Lyon vs. Muller, Le Divorce

Because that’s what it is. A divorce. Muller has been with the club since 2000, and besides a brief stint in Switzerland for the 2004-2005 season, he’s been a Lyon man for the past eight years. Muller has even served as our captain for a time, and most importantly, he scored that all important goal that won Lyon the Coupe de la Ligue back in 2001 – the trophy that started everything else for OL.

So let me get you up to speed on the situation. Muller, whose contract ends in this summer, hasn’t played a single competitive minute all season due to injuring his knee…twice. He sprained his right knee before the season started, and just as he was about to make his comeback, he ruptured his cruciate ligament in the same knee in a reserve game. He had the choice of a minor surgery, which would allow him to come back sooner but which might not have fixed the problem, or a major surgery, which would definitively fix the problem.

This is where the betrayal part comes in. Back in early December, when Muller was grappling with the choice between the two surgeries, Jean-Michel Aulas promised to extend Muller’s contract by another year or two because he wanted to repay Muller for his service to Lyon (the exact phrase was that Aulas liked to “pamper his foals”).

Hearing this, Muller opted for the major surgery in order to make a complete recovery in six months time. He knew he would probably miss Euro 2008 despite it being in his home country and that he would have to sit our nearly all of Lyon’s season. But he had faith that his career wasn’t over and that he could come back healthier and better prepared to play.

However, last Friday, he was told that Lyon were no longer planning to offer him that extension.

“The club ensured me back in December that my contract would be extended for one or even two years. The surgery was already planned. I felt safe…And then when I saw nothing coming regarding my contract in January I tried to contact people without any response a number of times….Bernard Lacombe told on Friday that Lyon do not want me anymore.”

Lyon responded with this statement:

Bernard Lacombe met Patrick Muller last week to tell him that in the current context, with the arrival of Jean-Alain Boumsong and the recovery of Cleber Anderson, the club had taken the decision not to offer him an extension to his contract which comes to an end on June 30, while he can’t assure us of a perfect return to fitness. A definitive decision will nevertheless be taken at the end of the season regarding the evolution of his recovery and his eventual participation at the Euros.”

Muller is actually rather accepting about the whole situation, which isn’t that surprising because he’s always been a calm and rational player (just imagine Juninho in this situation…Gerland would be incinerated by his temper). In an interview, Muller said that while he’s disappointed, he understands where the club is coming from.

Injured or not, the man loved the shirt.

Because of Cleber Anderson’s untimely injury last winter (keep in mind that Anderson was bought in part to cover Muller’s absence), the club had no choice but to recruit Jean-Alain Boumsong. With Cris and Sebastien Squillaci as the first choice pair, it’s not possible to have so many central defenders next season (we’ll also be getting back Sandy Paillot, who is on loan right now).

But it broke my heart when Muller, asked how he felt about the situation, said this:

“It’s difficult. When you live through what I experienced here, you can only wish to prolong the adventure. I would have liked to stay, but this is the end of a great love story. I owe a lot to this club. I’m disappointed, but I have to get overcome this.”

The main problem for Muller is that he hasn’t played all year, so it will be nearly impossible to get a decent club to pick him up as is. Finding a club would be greatly facilitated if he could play for Switzerland in Euro 2008, except he’s not close to being match fit. But Muller has vowed to work as hard as possible because there is a chance, however remote, that he’ll be ready in time for the Euros. Which means that he has to start playing competitively by early May, at the latest.

Okay, maybe I’m being too emotional over this. After all, don’t I always keep harping about how Lyon need to grow up and starting acting like a Big Evil Club? And their treatment of Muller, however deplorable, is part of being a Big Evil Club. Big Evil Clubs don’t keep around players just because it’s nice to do so. Not when the money used to pay Muller’s salary could be used to bring in two younger and more promising players.

Muller has only a month to convince the Swiss NT.

So from a sporting point of view, Lyon are doing the right thing. Muller is 31 years old, and even if he fully recovers from his surgery, it’s unlikely that he’ll be the player he used to be. And considering that the player he used to be was on the decline before his injury, Lyon know that they can’t rely on him in their quest for galactic domination, even as a back up CB.

I understand all that. But what I don’t like is Lyon reneging on a promise they made to a very loyal player. Why make that promise in the first place? Granted, Lyon couldn’t have predicted that they’d have to buy another central defender a month after that promise, but still. Muller might have taken a risk on the the minor surgery if he had known that Lyon were going to abandon him because he’s been laid up so long.

Also, why are Lyon giving up on Muller because of Anderson, who is taking up an non-EU spot besides? Even injured, Muller > Anderson. Muller is a good player, and I feel like Lyon are giving up on him too easily. They kept faith with Cris and Gregory Coupet, didn’t they? Sure, Muller might not be outstanding, but he’s a collected defender who knows how to keep things calm at the back. He’s also versatile – he can play as a defensive midfielder when required. And he’s a good friend to many of the players, is one of the leaders on the team, a senior player of a lot of experience, and well-loved by the fans. I can’t think of anyone who dislikes Muller. I bet even St. Etienne fans wouldn’t boo him. He’s that great.

I guess this is what it means to watch your club take the next step. Last year, Lyon dropped two other loyal but not quite good enough players, Claudio Cacapa, Sylvain Wiltord, and Jeremy Berthod, in the same way. They are also giving hints to the Gregory Coupet that they wouldn’t be opposed to his departure while they simply told Remy Vercoutre to get the hell out. And of course, Lyon have been hoping that someone would take Sidney Govou off their hands. Muller is just the latest in Lyon’s quest to trim the fat off their squad.

So in the end, Muller’s departure is a good thing. Growing up is painful, and I suppose I wasn’t prepared at how much it would hurt.

Unlike all other positions at Lyon, right back is the one position that is under nearly constant rotation. In fact, no one seems to know exactly who the starter is. Last year under Gerard Houllier, it looked like Reveillere was in the driving seat, but Clerc played often enough – and in several very big games – that the question was never truly answered.

This year, Alain Perrin seems to prefer Clerc, but again, it’s hard to be sure. Clerc has been putting in better performances as of late, but then Reveillere will find a way to one up him. He usually does.

Both players are French internationals (though nowadays Domenech prefers to call up Clerc as opposed to Reveillere), well experienced in European football, and are refreshingly versatile.

Clerc is able to play in more advanced positions all along the right side as both a winger and a midfielder, and he does this relatively well. Reveillere can switch sides to the left and often plays there when Fabio Grosso is unavailable. It is not uncommon to see them on the pitch together. And both players are regularly linked with Juventus. Like every six months. It’s annoying.

Anyway, I’ve always had the impression that Reveillere was a more defensive player than Clerc though I could be wrong. Clerc is the better crosser but Reveillere is better at tracking back, and besides that Mancini moment last year, he hardly ever miscalculates his opponents. Whereas Clerc’s tactical awareness could use some tweaking.

I think that right now, Reveillere is the better player. But at 28, he’s probably reached the peak of his abilities. From here on out, it’s just going to be the accumulation of experience. But Clerc is constantly improving – right before our very eyes actually. And as a home grown player, the chances of Clerc staying at Lyon for the long term is much more likely.

Francois isn’t as pretty as Anthony, but his nose has character.

And finally, here is a bit of background on these two:

Reveillere made his professional debut for Rennes, who were then coached by Paul Le Guen. During that time, he also spent six months at Valencia (24 league appearances in six months, as well as six in the CL) but eventually decided that he wanted to return to France. Later on, he would join his old mentor Le Guen at the then two time French champions. In 133 league appearances for Lyon, his total goal tally is just two – one of which he scored this year against Monaco. Check out his stats here.

Clerc, whose promotion to Lyon’s first team is also due to Le Guen, is a Lyon youth product whose only foray outside of his hometown club was a short loan to Toulouse, where he only made seven appearances. He returned the following year as Lyon’s third choice right back (behind Reveillere and Lamine Diatta), but due to Reveillere getting injured and Diatta leaving for the African Cup of Nations, Clerc was finally given a platform to shine – which he did. In fact, he impressed enough that he received his first France NT call up that spring. In 62 league appearances, he has scored only once – this year against Strasbourg. Check out his stats here.

So here’s my question. Who do you guys think should be our starting right back? Of course the best answer would be that we should keep both, but I honestly don’t see either of these two guys accepting eternal rotation. Eventually, one of them is going to want status as the unquestionable starter.

Affectionately called “La Toule” by many of the Gerland faithful, he’s the most unselfish player you’ll ever see and also one of the least appreciated, his teammates and coaches notwithstanding. He’s also my favorite Lyon player this season, hands down. I’ve waxed about his attributes in his player profile, so I won’t do it here.

If there is one criticism I have of Toulalan, it’s his tendency to pick up yellow cards like a little girl picks buttercups in a meadow. He’s not a violent player by any means, but he gets a little too enthusiastic sometimes. He’s already received nine yellows this season so far, including two cards in his last three league matches.

So if he gets one more in the next seven games (which he will), he’ll be suspended for a match, despite having just sat out a similar suspension a few weeks ago. But the good news is that he hasn’t gotten carded in the Champions League yet. Last year, Toulalan had to miss Lyon’s second leg quarter final against Roma. And we all know how that turned out.

“Juste Milieu” talks about how Toulalan began his career in football. He wanted to be a pastry chef because he loved seeing people make things with their hands. You also discover more about his family, his kids, and his background.

On the subject of why he reserves so little attention, he said this:

“I have fewer people interested in me compared to Hatem and Karim because they are players who have magic and are artists of the game while I’m just a worker at football.”

Say whatever you want, Jeremy, but you are no less magical. Though Karim Benzema and Hatem Ben Arfa are getting all the attention this season, Toulalan’s contribution to the team is just as huge. But he’s a defensive midfielder who doesn’t have a scoring touch (unlike his predecessor, Mahamdou Diarra), so he doesn’t get hyped by the Daily Star.

But whatever. We know he’s a beast, and the people he plays against have first hand knowledge about that.

For fun, check out this clip of a Toulalan shot. Amazing!

Great. He’s the third defensive player to tear his knee ligaments within the span of four months. First it was Gregory Coupet. Then it was Cris. And now Muller. Just terrific really. I mean it’s not like Lyon need good defenders anyway.

Who am I kidding? After watching the dismal attempts of Sebastien Squillaci and Anderson at “communicating,” I was really looking forward to Muller offering us some stability. Granted, he’s been out for the entire season anyway, but he was doing really well, playing in CFA games and all that.

But then he had to go hurt himself last weekend. Damn you, Pat.

I’m really worried though for him more than Lyon. He was looking forward to Switzerland’s Euro 2008 campaign, and since his contract is ending at the end of this year, he wanted to leave Lyon with a bang. But it looks like he’s suffering the Claudio Cacapa situation. And Muller might never regain his full strength and fitness.

I am tres tres sad. The least I can hope for right now is that Aulas offers to extend his contract for another year at least.

When Alou Diarra pulled his hamstring last January, Lyon – in a seemingly constant injury crisis – had only a few days to recruit cover before the transfer window closed. Jeremy Toulalan was being overplayed and was in danger of suspension, so the need for a DM was paramount.

Names like Aldo Duscher and Jeremy Clement were thrown about, but out of nowhere, the club announced that they had signed Fabio Santos from Cruziero. Most of us on this side of the Atlantic said, “Who?” But Bernard Lacombe and Marcelo, Lyon’s Brazilian scout, recommended him highly, and they’ve rarely been wrong before.

Besides a very short and unsuccessful stint at Portuguese club Madeira in 2004, Fabio Santos spent the entirety of his career in Brazil, though by the time Lyon arrived on the scene, he was at Cruzeiro, a club that in the past has also given us Cris and Fred.

So it was that Lyon added another Brazilian to their ranks. Unfortunately, his first few displays with Lyon were tepid at best, and he eventually found himself either benched or sent to play with the reserves. Considered to be slow and too error prone, people began to wonder if his arrival was a mistake.

When he signed up, he wasn’t expecting to be ignored by his own coach.

Unhappy with his eight appearances (four starts), he thought about leaving. But despite an attractive offer from Sao Paulo in the summer, he kept working hard and remained patient. Buoyed by the change in management and by the fact that the club did not bring in another defensive midfielder in the summer, he decided to give Lyon another chance.

At first it looked like Alain Perrin was no different than Houllier. Fabio Santos was hardly played at the beginning of the season, and it looked like his career at Lyon was over before it had even begun. But thanks to Toulalan’s amazing ability to accumulate yellow cards and pick up untimely injuries, Fabio Santos is slowly proving his critics wrong with great displays against Lens, Bordeaux, Monaco, and Stuttgart (his CL debut), as well as scoring against Lens and Stuttgart.

He’s proving that he belongs at Lyon.

It’s like Lyon discovered they had a secret weapon right under their very own noses, and suddenly, what was already a rich midfield has become downright luxurious. This is not to say that Fabio Santos is as good as Toulalan, and I don’t want to seem like I’m jumping on the bandwagon, but he’s proving to be very acceptable cover, and more importantly, he offers different qualities on the field, especially his mental strength.

Most other players in his situation would have given up, but he kept fighting. After Lyon’s win at Stuttgart, Perrin acknowledged that it was Fabio Santos’s rage that powered his surprisingly good performances. Even Karim Benzema, the star of the night, acknowledged that Lyon won the midfield battle thanks in large part to Fabio Santos’s contributions.

As for Fabio Santos, he didn’t say much, just that he was pleased with Lyon’s team spirit in a difficult situation.

“You know, it hasn’t been easy for me during the many weeks when I didn’t play. So for the moment, I would rather play than talk. The goals I scored against Lens and Stuttgart don’t mean anything yet. I’m in good form and am just trying to take advantage. I hung on in my mind by working.”

People in Lyon refer to Toulalan as a terrier; Fabio Santos is surely the bulldog at his side. There is no reason to think that these two players can’t play together either – at Nantes, Toulalan was an offensive midfielder and so might relish the prospect at leaving the bulk of defensive duties to Fabio Santos.

He’s all smiles at the moment.

Perrin has a huge selection headache in his hands now – with a three man midfield, he must somehow appease five players who deserve a spot in the starting 11: Juninho, Kim Kallstrom, Jeremy Toulalan, Mathieu Bodmer…and now Fabio Santos. But this is a dilemma that most coaches would love to have, and it is now up to Perrin to find the best possible combination.

His two goals so far:

Interesting facts:

- The first time Fabio Santos came under OL’s radar was when Bernard Lacombe went to scout Marcelo at Sao Caetano (now at Real Madrid).

- He was Cruzeiro’s captain, which was another reason why he found his situation so difficult to stomach.

- During his initial press conference which presented him to the public, Gerard Houllier made a point of stating that Jeremy Clement had been his first choice. How rude!

- At that same press conference, Bernard Lacombe said that Fabio Santos reminded him of former OL player and manager Jean Tigana.

- Though a part of the Brazilian clique at OL, he is particularly close to Cris and…Anthony Reveillere!

- Of all of us here on this Lyon blog who post regularly, only Jo believed in Fabio Santos’s abilities.

Other profiles: Hatem Ben Arfa, Fred, Cris, Kim Kallstrom, Jeremy Toulalan,
Karim Benzema

Benzema has always been touted as a Young Prospect. He is expected to do Very Big Things. He is a Player For The Future. Everyone knows that Benzema is Special.

But what people didn’t notice was that the future is already here. He’s gone from being a prospect to a very definite Yes.

Let me guess what some of you are thinking. How dare I brand a kid as a future superstar? He could be a flop next season. Benzema could pull an Anthony Le Tallec on us. He could be another overrated French maybe.

But this 19 year old kid has not just impressed in France – he’s also scored three times in the Champions League. He’s been getting regular call ups to the France NT and has three goals for Les Bleus. He’s won three L1 titles with Lyon as well as the UEFA U-17 championship.

The skeptics will claim that L1 has produced its share of spectacular flops (Jérémie Aliadière, I’m looking at you), but given the quality France has also exported, even the hardened skeptic cannot deny Benzema’s potential.

Benzema’s talent has been noted since he arrived at Lyon’s youth academy over nine years ago. After winning the U-17 Championship and scoring an average of 30 goals per season with the reserves, he made the jump to the senior team seamlessly, and at 17, he scored his first Champions League goal against Rosenberg.

Last year, when both Fred and John Carew were out injured, he took over striker responsibilities with ease, not only scoring in the league but also netting two goals in the Champions League and earning a call up to the France NT. His subsequent injury kept him out for several months, but upon his return, he scored for his international debut against Austria.

Benzema can play outside the Hexagon as well.

This season, he’s become an unquestionable starter, keeping Milan Baros on the bench, and if his form continues, he’ll either keep Fred out or force Perrin to switch to a two-striker system. Instead of wilting in the pressure cooker that is Lyon these days, Benzema has been scoring in nearly every game he’s played in, with ten goals in ten matches. He has yet to score in the Champions League this year (though he started against Barcelona and Rangers), but given the overall poor performances of Lyon, no one’s holding it against him.

Comparison of famous French strikers at the age Benzema is now.

I suppose Benzema could be accused of having supreme self-confidence because in his mind, there has never been any doubt about his abilities. When Lyon were once again contemplating bringing in another striker last year, he said quite famously,

“I hear Lyon need to find a great forward, there’s no need to go and find a forward anywhere. Fred is the coach’s number one at the moment, but I will go on working and one day become the number one at Lyon.”

Lyon didn’t take him too seriously back then, but after Benzema’s explosive start this season, you can be sure that Lyon won’t make the same mistake twice.

The best France has to offer is yet to come.

His poise on the ball, his ability to score from any position and with any foot (and his head), his ease at finding the back of the net, his tactical awareness and pace, his finishing abilities and consistency…Benzema has it all. What he needs now is experience and time to reinforce his talent. And I’m not the only one who’s noticed. His compatriots Thierry Henry, Nicolas Anelka, and David Trezeguet have all singled Benzema out for special praise, with Henry going so far as to say that Benzema will win the Balloon D’Or one day.

But though several clubs are interested, some even preparing bids for the January transfer window, it will be impossible to dislodge Benzema from Lyon anytime soon. He’s too level-headed to be motivated by money or a “new adventure” abroad, and his loyal attitude speaks volumes about his maturity. He is quick to thank his fellow players and the club for helping him become a better player, and his humility has endeared him to all his teammates. And unlike many other blossoming young stars, Benzema knows that it’s in his best interest to stay at a club that he knows and loves, and more importantly, a club that knows and loves him. Here, he’s surrounded by his friends, family, teammates he’s known since childhood, and an adoring public.

In fact, when asked if he would consider seeing out his contract with Lyon (it runs until 2012), Benzema said he wouldn’t mind one bit – after all, he’ll be only 24 by then! His main wish at the moment is to win titles with Lyon and to bring home the Champions League trophy.

The only bit of controversy associated with him has been his requests to both Gerard Houllier and Alain Perrin to play him in the center. Being able to play anywhere in the front line, he’s often been deployed on the wings, a position in which he’s not terribly effective. He readily admits to being a poor crosser and prefers to play where he can score more easily. Houllier responded by saying that even he’d like to play as a centre-forward for Lyon while Perrin’s response was instead a warning that he would play Benzema wherever he saw fit.

Benzema will have to be careful not to become injury-prone.

If there is one weakness that Benzema has, it’s that he’s still hasn’t learned how to take care of himself. Last year, he suffered three hamstring injuries that kept him out of action for most of the season. But now he has a personal trainer who helps him regulate his eating and sleeping habits so that he stays healthy and gets enough rest in between games and practices. He is also working on gaining more muscle mass, as he currently doesn’t have the raw strength that most top strikers possess.

But like all young and exciting players (Giovanni dos Santos, Nani, Theo Walcott, Sergio Aguero, Alexandre Pato), only time will tell if Benzema becomes the player we’re hoping he’ll be. With so much money and fame spoiling players in the footballing world, it takes a very humble and driven personality to continue working hard no matter how fat his wallet becomes.

Still, early signs indicate that Benzema is just that sort of player. As OL fans, we can only hope that turns out to be true.

His goals so far this season:

Interesting facts:

- Of Algerian descent, he turned down the opportunity to play with the Algerian NT because though Algeria was his parents’ country and in his heart, he considers himself 100% French.

- He has 9 brothers and sisters!

- His favorite player and role model is Ronaldo. Interestingly, it’s Ronaldo’s playing style and early talent that is most reflected in Benzema.

- Benzema’s other role model (besides Ronaldo) is his mother.

- He is part of France’s “Second Golden Generation,” which features Samir Nasri, Jeremy Menez, and OL teammate Hatem Ben Arfa.

- He grew up in a small house in Bron Terraillon, a dangerous and rough neighborhood in Lyon where the only clubs most kids joined were gangs. But Benzema’s parents kept a close eye on all their children and kept them out of trouble.

- Benzema only recently moved out of his family’s house. Even last season his parents drove him to practice in order to make sure that “his head wouldn’t get too big.”

- He regularly bests senior players like Anthony Reveillere and Florent Malouda at Playstation.

- Bernard Lacombe has been personally following Benzema’s progress for nearly ten years and has been his staunchest supporter. It was Lacombe who told Aulas a few years back that Lyon had a star striker in their own backyard.

- Laurie wants to adopt him.

Other profiles: Hatem Ben Arfa, Fred, Cris, Kim Kallstrom, Jeremy Toulalan

The midfield is a team’s engine, so when Mahamadou Diarra decided to leave for Real Madrid in 2006, Lyon were left with a gaping hole to fill in the heart of their team. Diarra was an integral part of four of Lyon’s title winning teams, so many felt that Diarra’s departure would weaken Lyon considerably.

But just as Tiago softened Michael Essien’s departure, Toulalan’s arrival ensured the club lost only a little bit of its momentum when they lost Diarra. In fact, one could even say that Toulalan brought qualities to Lyon’s midfield that were not there before.

A product of Nantes’ youth academy, he comes from a place that also produced such midfield gems as Didier Deschamps, Marcel Desaily, Christian Karembeu, and – you guessed it – Claude Makelele.

Toulalan is a very elegant player, one that is unafraid to make challenges and strong tackles (he collects between 7-11 yellow cards per season, and gets suspended two or three times as well). He’ll remind you of a terrier, always nipping at a player’s heels. He’s also surprisingly fast for such a solid and husky player, and is always at ease on the ball and deceptive to markers. At Nantes, he played more offensively, but at Lyon, he’s taken a more defensive role and usually patrols Makelele-esque in front of the back four. He’s also been working hard on his long passes, which have improved considerably. Some of his passes this season have been absolute beauties.

The strange thing about Toulalan is that despite having a powerful shot, he’s only scored one goal in L1 ever (and one for the U21s). In almost every game, he comes close, but either it just goes wide or the goalkeeper makes the save of the century. The last time he scored was in 2004!

“Oops, didn’t mean to clip you, but you’re in my way.”

In fact, his strong and steady displays, his simple but effective distribution, and his exceptional positional sense for Lyon and for France have prompted comparisons to both Deschamps and Makelele. While the tendency of the French to name any burgeoning talent as the “the new _____” can get annoying after awhile, in Toulalan’s case, it’s rather apt. When asked about how he feels about being compared to Deschamps and Makelele, he said:

“That’s pleasing to hear and if I win half as much as Deschamps won in his career I’ll be doing well. I’ve got time on my side but I want to be playing regularly for France as soon as possible. All I can do is play well for Lyon and hope that the rewards follow.”

And there have been plenty of rewards.

Toulalan graduated from the youth ranks and debuted in 2001 for Nantes, the incumbent L1 title winners (the last club to win before Lyon took over). That year also saw him debut in the Champions League against Bayern Munich. He would remain with Nantes for five seasons, and while there, he would be voted France’s best young player in 2005.

Lyon had actually approached Nantes that spring with an offer close to €10m, but Nantes refused because they wanted to keep their best player. Unfortunately for them, the following year saw them close to debt, and they had no choice but to sell Toulalan, this time for €7.5m.

TOU-LA-LA!!!

Toulalan’s arrival confirmed Mahamadou Diarra’s departure, but the club was unconvinced that Toulalan would be enough. Despite his stellar displays with France’s U21 team (he was the captain and was named on UEFA’s Team of the Tournament), Lyon recruited another defensive midfielder, Alou Diarra.

Everyone thought that the new Diarra would be the starter – after all, he got to play in the World Cup final! But Toulalan slotted in immediately and seamlessly, and his impact was so positive that Diarra featured only sporadically throughout the season – a situation which led to several bust ups between Diarra and Gerard Houllier, which eventually resulted in Houllier publicly saying that he preferred Toulalan. Ouch.

His progress caught the notice of Raymond Domenech, and pretty soon Toulalan began receiving regular call ups to the France NT, and what’s more, he’s been getting regular playing time. He’s pushed Rio Antonio Mavuba, Alou Diarra, Lassana Diarra, and Abou Diaby out of the pecking order and is the mostly likely player to start in Euro 2008 in the event that Makelele retires.

Playing with the big boys.

But though he’s frequently singled out for praise by the press, Toulalan insists his teammates deserve much of the credit for his smooth transition. He says,

“Obviously it’s far easier when you play in a team that is full of quality players. I just focus on my own role, then when I get the ball, it’s a matter of playing a short pass to a team-mate.”

He’s a modest and humble player, and despite his rather physical approach to the game, he’s a shy person who doesn’t talk much. Still, he’s been trying to speak out more often, something that caught Alain Perrin’s eye. Toulalan was even considered for the captaincy when Juninho stepped down. However, Toulalan has gotten the armband on quite a few occasions when Juni and Govou have been substituted, so it’s been doing wonders for his confidence.

So far this season, he’s been one of Lyon’s most consistent players and is part of Lyon’s future. He’s certainly laid to rest the theory that every successful French team needs an African DM. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him be awarded with the captaincy in the next two or three years – should he stay that long. Let’s hope he does.

Watch a rare goal by Toulalan (at the 1:00 min mark).

Interesting facts:

* He’s not a football fan. He readily admits to not following any other teams, even as a boy, though he did have a poster of Romario in his room.

* When he has free time, he likes to take long walks and spend time with his wife Aurelie and his young baby daughter.

* His best friend is PSG goalkeeper Mickael Landreau, his former teammate at Nantes.

* Toulalan has been accused by both Jeremy Berthod and Landreau for being one of the worst dressed players.

* After his Lyon debut (against Nantes, ironically), Toulalan gifted Aulas with his jersey. After his France debut (against the Faroe Islands), Toulalan saved his jersey for his father.

* He’s only 24 but has already started graying around his temples.

Other profiles: Hatem Ben Arfa, Fred, Cris, Kim Kallstrom

In honor of this occasion, I thought I would take this opportunity to do a profile on Cristiano Marques Gomes, otherwise known as Cris.

He began his career at Corinthians, going next to Cruzeiro, which was broken up by a brief stint at Bayer Leverkusen. He came to Lyon in 2004 and has won three titles with the club so far. He has 22 caps (and 1 goal) with Brazil, and also won the Copa America with them.

He’s known as “The Police Officer” because of his absolute authority in Lyon’s back line and the strict way he marshals Lyon’s defenses. It’s not an exaggeration to say that he is the most feared player in L1. A hothead, he’s the closest thing Lyon has to a badass and sometimes gets into scuffles with the opposition if he feels one of his teammates were unfairly fouled. With Sebastien Squillaci, Cris forms the most effective CB pairing in France and one of the best in Europe.

He’s an aggressive defender but is also a goalscorer, unafraid to help out in the attack if necessary. He’s scored some valuable goals at crucial moments for Lyon – he’s particularly good with headers.

Unlike most other Lyon players, Cris may end up staying at the club for the rest of his career. Like Juninho, he has been subject to more lucrative offers but has so far preferred personal happiness to material wealth and recognition. Last year he was heavily courted by AC Milan, and just one month ago, he was subjected to a very big offer from Juventus, who offered a hefty increase to his salary and a starting spot. Instead, Cris extended his Lyon contract until 2011.

Thanks to Sidney Govou and his big mouth, Juninho turned down next year’s captaincy for the sake of team harmony. So after a few weeks of consideration, Alain Perrin has decided to award Cris the armband.

So perhaps his captaincy is partially a reward for his fidelity and in recognition for all he’s done for Lyon.

He’s not calm and soothing like Juninho, and he’s more apt to inflame tempers than to soothe them. But he’s a warrior and has a lot of fighting spirit, and maybe that’s just what Lyon needs to wake the players up from mediocrity. He can also be relied upon his sense of humor, is quick to take new recruits under his wing, and is a cheerful presence in the locker room.

Who’s the boss?

Cris follows the tradition of Brazilian leadership at Lyon. The previous three named captains were Sonny Anderson, Claudio Cacapa, and Juninho (though Sidney Govou held the armband temporarily under Paul le Guen).

Here is an interesting interview of Cris, taken just before the game against Reading. In it, he talks about why he chose to remain at Lyon, his faith in Fred’s abilities, his relationship with Juninho, and his wish that the club recruit Willian using his soon to be vacated non-EU spot.

Interesting facts:

* His first stint in Europe with Bayer Leverkusen was a failure, and he returned to Cruzeiro afterwards.

* Cris prefers to play in the right position in central defense, which is the spot he occupied when partnered with Claudio Cacapa (whom Cris adores as a brother). But in order to accommodate Squillaci, former OL manager Gerard Houllier forced Cris to move to the left, which caused lingering tensions between coach and player.

* His wife, Tatiane, already has a blog post dedicated to her.

* During Lyon’s search for a successor to Edmilson, Lyon were contemplating Phillipe Mexes. But Bernard Lacombe, convinced he had found a “pearl” in Brazil, persuaded Paul Le Guen to take Cris instead.

* Right before he signed for Lyon, he got into a fight during Cruziero’s game against Atletico Mineiro (see the video below). He was suspended for six months, but after extensive pleading from Lyon, the Brazilian Football Federation decided to keep his suspension from applying overseas.

*During a France-Brazil match in 2004, the physical duel between him and Thierry Henry gave Cris the reputation of a tough, rigid defender.

* Out of all the opponents in all the teams he has ever come across, Cris considers Emmanuel Adebayor (when at Monaco) to be the only player who gave him serious problems.

FIGHT!!!

Cris scores against Lens.

Kallstrom is your typical Swede (shame on me for generalizing): big, strong, blond, and possessing a powerful shot (he once gave NT teammate Andreas Isaksson a concussion). He reminds me of a farmboy (or pornstar – see the picture on the left), but then I remember he drives a Jaguar XKR. His nickname is Kongo Kim, which he earned due to his physique – though I will affectionately refer to him as Kimmy on occasion.

He has a lot of GREAT qualities. Kallstrom is an excellent tackler, tactically intelligent, strong, and has a cultured left foot that consistently produces good crosses. He has a talent with free kicks (he often takes them for Sweden) and is very composed with penalties (he also takes these for Sweden), though at Lyon, those duties go to Juninho.

Kallstrom’s other main quality is his versatility. Not only can he play anywhere in midfield, but he can play “in the hole” off two strikers, and he’s recently showed so much promise at LW that Aulas stated that Lyon would not look for Florent Malouda’s replacement.

His weakness is his lack of pace. He’s not particularly fast, which is why I don’t think he would do well in the EPL. In a more technical league, such as in France or in Spain (I think he would be a great addition to Valencia or Sevilla, should he ever decide to leave France), his slower speed would be compensated by his other qualities.

He’s not a regular scorer for the Swedish NT, and his tally at Lyon so far is lower than it was at his previous clubs (he had an excellent scoring pedigree at Rennes and at Djurgårdens IF), but the goals he scored this year were absolutely beautiful, and along with providing several assists, he’s proved to be an influential player when allowed. In fact, Lyon purchased Kallstrom with one eye on the future. He may never become as instrumental as Juninho is, but with the power of Number 10s dying away as the game modernizes, Kallstrom can certainly evolve into a playmaker’s role.

Kallstrom could eventually replace Juninho

At Rennes, he was an unquestionable starter and one of their star players, but upon moving to Lyon, he was barred by Tiago and Juninho in the pecking order, though as a Houllier favorite, he played the most number of games this past season and clocked in a lot of playing time.

Yet despite being on the bench, he’s very professional in his attitude (Alou Diarra, you could learn from him), gets along with all his teammates, and thanks to his English speaking skills, his BFF is Milan Baros. But his relation with frienemy Zlatan is still bit tender from this incident.

Kallstrom is a key player in Lagerback’s plans for Sweden.

It hurts me to say this, but Kallstrom’s position is an awkward one. He is (to my mind) too talented to be a bench player at Lyon, but I doubt he would start at any of the bigger clubs. In a smaller club, certainly, but I don’t see Kallstrom giving up the Champions League to hang out with UEFA Cup contenders. He’s shown no desire to leave Lyon either, despite interest from Sevilla and Tottenham. Lyon of course won’t give up Kallstrom without a fight, and if they do sell him, they won’t sell him cheaply.

Some Kallstrom clips:

Kallstrom being cheeky with a Lille player.

His first ever goal in the Champions League.

He scores from a free kick against Iceland.

My favorite Kallstrom goal, against Nancy.

Fred is an exceptional talent and was worth every cent of the 15 million euros Lyon spent in bringing him from Brazil. As strikers go, his conversion rate is phenomenal – one goal every 96 minutes. He’s tall, strong, fast, and able to use his head. What more could you ask for in a striker?

Besides maturity, that is. But more on that later.

Despite being injured and/or suspended nearly five months this season, Fred managed to score 14 goals for Lyon. If he had stayed healthy/calm, he probably would have broken the 20+ barrier. Fred is also establishing himself on his national team, no easy feat when you consider his competition (Ronaldo and Adriano).

He holds the record for the fastest goal scored in Brazilian history, at 3.17 seconds (here), and he’s remembered for his unique goal celebration during last year’s CL match against PSV, when he celebrated the birth of his daughter (here). He’s also the guy who lost to Kaka quite spectacularly at PlayStation (here).

A short Fred Compilation

Fred would be the perfect player….but the problem is that while he has the footballing feet of a future star, he has the footballing brain of a young child. I mean, he’s only three months older than I am, and yet he reminds me of my six-year old cousin sometimes (and I’m 23).

He can be sooo frustrating.

To elaborate, the second half of this season is a perfect example of what happens when Fred goes wrong. For those of you who don’t keep up with his daily crises, he fell onto thin ice with Lyon management after throwing a temper tantrum over the arrival of Milan Baros. Everyone thought it was odd because Baros was just replacing John Carew, so it wasn’t like the number of strikers changed, but he apparently felt threatened by Houllier’s love affair for Baros and was worried that he was no longer Number One.

Soon after, during Lyon’s Dark Period (January – March), he let his family problems affect him on the pitch and was at the root of the “supposed” Brazilian uprising, which caused Aulas to reprimand him publicly.

Quite possibly Fred’s worst game in an OL shirt.

Then, with his stock already on the slide, he got suspended for his next three European matches because he broke Christian Chivu’s nose during a Champions League match against Roma (here). Breaking Chivu’s nose wasn’t enough, however, because two weeks later, during the Coupe de la Ligue final against Bordeaux, Fred almost broke Franck Jurietti’s nose too (here) – though Jurietti the Jerk had it coming. And to top all that off, he showed up late for practice for a few days and was sent to the reserves as punishment by Houllier.

This all happened in the space of two months, by the way.

You would think by now, Fred would have realized that maybe it was time to do some serious ass kissing. Well, he did, and he promised to stop being irresponsible and said some other mature things that made me think, “OK. Fred Crisis is over.”

Illegally Recuperating.

But Fred’s moment of Zen lasted for ten minutes. After being injured in early May (just as he returned to the first team), Lyon’s doctors told him he had to take it easy for five weeks so that his ankle could heal properly. But with Copa America around the corner and Vagner Love threatening to take his starting spot on the NT, Fred said see ya and left Lyon without permission in order to recuperate at his old club, Cruzeiro.

His Brazilian doctors were clearly so much better because they told him he could start training after three weeks, not five (and thus be ready for Copa). This made Lyon’s doctors quite upset because if Fred’s ankle didn’t fully heal, he could injure it more seriously later.

Needless to say, his latest stunt really pissed off Aulas and especially Houllier, who when asked how Fred was doing, said, “How the hell should I know? I only pay attention to players who are at the club.”

Multiple rumors popped up about Fred’s future after that. He was so desperate to get away from Houllier that he supposedly offered himself to Roma. Thankfully, it didn’t work out, and by the time Fred cooled down, Houllier had resigned.

The arrival of new manager Alain Perrin means a fresh start for all the players, and Aulas’s assurances that Lyon will not be bringing in another striker will hopefully keep the child inside Fred chained up with iron manacles. Let’s hope that next year we see the Fred we’ve all been waiting for. Please?