Press Conferences, Practice, and Whatnot

By: Inara | September 18th, 2007

Less than 24 hours to go before what promises to be one of the most stressful 90 minutes of my life.

I’ve already done a match overview in the last post, which you can read here.

Both team practices went well, Lionel Messi having trained quite normally (unfortunately), and Samuel Eto’o stopped by to offer his support. On the Lyon side of things, Eric Abidal came to chat with some of his former teammates, as well as Aulas, putting to rest any doubts that there was drama brewing between the pair.

BTW, Aulas made a point of saying that Lyon didn’t win the Champions League with the players that departed…god I love that man!

Still friends.

There was also a rather cute moment in which Ronaldinho surprised Juninho in the locker room. I was pleased to see that “R10″ remembered his French as he chatted with Alain Perrin and the crew of OLTV. Also, Thierry Henry offered Karim Benzema, his heir apparent, some words of encouragement.

The overall environment was almost a friendly one, which is partially true when you think of the fact that several Barcelona and Lyon players were teammates at one point or another. Still, I have no doubt that at 2:45 PM Eastern time tomorrow, friendships will be put on hold.

UEFA’s Barcelona-Lyon preview.

Alain Perrin selected Juninho to accompany him to the traditional press conference. Interestingly, both labeled Barcelona as favorites for tomorrow’s match, and like Aulas, were content to embrace the role of the underdog. Perrin was also careful to keep moderate expectations of Benzema. Here is a summary of Lyon’s press conference (read the rest here).

Is this an ideal time to play Barca?
Perrin: It is normally more of an advantage to play a Spanish team at the beginning of this competition. But their quality is always there. They are one of the favorites of the Champions League. On the other hand, for the first time, we will not be the favorites this season. It will be interesting to see the behavior of my team under these conditions.

Have you given up on first place?
Perrin: No, it’s not like that. We have collective and individual qualities. We will use them. Barca? I didn’t see many weaknesses. They always play offensively. They have talent in all four corners of the pitch. At home, we know that Barca will be powerful. It is difficult to say what will happen against their team. There will be no desire to stay back. A match, it is about balance. To defend well by using our offensive weapons. The key will be knowing how to attack well without being countered.

Benzema?
Perrin: His success is recent. He hasn’t had the time to experiences the disadvantages of the attention. We will see what he will do in the Champions League. He will learn a little more. I think that he is armed to play this sort of game.

Does the OL have a little less to lose than Barca?
Perrin: You know the importance of home matches. Barca will have more pressure. It’s up to us to play to cause a shock. I want my players to go out, defend well, attack on the break and, above all, not give the ball away cheaply.

Comment on the beginning of Barca’s season?
Juninho: I think their championship began late again. Their team is thus not at 100%. But Barca remains Barca. It is always necessary to be careful.

Is this an advantage for the OL?
Juninho: Perhaps physically. But here, it will be very difficult. At home, this team has the pressure of their supporters. It won 3-1 in their domestic championship. It is always complicated at the Nou Camp. Barca will be ready to beat us.

Is Lyon a team in transition?
Juninho: Of course we are a team in transition because many important players left. But we will see our true value at the end of the season. We have lost important players in the past. It is necessary to try to continuing playing well and to take risks. There are players who began the season very well, like Hatem, Karim, Kim…”

Is it an advantage coming against players that you know?
Juninho: I don’t think so. It is the same for them. They are great players, experienced. They wear a famous jersey because they deserve it. And we know Abidal. His qualities are known. We will try to benefit from his weaknesses.”

As for Barcelona, Frank Rijkaard brought along Abidal to answer questions. You can read what Rijkaard had to say here. As for Abidal, he was very diplomatic, I’ll give him that. What follows are some excerpts from him, as well as from Lilian Thuram and Yaya Toure (read here, here, and here).

Benzema?
Abidal: When I was at Lyon, Benzema had already demonstrated his great qualities when he was called upon to play when Fred was injured. He demonstrated that he was good, and I see him as a very mature player.

Going from Lille to Lyon, you discovered a bigger club. Is Barcelona even bigger?
Abidal: I do not know if I can that Barcelona is bigger. In any case, in terms of their trophy list, it is bigger. The rest of the season will tell me which is bigger, Barcelona or Lyon.

Do you think that this is the best time to play Lyon?
Abidal: There is never a good moment to play Lyon. A match lasts an hour and a half, and if the two teams are in full form, it will surely be an enthralling match. Now, perhaps one of the two teams will be less better on Wednesday, so the other will have the opportunity of making a good match.

As of Wednesday, you will have your first meeting. Did you expect to find your ex-teammates so quickly?
Abidal: No, I didn’t wish it. But it was decided otherwise. The drawing was made. It will be be necessary to play on our premises and then at the Gerland.

Will you give advice about Lyon to your new coach before this match?
Abidal: Yes, definitely.

……………….

Toure: I believe that it’ll be a very even match. But we have the desire to show that we’re ready for Europe’s top competition. [Lyon] is a team diminished a bit by the exit of some important players, like Thiago for example. Nonetheless, I believe that they remain a very good side, and I think it’ll be a very difficult match. I know about all the players, even those that they’ve signed recently, and believe that they have a collective force that you just cannot underestimate. It’s strange. I’ve only just arrived at Barca and already I’m about to face France’s top team again. It’ll be an enjoyable occasion.

Thuram: Lyon have a lot of faith in themselves as they are always at the top of the table. Their players have had several years of success and that has maintained the confidence that they have and they have learned to fear nobody. I think that they will be coming here looking to earn a good result. It is difficult to talk about this year because players such as Abidal, Malouda and Tiago have left. So analyzing their game is hard, but I think that they have a very interesting team, especially in attack with the youngsters. For example, Benzema is a player that I know very well in fact as with the French national team. I think that he is a very good player and can be very dangerous. Govou is also a great player for the French team. Then there is Juninho behind them who is deadly at set pieces.