CL Preview: Lyon vs. The Greatest Cypriot Team EVER

By: Inara | February 13th, 2012

I’m told they prefer to go by ΑΠΟΕΛ and not TGCTE. But you can just call them APOEL.

Before I jump into the match preview…HEY GUYS! Sorry to have dropped off the face of the ~~earth~~ internet, but grad school was taking up all my time, and I had to cut out all distractions so I could finish my dissertation. Now that I have, I’m back to my bad habits of spending way too much doing nothing (which is the best way to spend time). I also want to give a special shout out to Megame and Nikhil, who have kept things going so well during my absence.

Lyon vs. APOEL

Smells like team spirit

Tuesday, February 13, 2012
Stade de Gerland, Lyon
2:45 PM ET (20:45 CET, 19:45 GMT)

A History Lesson

Do you remember the days when other clubs were scared of Lyon? It wasn’t for very long, but there was a brief period in time when Lyon was considered more than a match for any of the other big clubs. I think I still have an article bookmarked somewhere that quotes Lionel Messi saying that he doesn’t want Barca to face Lyon in the knockout rounds.

That was back during the 2006/2007 season. And when it turned out that Roma were going to be Lyon’s opponents, everyone – and by everyone, I mean everyone except Francesco Totti – brushed it off as an easy win for the French. After all, they had Juninho, Florent Malouda, Eric Abidal, Tiago, and a Cris who not yet 30. Jeremy Toulalan had exploded in midfield (I still miss him!), and while Lyon had no fancy big name striker, they were still deadly in front of the net.

It was Lyon’s time. The players were ready, the club was ready, the fans were ready, and well, Aulas was born ready. After spending the last few years on the verge of greatness, it was seemingly within Lyon’s grasp. All they had to do was reach out and grasp it. Except they didn’t. Obviously. Instead, the ego of Italian football fans grew exponentially (though I still maintain that Lyon played really poorly and Roma really awesomely). For me, this was the game that started Lyon’s fall from the top. They would still go on to win domestic titles (including the double in 2008), but that sparkle was gone.

As other defeats followed in later years, people would blame it on the fact that Lyon are cursed in the Champions League, that they don’t know how to go for the kill and finish a game, that they don’t have a winner’s mentality, that Aulas pushed too hard, that the managers didn’t push hard enough, that Bernard Tapie has a voodoo doll called Lyonnais, or that the players ought to be playing indoor soccer in a local rec league instead.

Aulas has tried to fix the problem in various ways. He’s poured so much money into OL that even a Russian billionaire would be embarrassed. And every year, at about this time in mid-February, we fans ask ourselves, “Is it finally the year?”

Probably not. But I’m a blind, illogical fan who loves her football club more than I do most living people, so my answer is “HELL YEAH BITCH!”

Match Background

Truth be told, I don’t know much about APOEL besides what I’ve read in other match previews. A quick glance at their domestic table reveals that they are in 2nd place with 43 points. With thirteen wins, four losses, and three draws, they’ve scored 31 goals while conceding 9. Granted, it’s the Cypriot League, but what it tells us is they like getting goals a lot more than they like giving them away, and they score 75% of their goals in the second half. Their top scorers in the league are midfielder Constandinos Charalambides and Argentine striker Esteban Solari, each with 7 goals. They’ve only won four out of their last eight games. In Europe, they’ve been slightly more impressive. They beat out Zenit, Porto, and Shakhtar to top their group, with two wins, three draws, and one loss, scoring 6 goals and conceding 6. Their top scorer for the group stage is Aílton (who looks a little bit like Ederson but not as cute), who has scored 3.

While they are just a little team from a little league in a little country, they seem to enjoy kicking the asses of supposedly stronger teams, and Lyon is just as likely a target as any. APOEL made is this far – further than anyone could ever have dreamed – and they got the best draw possible. Lyon is among the weaker teams in the knockout rounds, and they know it. They aren’t coming to the Gerland to lose. They also have the advantage of knowing more about Lyon than Lyon do about them, and after watching Caen walk away with three points over the weekend, they’re going to want the same.

France Soccer Champions League

Aulas found him on the bargain rack in Lyon’s basement.

On the Lyon side of things, the situation is different than in previous years. In his first year as coach, Remi Garde is doing a fantastic job as he revitalizes a team that’s been stepped in ennui. He’s hit road bumps along the way, but for the most part, Lyon’s looked lively and awake. Better yet, his players actually like him. It’s nice to see a team that isn’t passively aggressively hating on their coach. It also helps that Garde isn’t an outsider. He’s been with the club longer than any of the players, has trained and recruited several of them, and probably went out for beer with them on the weekends. He isn’t bringing in a whole new system or way of doing things. He’s changing things around, slowly but surely, but he isn’t rushing a la Claude Puel or do things too slowly, like Alain Perrin. People will often say (sometimes mockingly) that Garde is a poor man’s Guardiola. But that’s okay with me. Just because I can’t shop at Neiman Marcus doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with Macy’s.

So let’s look at the numbers. Things look a little bit grim at first, second, and third glance. People used to complain all the time that Ligue 1 was a one team race, and now there’s too many to keep track of. With 39 points, OL are hanging onto 4th place, with twelve wins, three losses, and eight draws. They’ve scored 37 goals but have conceded 27. Bafetimbi Gomis has scored nine league goals while Lisandro has scored seven. Lyon are eleven points behind league leaders PSG and ten points behind Montpellier. Marseille is just behind Lyon, but they have an extra game in hand. Barring a drastic slump in form for PSG, it looks like the real race is going to be for third place, the last Champions League berth. Lyon, Lille, and Marseille look to be the top contenders for that spot. Things are going to get very interesting now that Lille is finally showing some ambition (as opposed to being Lyon’s satellite club).

In Europe, Lyon’s performance in the group stages was more embarrassing than anything else. I can honestly say that this was their worst ever group stage campaign since 2002. They ended up in second place, having won two games, lost two games, and drawn two games, with nine goals scored and seven conceded. Five of those goals came from Bafetimbi Gomis. It doesn’t sound so bad until you realize that seven of those nine were scored in a single game. Which means that they only scored two goals in their other five games. It kills me to say it, but the ONLY reason that Lyon qualified this year was because of the merits and failings of their fellow group members. Lyon themselves almost had nothing to do with it. But because Real Madrid kicked everyone’s ass, because Dinamo Zagreb sucked, and because Ajax had the worst luck EVER (really really bad luck), Lyon qualified. Not that I want to take away from their crazy 7-1 win over Zagreb. Which, FYI, was not a fixed match.

This is why it’s really hard to predict just what’s going to happen tomorrow. APOEL could do a lot of damage. Caen wasn’t even trying to win last weekend, and somehow they did on Lyon’s home soil. Naturally, APOEL will want more. It also doesn’t help that Lyon periodically lose concentration midway through the game, as if the players forget for a moment they’re playing football. If their attention wanders for even a second, APOEL will be waiting to punish them. That being said, if Lyon play with the same fire and spirit as they did against Zagreb (in the second half. I think they were sleeping in the first), it’s possible they may even qualify for the quarter-finals tomorrow. It’s a long shot, but you never really know with Lyon.

Team News:

Only Dejan Lovren is out injured, which is unfortunate because he was really stepping up this season and looking to be the future of Lyon’s back four. Sidy Kone and John Mensah are currently playing in the African Cup of Nations for Mali and Ghana, respectively.

Le groupe lyonnais: Lloris, Vercoutre – Dabo, Réveillère, Cissokho, Umtiti, B.Koné, Cris – Fofana, Gonalons, Källström, Grenier, Gourcuff, Pied, Bastos, Ederson – Lacazette, Briand, Lisandro, B.Gomis

There is a lot of youth in tomorrow’s group, but Alexander Lacazette, Samuel Umtiti, Guida Fofana, and Clement Grenier have especially shined this season. Maxime Gonalons is now a permanent starter and has played in more games than his older and more experienced midfield partners.

I tried to find APOEL’s list of players, but after half an hour of searching through Greek sports websites, I gave up. I can’t read Greek, plus let’s be real – it’s not like I even know who the players are anyway.

Expected Lineup:

Garde has tinkered with Lyon’s old 4-3-3 for a 4-2-3-1 or less frequently, a 4-4-2. I think we can expect to see something like this:

Lloris
Reveillere – Kone – Umtiti – Cissokho
Gonalons – Kallstrom
Briand – Lisandro – Bastos
Gomis

It’s a little weird seeing Cris on the bench when he’s been such a permanent fixture of the team, but Samuel Umtiti has done pretty well, especially considering that he was nobody on the youth team last season. He’s started seven of the last eight games, so he looks to be a good bet to start, at least until Dejan Lovren gets back. In midfield, I expect Maxime Gonalons and Kim Kallstrom to start. Yoann Gourcuff looked like he was showing flashes of awesomeness against Bordeaux, but I don’t know if it was enough for him to start tomorrow.

Up front, I think the attacking four look to be it, unless for whatever reason Garde wants to start Alexander Lacazette instead. But I think we’ll see him as a second half sub instead.

Viewing Options:

So…given my year long hiatus from watching football, I’ve come back to discover all of my favorite streaming sites are shutdown. If you guys know any links, discreetly let me know. If you’re one of the five people who have Fox Soccer Plus, you’re in luck because they’re broadcasting the match live. You can also chuck out $10 and watch the game on UEFA.com.

If you’d rather skip out on the streaming drama altogether, you can follow along via matchtracker. Both Football365.fr and Lequipe.fr will have good ones – though be warned, it’s all in French.

If you’re into twitter and want minute by minute updates, you can follow @LyonOffside for news and my somewhat more colorful reactions.

Expected Result:

I’m thinking it will be a 2-1 Lyon victory. I don’t think Lyon can keep a clean sheet, but I do think we have better attacking options.

Some Related Lyon Posts:

Champions League Course Charted, Lets Skip to Montpellier Soufflé

« Revenge – Best Served Cold. | Home | News Round Up »

Ronald

came back to see the thoughts and comments and then i saw it.........OMG Welcome Back Inara, ive missed you so * single tear * lol.

Glad we were able to score ( APOEL were content on soaking up pressure cause they had so many people back ) and keep a clean sheet ( which seems like a miracle these days ).

Still worried about the return leg, cause we're gonna need to score some goals ( although im sure there will be more spaces opening cause APOEL are going to be more aggressive in the next game ). Hopefully Cris continues playing like he did today, it was fantastic.

P.S. Lacazette, start him, always :)
Inara47

I missed you too! My favorite part of writing on the blog is getting to interact with all the other fans. I was so lonely during my self-imposed exile - I had no one to rant to about OL!
Russ

Well we scored a deflected goal, showed very little endeavor, sat back and defended at 1-0 and if we were playing a team of real quality we would have been punished. I cant defend this team anymore. I'm sure tonights performance will be good enough to advance, but we dont have a shot in hell vs a real CL team. Why are you guys settling for performances like this???? Dare I say Puel would have been braver in his tactics.
lefutur

actually we usually play up for better teams and play down against weaker opponents so i would say we have a shot against anyone except maybe barca
Nikhil Apte

If we don't have a shot in hell versus a real CL team, let us please cross the pitch when we reach it!
sdzsdz

im all for this but wasn't there supposed to be 3 minutes of extra time? they only played 1 and a half, and how about the first half which finished in the 44th minute?
anyways, we played well to get that first goal. ederson was much more effective than gourcuff by the way, with his runs. even though he was too ambitious at times.
also, licha played poorly. his form needs to improve.
Nikhil Apte

They did finish the 3 minutes! Well, 2 minutes 57 seconds or so, which was fine and fair. Didn't look at the first half end.
Agree about Ederson. I'm also a bit surprised things happened smoothly without involvement of Gomis!

Cris did pretty well too, and so did Kone. Decent match overall.
Megame

Actually there's been 3-4 mins of extra time.
sdzsdz

ah, my mistake
Carvivlie

Good result. Not great, but good. Relief!!!
lefutur

Not exactly easy but the end result is all that matters.
Megame

Yay game over 1-0.
Nikhil Apte

Whew!

Half done is well begun!
Megame

The first Apoel shot came after 88 minutes. A world record I believe.
Nikhil Apte

Surely a record for this defence I should think!
Carvivlie

ay ay ay--no away goals!!
Megame

Hugo was there when he needed to be.
Nikhil Apte

First Apoel shot came in the 88th minute!
sdzsdz

looks like we're playing for the 1-0.
Nikhil Apte

Apoel backline has receded and there's more space in the last third of the pitch for Lyon. Need to use it well!
Inara47

That would be the worst mistake ever. Apoel only have to score one, which puts them ahead on away goals when they face us again on their own home soil.
lefutur

Gourcuff on for Eder
sdzsdz

ederson should've had that...
Nikhil Apte

How close was that! Ederson's attempted header. Argh.
Inara47

Hopefully now the goals will be flowing for Lyon
Nikhil Apte

Lacazette taken off instantly for Briand.
Carvivlie

Wow I totally missed that
lefutur

"thanks for the goal now sit your ass down"
Carvivlie

wish Gourcuff would come in
lefutur

done.
Inara47

WOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
Carvivlie

Ah Michel should have gone for the wide shot
Carvivlie

YES! Finalmente!!!
Nikhil Apte

GOALAAASOOOO!!!!!
lefutur

LACAZETTE!!!!
lefutur

Gourcuff and Gomis warming up.
Nikhil Apte

Helio Pinto misses next match after yellow card following tackle on Lisandro!
lefutur

aye aye aye!
Carvivlie

2nd Half--let's see if we have changed anything
Nikhil Apte

Lady Gaga playing at the Gerland. :-|
Russ

Sorry guys but these are disgraceful tactics by Garde. We are at home, in the CL, vs a team from Cyprus, and we're playing 1 forward up top????? It's a disgrace!!!! Seriously!!!! It's so obvious that we do have the quality to brush aside APOEL with ease if we actually played with an attacking system. Just terrible.
muffin

This game could've easily ended 3-0 for Lyon, there were a lot of attacking intentions throughout the game. 63% possession for Lyon, 19 shots, and only 1 conceded. APOEL got destroyed in this one, I wouldn't complain on Remi Garde's tactics at all for this game. I have more complaints to why we're not playing these kind of games in Ligue 1? With tonight's kind of play and attitude, we'd surely be steam rolling over teams like Caen and Valenciennes.
Garde must be able to motivate his players for Ligue 1 too but he seems to fail at it at times. We only truly show our potential in CL and cup games.
Megame

Russ the key here is more to avoid conceding a goal (that would count double for Apoel, should there be a draw) than scoring. Obviously in Nicosie that will be the opposite.
But here, Garde told them to be careful. Time and time again have OL all gone to the front, with clear attacking intentions, but the back line goes too high and then leaves big spaces unprotected which pacy opponents can use to come and score
Aleksander

Playing with 2 strikers isn't necessarily more offensive than playing with one striker, as other players will have to be more defensive in a system with 2 strikers...
Nikhil Apte

At half time, Lyon has had 63% possession to Apoel's 37%.
13 attempts at scoring to 0 for Apoel.

And Ederson has done the most running in the game after Helio Pinto of the opposition.
lefutur

Garde has been pretty good at adjusting his tactics during the course of the game so I expects some changes in the second half. Its not like Lyon havent had any opportunities to score though.
lefutur

Sorry, I meant to reply to Russ.
sdzsdz

what the hell, half time was called before the regular 45 minutes was even up... and when apoel had a pretty good free kick spot.
ref's been good to us i guess. very strange though.
also, edersons playing good football but he's booting it too much, and all over the place. he needs to pass more. and poor licha's working hard but the forms just not there.
hopefully we can break this defence in the second half, and not concede on counter cuz apoel had an alright counter chance this half already.
lefutur

So 0 shots on target for the Cypriots but the scoreboard doesnt care. We are even with them at the half.
Inara47

Lyon have had 13 shots to APOEL's 0. If Lyon don't get their shit together, I'll be really pissed
Nikhil Apte

Everytime Lyon approaches from the wings, Apoel has 8 defenders in neat formation. Only when Lyon attacks through the middle is there a scrambled egg on the pitch.
Carvivlie

I think at some point we are going to have to sacrifice Gonalon or Kallstrom and put in Gourcuff or Grenier to exploit it.
lefutur

i'd actually like to see Gourcuff come on for Kallstrom. He can play that DM/CM role pretty well.
Nikhil Apte

Yeah, me too. Need more creativity in the midfield. Cissokho needs to do more overlapping runs too.

And get Lisandro into the game!
I wouldn't mind if they sent Ederson to Kallstrom's role, Lisandro to Ederson's role, and Gomis on for Kallstrom. :P
lefutur

not watching the game but listening to the commentary on RMC and Corbis is saying that Garde needs to bring on Gomis in a 4-4-2 because Ederson isnt cutting it.

agree or disagree?
Inara47

How was Lacazette been? I can't even listen to the commentary, so I'm following on a match tracker
Nikhil Apte

Ederson looks fine as of now.
Lisandro needs to do better with his balance I feel. He's nearly not been in the game other than while falling over trying to make runs while others shoot around him.
Aleksander

Ederson has been good enough, we've been creating some good chances and sooner or later we will hopefully score. If we don't then bring Gomis on early in the second half
Inara47

I'm worried that by waiting to bring on Gomis, APOEL will already have scored
Nikhil Apte

Ack! Rare mistake from Apoel defence should have been punished by Lacazette.
Carvivlie

So close!! If Ederson had been a little less selfish Alex was in!
Inara47

Just got out of a meeting and rushed to my computer. I wasn't expecting Ederson to start AT ALL, especially over Gomis and Briand.
Nikhil Apte

Ederson just messi-ed with Apoel defence! :D
Nikhil Apte

Lisandro slipped on the grass at a crucial time when the ball was in the box.

Somewhere in Lyon, a groundsman's heart skipped a beat.
Carvivlie

Glad that there Kaka isn't THE Kaka
Nikhil Apte

Team will tire itself out if game goes at this pace. This is the 6th match in 18 days, mind!
Nikhil Apte

Keep the ball, keep the ball!
Stevemck47

Good news: Lacazette is starting.
Bad News: Cris is starting.
Pierre

anyone going to be posting a live stream link?
Megame

The Cyprus supporters beat every record tonight as 4.000 of them will be in Gerland stadium...
Megame

Cris, Gomis and Kallström face the risk of a suspension as they already collected a yellow.
Megame

Garde looked for experience in defense tonight for his compo:
Lloris, Réveillère, B. Koné, Cris (cap.), A. Cissokho, Gonalons, Källström, Ederson, Bastos, Lacazette, Lisandro.
Carvivlie

Looks like we are going for pace tonight. I worry about Cris but with his experience he shouldn't be making any rash tackles and getting sent off. Should be fun!
Megame

Interesting to see this 4-2-3-1 with Eder supporting tonight's peak, Licha. Bafe will come on later in the game and will be looking at extending his amazing recent stats of 1 goal per game.
Megame

Well, as surprising as it may be, apparently, Nicozzi is not the italian star player of this team. Nor is Nick OZ the australian star player of this team. It's Nicosie, and it's the capital of this country, well, island, err.. rock. So here's a bit more on this mysterious team:
Out of the remaining teams in CL, they're last in terms of goals (6), of shots off target (10), of shots on target (17) and of corner kicks won (17). So not exactly an attacking beast.
However, they're defending like crazy (19 yellow cards, highest tally) and travel well (3 consecutive draws in Porto, Saint-Petersburg and Donetsk).
Their main strengths are said to be defense, team spirit, pressing in the opponent's half. They're patient, and like to play slowly.
And apparently, when they saw they would face Lyon, they were scared; then, their coach watched the next OL game (against Evian), and a smile came back on his face.
Megame

Wow Inara, I'm amazed! Publishing such a post just a few hours after my last minute request... Surely you didn't need more than three weeks to write your dissertation!
Carvivlie

I agree about Cris starting from the bench seems weird but I must admit, I feel safer in defense with him there.
lefutur

I looked at the blog title and laughed. Then I saw your name and smiled. Welcome back Inara.
Inara47

I've missed you! how have you been?
lefutur

Good! Just as in love with and frustrated by nos amis les Lyonnais as ever, but like you I say bring it on. Its nice to have you back. I thought we had lost you forever. lol.
BIM

Welcome back Inara! I don't know anything about Apoel but I've done a little research and I found that the guy Solari you mentioned, is the younger brother of Santiago Solari, former RM and Inter! And Aílton is a megastar in Cyprus and have played for Swedish Örgryte and FC Copenhagen. And the defenders have a middleage of about 30 and are very well together. The discussions now is if they are injured or/and banned (Boaventura)? Different messages from different media.
Inara47

Hmm, so they are solid defensively. That's probably why they held out so well against the other teams in their groups, and they prefer scoring on the counter attack. I would say that this is the type of team that Lyon struggle against, except they struggle against all teams.

It really depends on Gomis. If he's "on" things will go well.
Luke99

What a Post!!! great job Inara its pleasure to have you back and special thanks to Megame and Nikhil Apte for keeping us up to date for that past months
Nikhil Apte

Great job!
Welcome back, Inara!