, and Brazil (no OL team is complete without some Brazilians).

OL Ladies have been playing all their European home games at the Gerland, and they will continue to do so. The club is expecting a record crowd of 10,000 people, which would break French attendance records for a woman’s football match. To lure in supporters, tickets are cheap, and as an added bonus, the men’s game at Valenciennes will be broadcast on big screens after the ladies match.

So if you’re in Lyon and have some free time Sunday afternoon, then head over and support the ladies. They’re France’s only chance to get something out of Europe, and to their credit, they’re showing more ambition than many of the men.

Domestic results:

Things are looking good for Lyon. This past weekend, they comfortably beat Evreux 9-0, and now they are 11 points clear of second placed Juvisy, one of France’s traditional powerhouses in women’s football. Lyon are unbeaten in all competitions so far this season, have only conceded two draws domestically, and don’t look like stopping anytime soon. Hard to believe that three years ago, this team didn’t even exist!

Current D1 standings:

1 – LYON, 60 pts, +67
2 – JUVISY, 49 pts, +33
3 – MONTPELLIER, 45 pts, +22
4 – St ETIENNE, 41 pts, +2
5 – SOYAUX, 36 pts, 0
6 – VENDENHEIM, 36 pts, -10
7 – PSG, 33 pts, -8
8 – TOULOUSE 31 pts, -21
9 – HENIN BEAUMONT, 27 pts, -22
10 – ST BRIEUC, 27 pts, -17
11 – EVREUX, 27 pts, -34
12 – LA ROCHE 25 pts, -12

Lyon are also in the semifinals of the Challenge de France Féminin (Women’s French Cup), where they will be up against Soyaux for a place in the finals. Like the men’s team, the ladies have never won a domestic double.

Anyway, because the French league just isn’t good enough preparation for Europe (gee, that sounds familiar…), training has intensified to include matches against Les Epicuriens, a team that consists of former OL men’s professionals (which include such players as Sonny Anderson, Florian Maurice, and Franck Gava).

Some reading:

UEFA, having no other French teams to write about, has been providing extensive coverage on OL Féminines. Some recent articles:

Frankfurt and Lyon score freely
Lyon ambition continues to grow
Lyon’s samba beat
Excited Lyon entertain Umeå

UEFA