Poll: Who Should Be Sacrificed?

By: Inara | December 16th, 2007

In case anyone needed official confirmation, Karim Benzema is now Lyon’s #1 striker. Of course we all knew it would happen some day, just not so soon. Kids these days. They don’t want to wait their turn.

Anyway, this creates a problem for Lyon. In an interview following the Rangers-Lyon match, His Highness Jean-Michel Aulas stated quite bluntly that Lyon would probably have to let either Fred or Milan Baros leave this winter. Since both Fred and Baros are regulars for their national teams, they can’t jeopardize their chances by hanging out on the bench, and as long as Lyon stick to a 4-3-3, the club can’t accommodate all three of them. This is especially true for Baros, for whom Euro 2008 looms around the corner.

So who should leave? The obvious answer is Baros. He hasn’t exactly impressed since Euro 2004, though he will score the odd goal when he remembers too. Whereas we’ve all seen Fred’s brilliance. On his day, he is magnificent, and last year, he averaged a goal every 96 minutes.

Fred’s most significant contribution last year.

But it’s not just a question of raw talent. Fred has been unsettled since last year and has been at odds with the management over disciplinary issues. Since last October, he’s only been fit for four whole weeks spaced throughout the year. He’s also without any confidence and looks lost on the pitch. And let’s not forget his attitude problems. I doubt he would accept Benzema’s starting place, and I worry sometimes that Fred will turn into the new Adriano.

Baros is a team player, a hard worker, a person who is humble and has a good attitude. He understands the meaning of a pecking order, and though he’ll always fight for his place, he won’t begrudge Benzema either. And to be honest, I still don’t think Baros is a bad player. Not good enough to be Lyon’s starter, but he hasn’t done poorly coming off the bench this season either. But on the other hand, Baros hasn’t exactly endeared himself to the French public or the traffic police.

Baros’s most significant contribution last year.

Both players also have a host of suitors, with Baros eliciting interest from EPL clubs while Fred is linked with moves to either Spain or Italy. As for the Lyon side of things, they will probably recruit another young talent that would be the third choice striker (hard to believe that Benzema was #3 last year!) during the January transfer window.

What do you guys think?

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