Just some random odds and ends for you to read as you bide your time waiting for Lyon’s Champions League clash with Liverpool.

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<— Sid’s Serious Captain-y Face.

If you’re wondering why the captain’s armband showed up on Cris last Saturday, despite Sidney Govou also being on the pitch, it’s because our dear (former?) captain was seen drunk in public only two nights before the derby. He was at the Grand Prix de tennis de Lyon (part of the ATP World Tour, for you tennis junkies) with Remy Vercoutre, Florent Laville, and Sylvain Wiltord, another ex-Lyon bad boy. Sadly, pictures of a wasted Govou have yet to circulate on the internet (damn French media – in England they have no scruples about this sort of thing), but video tapes have made their way to Claude Puel’s desk.

Puel wasn’t very happy and took away Govou’s armband, though no word yet on whether this is a permanent change. Puel was pragmatic enough to realize that captain or not, Govou was needed on the pitch, which is why he was in the starting XI against St. Etienne. For Puel, it seems the matter is closed, but Jean-Mimi naturally had more to say. While he did say that Govou is willing to make amends, Aulas also called his leadership abilities into question and said that he’d consider Govou’s punishment carefully. Aulas met with him on Sunday to discuss the situation with him.

I guess this probably seems like an overreaction from Lyon, but given Govou’s hard partying history – and don’t forget that he was arrested for drunk driving less than a year ago – it’s no surprise that the club is so concerned.

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Just for lulz.

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I was going to write about the latest blow to French football’s eternal quest for equality on the global markets, but since Xavier of the Lens Offside has already done such an excellent job in telling us why getting rid of the DIC is really bad news for Ligue 1, I figure, why reinvent the wheel?

Aulas is desperately sounding the alarm. According to him, this change will mean that Lyon lose an extra €6m a year. It doesn’t seem like a lot, at least on the surface, but keep in mind that France already has really strict rules on club finances. Aulas fears that he may not be able to offer extensions to Sidney Govou, Francois Clerc, and other players nearing the ends of their contracts.

Also, here is a great interview (in English!) of Jean-mimi on UEFA.com.

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Kader Keita is the latest ex-OL player to accuse the club of mistreating him. Honestly, all these disgruntled former players make Lyon sound like an abusive ex-husband. Should I be more disturbed?

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I have so much love for these two. Bafe and Lisandro are this, but without the ~dramah~.

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The two latest recruits at Lyon are Norwegian pair Christine Colombo Nilsen and Isabell Hervolsen Both women left Kolbotn for OL Féminines, though their transfer fee remains undisclosed. They were signed just in time for them to be eligible for the club’s CL match against Fortuna Hjørring. Along with Arsenal and Bayern Munich, Lyon are one of three clubs that are still represented in both the men’s and women’s UEFA Champions League. Let’s hope that one of them actually win the damn trophy this time.

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The spot for a third blogger on the Lyon Offside still remains open. John and I post when we can, but I know many of you would prefer more frequent updates. If you think you can post at least once a week, have decent grammar, and are such a diehard fan that you want to share your love of OL with the rest of the world, please read this post.

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Phrase of the day week month: “The unstoppable groin-pocalypse going on at Lyon….What in the name of Cleber’s crotch is going on here?” Found on Dirty Tackle.

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Most of the major roadblocks in the development of OL Land have been removed, as 74% of the population of Greater Lyon are in favor of the new stadium. The biggest obstacle has had to do with the construction of more public transportation to the Decines area, or more accurately, the funding of that new transportation. Right now, there is one dinky tram line that goes out there, which is not enough to support the amount of people expected to utilize public transportation to get to the games (which is estimated at 65%). Some citizens don’t want the city to take on the added burden of these costs (OL wouldn’t be paying for it as it’s the city’s expense), though others argue that the area has long been in need of new train lines regardless, and that the increased revenue to the businesses in the area would make up for the expenses.

In any case, Aulas expects the final plans to be approved this spring, and that applications for the building permits will be completed by fall next year. The expected date of the new stadium is December 8th, 2013.

Lyon have also launched a new website that will keep everyone up to date with the latest news and pictures of the stadium. The site is chock full of interesting stuff, like details about the stadium’s eco-friendly design, the transportation and traffic surveys, a map showing all the sites of interest, and information on how the stadium will be funded (€450m from OL and its private partners and an additional €180m from public funds for transportation purposes).

The architectural firm chosen by Aulas is Populous (formerly HOK Architecture). They have a lot of impressive projects to their name, so we can expect good things from them.

And of course, the photos. I don’t think I’ve posted these pictures before. If you want to see the other pics I’ve posted of the new stadium, just click of the “OL Land/New Stadium” category on the right.

(click to enlarge)

The entire match condensed into a single photo.

Ugh. Not only did Lyon lose to Nice for the first time since 1995, but they also conceded four goals in the league for the first time in four years. I suppose L’Equipe has it right in calling Lyon a team with two faces. One day, they’re world beaters, and the next, they’re a scuffed doormat.

Okay, maybe that’s just me being my typically overly dramatic self. Still, it’s not easy to watch your beloved team concede four goals to a club barely hanging on in the relegation zone, especially when two of those goals were blatantly given away for free by Lyon. Not that I’m detracting anything from Nice – they did their homework, knew what to expect from a team tired from the Champions League, and pushed exactly the right buttons (actually, they didn’t have to do much pushing – Lyon were happy to help). Plus, unlike a few seasons ago, when other L1 teams would piss their pants before facing OL, nowadays the fashion is for small clubs to claim Lyon’s scalp, which seems to occur on a semi-regular basis. Teams like Nice will struggle against other smaller teams but play the match of the season against us.

Oh, the unfairness of it all.

/well, not really. Aren’t I always saying how L1 is stronger than it looks from outside? So I ought not complain when I’m proven right.

Remy, thou hast slayed me.

In terms of a match review…not much to review except the general hilarity of it all. I mean, you know it’s just not a good day when L’Equipe’s average rating of our players is a 3.4 out of 10. In the comments of John’s match thread, some of us were discussing why some fans don’t like Remy Vercoutre. Well, let’s just say that he hasn’t won himself any points. Also, I think this was the first match that Aly Cissokho disappointed in, at least to this degree. Man, he was getting ripped to shreds. In fact, I’d say he was getting the same treatment that Sidney Govou gave to Emiliano Inshua against Liverpool. Totally brutal. We might even need an “R” rating.

The other OL players were pretty transparent. They might have had one or two good moves in them, but they were too busy catching their breath to play much football. Substitutes Cesar Delgado and Ederson combined to score the lone OL goal. In fact, the only good Lyon players were the ex-Lyon players. Loic Remy, Anthony Mounier, and David Hellebuyck (remember him?) all had amazing games. I would weep at that, but I used up all my tears on Vercoutre.

But in all honesty, to echo my imaginary boyfriend, it’s not the end of the world. Lyon are still very much in the title race, albeit in 3rd place (possibly 4th after tomorrow). And as agonizing as today’s game was, no one out there is taking it as a reflection of our squad’s quality. No team can be great 100% of the time, and Lyon are just as prone to off days as any one else. Plus, ask anyone, and they’d gladly admit that they’d prefer to lose the six points surrounding the Liverpool match rather than the Liverpool match itself. I’m sure by next week, after the players have gotten some much needed rest, healing, and impromptu video game tournaments, they’ll be back to their usual kick ass selves.

Proof that life is possible outside of Lyon.

However, I do have one concern. Puel has to find a way to more effectively manage squad rotation. I’ve noticed that he’s done this before – he likes to use the same starting XI from a midweek European match in the game the following weekend. I know that works some of the time, especially when the players have built up winning momentum, but sometimes that tactic backfires. Today, all players looked dried up. They had no juice left. Not even a drop. Granted, right now there are a lot of injuries to contend with, but he could have started Cesar Delgado, Michel Bastos, or even Francois Clerc. Even Ederson would have been a good option. It’s not like these guys are from the CFA squad – they all have tons of experience.

Last season, Lyon dropped 25 points in the matches that immediately preceded or followed a Champions League game. And while I’d sacrifice the league title for significant progress in the CL, if Lyon aren’t careful, they might end up in another shit streak and start dropping points left and right in these kind of games. So this is something for Puel to be wary of.

Video Highlights:

The biggest news is the medical update on Bafetimbi Gomis. Two days ago at Guingamp, Gomis collapsed during practice with the France squad. He was out for a minute or two but revived enough to walk out of the field. He apparently felt fine afterward, and though the team doctor insisted he stay off his feet for the rest of the day – and though his fellow players were scared shitless – he’s been cleared to go back to full training today.

Gomis periodically suffers from Vasogoval episodes, which is a malaise of the vagus nerve. Certain situations can trigger attacks, which is stress, in Gomis’s case. Jean-Michel Aulas raised the red flag stating how alarmed he is over Gomis’s health – this is his third attack since joining Lyon – but Emmanuel Ohrant, OL’s club doctor, says that Gomis is just fine. His health is carefully monitored, and he does not have any heart problems, which is the number one worry in these situations. He undergoes frequent medical checkups, and so far, the club is satisfied with the state of his health. Ohrant even points out that not only were Lyon aware of this issue before they signed Gomis, but that St. Etienne knew about it before they offered him a pro contract, so it is clearly not that much cause for concern.

All the same, it’s still scary to think about, especially when footballer deaths seem to be occurring on an almost yearly basis. While I do trust both OL and Le Bleus when they say that Gomis is fine, it’ll take a long time before this picture is wiped from my memory.

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Here is a quick run down of all the international action involving OL players.

France (vs. Faroe Islands – 10/10/09, vs. Austia – 10/14/09): Jeremy Toulalan, Hugo Lloris, Sidney Govou, Bafetimbi Gomis.

France U21 (vs. Netherlands – 10/09/09, vs. Belgium(h) – 10/12/09, vs. Belgium (a) – 10/14/09): Clement Grenier, Yannis Tafer, Thimothée Kolodziecziak, Alexandre Lacazette

Cameroon (vs. Togo – 10/10/09, vs. Angola – 10/14/09): Jean II Makoun

Sweden (vs. Denmark – 10/10/09, vs. Albania – 10/14/09): Kim Kallstrom

Bosnia (vs. Estonia – 10/10/09, vs. Spain – 10/14/09): Miralem Pjanic

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On to the good news. OL Féminines, who are participating in Europe for the third year in a row, defeated Serbian club Masinac to reach the Round of 16 in the UEFA Women’s Champions League. The ladies defeated Masinac 1-0 at home and then beat them 5-0 away (check out this link on the main webpage for lots of pictures). They’ll be facing Danish side Fortuna Hjørring in the next round. For those of you who keep track of women’s football, UEFA overhauled this tournament, renaming it from the previous moniker, the Women’s Cup, and also changing around the format so that it was closer to the men’s format.

I’m also pleased to report that Aulas continues to take OL Féminines seriously – not only is he still continuing to let them use the Stade de Gerland for their European and major domestic matches, but he’s continuing his policy of aggressive recruiting and extensive financial support. Many of the women are now on pro-contract, and he’s trying to lure in more players from abroad. The latest target is Kolbotn’s goalkeeper and Norweigian international Christine Colombo Nilsen, who is being considered to replace Sarah Bouhaddi, France’s #1 gk. Bouhaddi herself was brought on this past summer (ironically to replace Bente Nordby, Norway’s previous #1), but due to an injury she picked up, she’ll be out for six months.

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The FFF had a great article on its website about the long standing friendship between Yannis Tafer and Clement Grenier, two of the youth players Puel is integrating into the senior squad. The article provides a nice look into their experiences and insights of growing up together in Lyon’s training center. Reading it, I got the feeling that these two are being groomed as the next Karim Benzema/Hatem Ben Arfa duo, which would be great on one hand, but on the other hand (all that ~dramah~), maybe it’d be better to let the boys grow up without the shadows of their currently troubled predecessors looming over them.

*Bonus question: Who is the next Samir Nasri to complete the latest golden trio?

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And since we’re on the subject of young prodigies, I’m sure you’ve all heard by now of Karim Benzema’s now famous interview in which he admitted to not trying very hard for both France and Lyon. He also blamed Claude Puel as the reason for his leaving (yeah right). Raymond Domenech is pissed while Jean-mimi is patting himself on the back for getting rid of Benzema before his megalomania began taking serious effect – and for 35 million euros, no less.

I’m rather sad about Benzema’s words because until last season, he was such a hard working and humble kid. He loved OL, and we loved him. But the press and stardom got to him, and pretty soon he was thinking that he was bigger than the club. Regardless of that, I was still upset to see him leave this past summer, but it looks like Lyon’s strategy of cutting loose players has once again worked out. Because for all of Benzema’s talents, his attitude would have further poisoned the atmosphere among the players, and no amount of goals would make that worthwhile (plus, it’s not like Benzema was all that great last season anyway). It was time for him to leave and time for OL to lose their dependence on him.

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Hugo Lloris has been voted September’s Player of the Month by the L’Union Nationale des Footballeurs Professionnels (UNFP). Lloris beat out team mate Bafetimbi Gomis and Bordeaux’s Alou Diarra. I don’t think there’s anyone out there who can say that Lloris doesn’t deserve it – he’s been the best player in L1 this past month, and his performances in the Champions League have been equally impressive. Despite picking up a harsh red card against Serbia during France’s WC qualifiers this past month, he still remains an integral part of Domenech’s plans, and most expect him to continue being the first gk choice over Steve Mandanda.

Buttttttttt…

I happened to watch Lloris’s latest interview on the FFF website, and wow, that was cringe-worthy. Somehow, he’s managed to pick up Jeremy Toulalan’s bad camera habits. The poor boy can’t stop touching his face (nor can he look into the camera) during his less than three minute interview. The entire time I was watching it, I was having nightmare flashbacks to this video. You all know how much I adore both Lloris and Toulalan, but really, someone needs to tie their hands down and keep their eyes up any time they give an interview.

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Lyon’s new stadium, which still hasn’t left the drawing board yet, has been officially selected by France’s Euro 2016 committee as one of the 12 sites for the games. While France hasn’t officially been named as hosts, their competitors are Sweden/Norway, Turkey, and Italy. The first two have never hosted the Euros while Italy’s financial situation is rather dire at the moment, which makes France the favorites.

Aulas is hoping to get the final plans approved, though the stadium being selected as part of the tournament will no doubt speed the process along. The costs have jumped up another one hundred million, raising the estimated costs to 350 million euros. In addition, Aulas is working with the city to address the issue of accessibility to the new stadium site, which is the biggest concern among those opposed to the project.

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And to cap off this massive post, here are the latest transfer fallacies blurbs.

*Inter Milan is keeping tabs on Jeremy Toulalan and may make a move for him either this January or the next summer. They need to replace their aging DMs, and France has proved to be the best source of those. While I’m tempted to brush this off, I worry over how long we’ll be able to keep Toulalan, who said that he has no plans to leave any time soon and definitely not until after the World Cup. Personally, he’s one of the players I want to keep at OL for life, and so hopefully Aulas will do whatever it takes to keep Toulalan at Lyon.

*At least Ederson has denied that he’s tempted by the cow eyes that Inter has also been making at him, though unlike Toulalan, I don’t anticipate Ederson to stay at OL for more than another two years or so. For now, Ederson is happy at OL (though he is chafing at losing his starting place), but Inter have been following him for over a season, and Jose Mourinho is no stranger when it comes to buying expensive players from OL.

*Manchester City’s interest in Miralem Pjanic gave me a good laugh. If Pjanic leaves, it won’t be for a while and not for Manchester City. And DEFINITELY not for 5 million pounds.

*Marouane Chamakh has finally put an end to rumors of a potential move to Lyon. In all honesty, this hasn’t been a serious option for the past few years, but Aulas really likes him and has wanted him at OL for a long time. But Chamakh says that while a transfer to OL was enticing a a few seasons back, he can’t imagine playing for another French club anymore, so when he does leave Bordeaux, it’ll be for a club abroad.

*While this isn’t exactly a transfer rumor, Mathieu Bodmer said recently that he doesn’t regret changing positions from midfield to central defense. It’s a fairly lengthy interview full of details, but the salient points are that he gets more playing time as a CB and that his bust up with Puel (which occurred before he left Lille, a full year before Puel followed him to Lyon) is old history, and that the two have a completely professional relationship. Which basically means that Puel is on the bottom of his Christmas card list. But at least Bodmer isn’t trying to move to another club, which is often the case when players are forced to play in positions they don’t really like.

Last week I put up a post questioning Lyon’s sanity, and I’d like to think I am somewhat justified for my stance. Gomis is a decent player and well able to support Lisandro Lopez as a second attacker. He had a bad 2008 campaign (then again, which French player didn’t?), and he was under the radar for most of last season (St. Etienne were struggling with relegation), but he did brilliantly the season before, and his potential is widely acknowledged.

Bafetimbi’s awkward hello.

That being said, his price is a little bit steep, don’t you think? Lyon didn’t even try to haggle this time. I bet ASSE’s president, Bernard Caiazzo, is kicking himself for not asking for more.

But I’m getting off track here. Honestly, I’m not that alarmed at seeing Lyon spend left and right. I’m just wondering if the quality of the players matches the amount paid for them.

Lisandro Lopez – €24m + €4m in incentives
Michel Bastos – €18m + at least €2m incentives
Aly Cissokho – €15m + 20% of future transfer profits
Bafetimbi Gomis – €13m + €2m in incentives

I don’t need a calculator to tell you that Aulas has spent what is roughly the equivalent of the GDP of a third world country on only FOUR players. That’s €70m euros. Marseille on the other hand of purchased twice as many players for less than half that amount, and I don’t think there is that much of a difference between the two squads at the moment.

In fact, I think Marseille have a better defense. Our CBs are not that good. It is. I love my team to death, but it’s been a long time since we’ve seen any evidence of “rock solid defending.” Cris can’t decide if he wants to stay or go, and I don’t trust him to regain his form from two seasons ago. I don’t care what Claude Puel says, Mathieu Bodmer is an attacking midfielder. Referring to John Mensah as the Glass Ghanaian is more of an unalienable truth than it is as a humorous nickname. Jean-Alain Boumsong, who is more suited to be a backup CB at a club of Lyon’s stature, is the most reliable defender at the moment.

Just think about that for a moment. Boumsong. Reliable. Those are the depths Lyon have sunk to.

What I don’t understand is why Lyon aren’t looking at any CBs. I haven’t even any rumors linking them to one. That’s all the more puzzling with Puel visibly wanting to push Mensah out of the club (after making us sign him last season for €8m, the bastard) and Cris seemingly unhappy. On the other hand, Marseille signed Souleymane Diawara and Bordeaux signed Mickael Ciani for peanuts.

Dammit, I want a defender! Our goalkeeper is awesome. Our fullbacks are awesome. Our midfielders are awesome. Our attackers are awesome. But I don’t think Lyon will make it out of Champions League qualifying with the central defense they have. Because as nice as it is to have a deadly attack (and according to the press, Lyon will be adding another player or two to their attacking arsenal), it’s pointless if Lyon concede just as many goals as they score.

Come on, Puel. Just one measly CB. You can even go crazy and spend less than €10m on him (or more, I’m not picky). Pretty please?

First off, it’s INTERNATIONAL TIME!!! That’s good news and bad. Good because some players get some rest, bad because others get worked even harder. The list of players don’t contain surprises, but it’s a smaller group of players this time thanks to injuries (Francois Clerc, Sidney Govou, John Mensah) and the fact that some countries don’t have friendlies scheduled despite the international break (Miralem Pjanic).

The call ups:

France (vs. Messi Argentina – 2/11/09): Jeremy Toulalan, Karim Benzema, Hugo Lloris, Jean-Alain Boumsong (who actually deserves it, no joke guys).

Cameroon (vs. Guinea, 2/11/09): Jean II Makoun

Côte d’Ivoire (vs. Turkey, 2/11/09): Kader Keita

Sweden (vs. Austria, 2/11/09): Kim Kallstrom

Italy (vs. Brazil, 2/10/09): Fabio Grosso *

* This game already took place today, but I forgot that Italy was playing a day earlier than everyone else. Oops. By the way, Italy lost 2-0, and Grosso – the sole Italian scorer – had his goal discounted. Poor guy.

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John Mensah has made the African Finest XI, a list based on the votes of the coaches of the 53 teams that make up the Confederation of African football. Our favorite Glass Ghanean joins an all star cast that includes Samuel Eto’o, Michael Essien, Mohammed Aboutreika, Emmanuel Adebayor, Yaya Toure, and Taye Taiwo.

What I’d like to know is what games the voters were watching, because I can count on one hand how many times John Mensah has played this year. Even before arriving at Lyon, he was oft-injured at Rennes, and his fitness was so-so during Ghana’s African Cup of Nations campaign (I should know, I blogged for Ghana during that month). Even his NT coach is frustrated by his injuries. So I’m just a little bit confused on how Mensah got into such an exclusive list. Was it his muscles? His personality? His smile?!?!?!

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Kader Keita crashed his Lamborghini into a van yesterday while on the way to the airport to join his NT teammates. Thankfully, no one was injured. The police checked to make sure he wasn’t taking drunk driving lessons from Sid the Kid, and once they verified that it was just a “simple” car accident, the police escorted him to the airport so he could make his flight on time.

Sigh. The life of a footballer.

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Fred is trying to leave Lyon again. Ugh.

I’m really tired of all his drama. He’s like a little kid who announces to everyone that he’s running away while secretly expecting everyone to beg him to stay. Except no one is, so he’s sulking even more than usual.

Can’t he just leave a note on his locker like everyone else?

For those of you who care, basically Fred has come to a very lucrative agreement with Fluminense. Unlike in Europe, the Brazilian mercato ends in early April, so that’s the only place he can go to right now. The Brazilian club has agreed to pay him a monthly salary of €120,000 as well as a signing bonus of €680,000. However, Fred’s agent (and brother) is claiming that the negotiations are stalled because Lyon aren’t paying Fred all the money that he’s owed (basically his performance bonuses).

However, Lyon have hit back saying that last December, Fred, in the presence of Bernard Lacombe, Jean-Michel Aulas, and club administrator Marino Faccioli, asked that he be released from his contract so that he could be sign for free in Brazil, and in return, the club wouldn’t have to pay him any of the bonuses stipulated in his contact.

Except now, Fred is demanding those bonuses, and Lyon won’t budge. The club’s official comment was that they find his lapse in memory ironic.

Ironic is a polite way of saying something much more foul, if you ask me. It says a lot that Puel, who besides Karim Benzema, doesn’t have any other serious option up front, is willing to let Fred leave halfway through the season despite the fact that the title race is in full swing.

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Hugo: Ederson left me for the Brazilians.
Jeremy: That’s okay, I’ll be your new BFF!
Hugo: Yay! First thing we’ll do is get you a better wardrobe.
Inara: Awww. Cute. *Cuddle*
Karim: *Embarrassed* I can’t believe I have to sit next to the dorky old people. This is so totally hurting my ~hip~ image.

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And since we’re on the subject of overly dramatic strikers, Karim Benzema has softened his previous words (when he said that he would probably leave if Lyon got kicked out of the CL knockout rounds) by saying that he’s happy at Lyon, and that most likely, he’ll stay until the World Cup. But he was careful to also say that he’ll take a long look at his situation this summer, taking Lyon’s CL campaign into account. Comments from his BFF Eric Abidal might have had something to do with his recent about-face.

If Benzema does leave, there is at least one striker who wouldn’t mind coming to Lyon. Loic Remy, despite having a great season with Nice, has never lost his desire for making an impact at his childhood club, and he admitted that should an offer come, he wouldn’t be averse to it. This comes on the heels of the news that there is a buyout clause in his contract just for Lyon.

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And in somewhat good news, Mathieu Bodmer (remember him?) played with the CFAs this weekend, his first real game in months. Francois Clerc was also supposed to play, but at the last minute the club doctor decided to wait a while longer, especially since knee injuries are in danger of relapses if they are not properly healed.

Alain Perrin took over management of St. Etienne last November, after the last derby that took place in August. Today will be bittersweet for him because he won more trophies than any other OL manager (four), led the squad to their first ever domestic double, and despite a horrible injury crisis, was a hairsbreadth away from kicking Manchester United out of the Champions League. But he was fired anyway because he’s a crappy man manager and had managed to alienate both players and staff alike by the end of his tenure.

Today he’ll be especially desperate for a win just to stick the proverbial middle finger up at Jean-Michel Aulas and Bernard Lacombe, and to show the fans that Claude Puel isn’t that great (though I think he is!).

February 1, 2008
Stade de Gerland, Lyon
3 PM ET (21:00 CET, 20:00 GMT)

Match background:

St. Etienne are not doing well this year. Though many would like to point the finger at Perrin, his predecessor Laurent Roussey shares most of the blame. St. Etienne spent the first half of the season on a losing streak, and though it’s already February, they are still in the process of recovery. Their goal this year is simply to avoid relegation. Interestingly, St. Etienne are doing really well in the UEFA Cup and will be in the Round of 32, with a very good chance of progressing. So at least something is going right for them.

St. Etienne has several injured players, including David Sauget, Christophe Landrin, Sylvain Monsoreau, and Loic Perrin. However, they still have a strong squad, and when they are in form, a dangerous one. Blaise Matuidi, Yohann Hartcoeur, Dimitri Payet, and Bafetimbi Gomis, just to name a few. Gomis is also their top scorer, with six goals.

Right now, St. Etienne are in 16th place, with six wins, two draws, and thirteen loses, having scored 16 goals and conceded 30. They are just one spot above the relegation zone. They are only one point ahead of the next team, so a loss could see them in the zone itself. They really need those three points, and more importantly, they need a moral boosting win. So St. Etienne will be coming to the Gerland with nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Lyon are tenuously in first place, but Bordeaux, Marseille, PSG, and even Rennes and Toulouse are hot on their heels. Bordeaux are only one point below Lyon, and they have a game today as well. So if they win, they will, at least temporarily, be in first place until the Lyon-St. Etienne match takes place. Lyon have 21 wins, six draws, and three losses, with only 26 goals scored and 13 conceded. Bordeaux and Marseille have each scored 11 more goals than Lyon, by the way.

Lyon haven’t lost at home to St. Etienne since 1992, and they’ve won every game since then except a scoreless draw that took place ten years ago. So history is certainly on Lyon’s side.

Lyon info:

No new injuries to report, which is a rarity in itself. Good news is that Francois Clerc and Anthony Reveillere are rehabilitating just fine – Clerc is expected to make a full return by the end of this month (hopefully). Mathieu Bodmer is also doing well, though no news on when we’ll be seeing him. Sidney Govou and John Mensah are being kept off their feet for now.

Le groupe lyonnais: Lloris, Vercoutre – Grosso, Boumsong, Cris, Mensah – Juninho, Toulalan, Makoun, Fabio Santos, Källström, Pied – Ederson, Pjanic, Delgado, Mounier – Tafer, Piquionne, Benzema.

This is the third game in a row that Fred has been left out. It’s obvious that Puel would like to leave him out permanently, but eventually Fred will be called back into the team, probably right before the Champions League starts up again. Yannis Tafer and Jeremy Pied also make their return to the senior team. Tafer got to play against Concarneau, so he’ll be looking for more minutes.

Expected Lineup:

Lloris
Fabio Santos – Cris – Boumsong – Grosso
Toulalan – Juninho
Ederson – Delgado – Kallstrom
Benzema

At least that is my guess for Puel’s preferred starting lineup at the moment. Fabio Santos has been filling in so adequately at the back that Puel decided not to recruit an additional RB, especially since Clerc will be returning soon anyway. Cris and Jean-Alain Boumsong are a very solid pair, and having adjusted to each other, are not making any of the blunders that were common in the beginning of the year. Fabio Grosso is also fitting in really well, helping to make the backline a refreshingly solid one. Gone are the horrible memories from the summer, when leaking in goals was a pastime.

In midfield, it’s obvious that Jean II Makoun is second choice to Jeremy Toulalan, who has yet to put a foot wrong. Juninho is still essential and irreplaceable. Puel seems to prefer only two central midfielders in recent times, especially because it allows him to play someone right behind the striker.

Up front, the phrase is DELGADO!!! Cesar Delgado is finally coming into his own, and so is Ederson. Both have been doing really well in recent weeks, and hopefully the progression will continue. Problems continue on who to put on the left. Kim Kallstrom is there right now, and while he’s been doing okay, he’s not a winger. Miralem Pjanic is still too weak to have the necessary physical force, Anthony Mounier is too inexperienced, and Kader Keita is still a far cry from what he was at Lille. With Sidney Govou out, options are slim.

At least we know who the striker will be. Karim Benzema seems to have hit a slump in recent weeks, but he’s showing signs of getting out of it. St. Etienne has always been a good luck team for him, so hopefully he’ll continue the trend of scoring against them.

Viewing options:

This game will be live on Setanta and Setanta Broadband. You can also find streams here. As always, if you find a good stream, please share in the comments!

Expected result:

I’m hoping for a 2-0. The players are motivated to attack, and the defense is solid.

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.

The game was so bad that Lyon’s official website posted a highlight video that was only three minutes long – usually they are around twenty minutes. Watching it, I realized why. Apart from Mickael Pagis’s three goals, not much else happened. Rennes dominated from start to finish, and even Jean-Michel Aulas conceded that Rennes deserved their victory 100% whereas Lyon were lucky to leave with the shirts on their backs. Puel on the other hand didn’t even want to talk about what went wrong.

Lyon had eleven men on the pitch, but they might as well have been ghosts because their physical presence in the game was barely noticeable. They didn’t win any tackles, couldn’t make any decent passes, had only two shots on goal, and only a few more shots in general. They did muster up 12 fouls though, and Anthony Reveillere can count himself extremely fortunate that he didn’t get a deserved red card for his foul on Jimmy Briand.

So what is the reason for this meltdown of epic proportions? I’m not panicking because this loss isn’t a sign of the team’s weakness or lack of quality. This is the first loss of the season, and it’s possible that it might be Lyon’s only league loss this year. But today does show signs of tiredness, malaise, and an overall sense of disorganization, which is ironic considering that Puel is the king of organizing.

First of all, Anthony Reveillere has played every single minute since August 17. For a fullback, that’s overkill, and it’s no wonder that he’s so exhausted. I wish Puel would allow Lamine Gassama to play. Surely that is less risky than playing Kim Kallstrom as LB.

And speaking of LB, problems continue. Kallstrom proved to be just as disastrous as John Mensah in that unfamiliar left back role. At this point I’d even take Thimothee Kolodzieczak. Even the usually reliable duo of Jeremy Toulalan and Jean II Makoun were uninspired and insipid at times.

Things are also a mess up front. The attacking four combination changes every game. Today it was Karim Benzema paired up top with Frederic Piquionne, and they were supported by Anthony Mounier and Kader Keita. Normally those four would bode GOALS! GOALS! GOALS!, but today all they managed to muster amongst themselves was a single paltry shot on goal.

Typically, the anti-Puel threads have already started popping up in various OL forums, but I think this game was more of a freak event than anything truly worrisome. At most, this game just highlighted problems that we already know Lyon have – their issues at LB and RB, the constantly changing attack lineup, as well as the continuing lack of cohesiveness from Cris and Mathieu Bodmer. These are problems that can only be fixed with time, and that’s something that’s not in our hands.

Though I will be SO GLAD when Fabio Grosso returns to fitness.

*tumbleweeds*

Or maybe not. Umm…

A new player? What? When did this happen?

Normally there is a lot more excitement – or at least discussion – when Lyon sign a new player, but compared to their other transfers, Piquionne has received comparatively little attention. I haven’t received any google alerts in English confirming this transfer. Even his wikipedia page hasn’t been updated yet!

Read on for the deets of the transfer.

Name: Frédéric Piquionne
Age: 29
Position: Striker
Previous Clubs: Nimes, Rennes, St. Etienne, Monaco

Many of you will remember Piquionne from two seasons ago, when Lyon tried to sign him in the winter of the 2006/2007 season. He played for St. Etienne back then, so the transfer was doomed from the start (only 20 players in the history of the world have ever worn the jerseys of both Lyon and St. Etienne). Since Gerard Houllier had his heart set on Piquionne, Aulas did his best to bring him without being held to ransom.

But St. Etienne didn’t budge, and when Piquionne began applying pressure on his end, Les Verts responded by sending him to the reserves. That prompted his infamous “I’m a slave” comment, which caused quite a bit of furor in France.

Eventually, St. Etienne became so hostile for him that he was forced to leave. Since Lyon wasn’t a possible destination, he eventually ended up in Monaco on loan (they eventually bought him for €7m).

Up until his transfer to Monaco, Piquionne was well rated. He wasn’t very prolific as strikers go, but his technical ability and speed meant that he often opened up the defenses for other attackers. When Lyon registered their interest, Piquionne was also attracting the attention of Raymond Domenech, who called him up a few times to the NT.

Unfortunately, his move to Monaco turned out to be a stumbling block in his career. He failed to adjust to his new team and then later, he fell out with the coach. He’s managed 12 goals in 42 league appearances for Monaco, which is pretty good considering he didn’t start most matches. That’s way better than Milan Baros at any rate.

Puel has been a fan of Piquionne for a while, so I guess he has his reasons for bringing him to Lyon. During today’s press conference, Bernard Lacombe confirmed that Piquionne was at Lyon precisely because he was a different type of player than Karim Benzema and Fred.

However, I’m slightly concerned with his attitude. He’s a known troublemaker – he fell out with his manager at Rennes, then at St. Etienne, and again at Monaco. He’s coming to Lyon with the knowledge that he’ll be #3 striker, at least right now, but I have to wonder how long his patience will last. To me, his arrival indicates that Puel will continue with the one striker formation, which means that it would be impossible to accommodate a higher profile signing alongside of Benzema and Fred.

Piquionne has acknowledged the fact that most Lyon fans don’t care for his transfer, so he has vowed to prove his worth to them. I suspect part of the reason for the apathy was because his transfer was so anti-climatic. After hearing names like Samuel Eto’o, Luis Fabiano, and Diego Milito, we end up with a player that no OL fan wanted. Even I thought the Piquionne rumors were a smokescreen for a bigger signing. Never in a million years did I think Claude Puel was serious about this guy. But he’s here now, so all we can do is hope that he is useful to the team.

Obligatory youtube compilation with bad music: