Comments on: Rebuilding Lyon’s Formula 1 Car: 2007-2008 Season Preview

By: Matchday 2: Winners and Messrs - Group Stages - The Offside - Champions League Football Blog

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 19:52:56 +0000

[...] 2? Mr. Aulas changing driver won’t do a trick for you. You need to bring new engine for your formula one car. Actually Liverpool also come into the same category. Rafa enough tinkering [...]

By: Inara

Inara — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 21:14:26 +0000

I was really impressed with Pouplin last year during OL’s loss to Rennes. He was the best player on the pitch on both teams. But I don’t see Rennes wanting to give him up as they are actively pursuing a UEFA spot this year.

Rumor has it that Itandje is close to sighing with OL. Grrrr…..I don’t want him at OL.

By: Shazback

Shazback — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 19:56:10 +0000

Lyon should try to lure someone like Lloris or Pouplin to “Rhoneside”… not Itandje. Lyon can still buy Pouplinm for instance, and then agree with Rennes that once Coupet is fit (say, 3 months), then Pouplin will recieve a season-long loan back to Rennes… Like that Pouplin fills in, gets more experience at Rennes (2nd best french defence last year), and comes next season to Lyon, allowing Coupet to see a retirement date.

My preds :
Top Scorer: Fred
Most Assists: Kallstrom
Expected domestic standing: 1st.(14 points in front of 2nd)
Expected European standing: 1st knockout round
Additional silverware: Peace Cup, Trophee des chapions
Player to watch out for: Clerc
Player expected to improve the most: Clerc
Player who will impress the most: Kallstrom

By: Jo

Jo — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 07:47:22 +0000

O. Lyon / AS Roma, the revenge, for CL final in 2009. What do you think about that ?
Concerning Itandje, Inara, you are right, and I knew you were going to answer that. But don’t forget Itandje has refused a lot of very good propositions in England and Seville, past months. He says he wanna stay in France.

Suspens…

By: chris

chris — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 01:47:44 +0000

If Lyon makes wins the CL final in Rome in 2009 and I have to write a love sonnet about JMA I’m going to be pissed.

(And everyone knows Roma is destined for the 2009 final. They made in ‘83 when it was at the Olimpico, and Roma is tied by blood to the city. I fully expect watching Roma next year to be almost a supernatural experience.)

By: Inara

Inara — Sat, 04 Aug 2007 20:58:35 +0000

Jo: Ordinarily I would agree, but Itandje is in talks with Espanyol and with Aston Villa. It depends what spots those clubs offer.

The problem at Lyon is they only need someone for six months or so (like how Barthez went to Nantes temporarily). Itandje is looking for something more long term.

Adam: I agree 100%, and so do most OL fans. Lyon have actually won six titles on the trot, and for many, it’s become quite boring. I’m kind of disappointed in that this season, the club didn’t really prepare for the CL because while they brought in quality replacements, they aren’t as seasoned as the departed players.

Part of that is due to the fact that they can’t bring in those big players yet. Also, I think the club is trying to restructure itself with a new manager and new long term plan, so despite what Aulas says, the CL may have been placed on the backburner.

I don’t expect Lyon to pass the quarterfinals this year, but if they can keep most of their players together next year, I think the following year (2009), they will have a good chance at winning it.

By: Adam

Adam — Sat, 04 Aug 2007 20:28:37 +0000

Hey Inara, this is Adam from CL blog. In my personal opinion driver of the car should seriously consider for European ambitions. You guys have already won domestic titles for 5 times in a row. What do u think about CL being given the highest priority this season?

By: Jo

Jo — Sat, 04 Aug 2007 20:08:02 +0000

About Itandje, Inara, I don’t know if he will come at Gerland but if you were him, what would you do ?
Staying number 3 (or 4 !) in a good club (Lens), or going number 2 in the actual best club in France (Lyon), with higher wages ? Even knowing you will be number 3 when the number will come back… I think the answer is a bit simple.

By: Inara

Inara — Sat, 04 Aug 2007 07:12:02 +0000

You’re pretty much echoing my thoughts on the two. As I said, Nasri is just a better overall player at the moment because he’s combining his talent with discipline and intelligence. So even though Ben Arfa might have more potential than him, Nasri is just more effective. I think he’ll break L1’s transfer record next summer.

Downloadable L1 games are pretty rare, even for the bigger teams. And in both OL/OM league games this past year, Nasri didn’t play that well and Ben Arfa didn’t play at all. Hopefully we’ll see them this season though – they both should be on the pitch, and Setanta will be broadcasting the big matches.

Why does Serie A start so late? They ended at about the same time as the other leagues (except Spain, which ended like a month later). Or do you guys just have a lot of Wednesday matches?

By: chris

chris — Sat, 04 Aug 2007 06:15:58 +0000

I’ve seen Ben Arfa play quite a few times actually and I don’t doubt he is uber-talented. But I’m also factoring in vision, decision making, ability to read the game and act accordingly, etc. I don’t think Nasri is at Zizou’s maestro level yet, but I believe he will get there. He has that je ne sais quoi that Ben Arfa just seems to lack, and maybe it is discipline and study. Samir sees holes and seams that just aren’t there. I guess that’s my biggest deciding factor when it comes to “who’s the best.” There are a few more naturally talented, but I firmly believe Nasri will be the best player in the world. Period.

We have a system we’ve used to determine athletic movements based on hip rotation and how the body works off of it. It’s an amazing system, although slightly subjective, and seems to work extremely well in determining strict athletic potential. If you have any lengthy vids of Ben Arfa I’d love to see them and do a comparison someday. Or if you know how to get old Lyon/l’OM games to download?

Serie A starts Aug 26th.