So the Starting XI?

By: Inara | November 5th, 2007

It’s November. We’re halfway through the Champions League group stages and over a third of the way through Le Championnat. Alain Perrin has had since June to tinker with the lineup. So he should have an idea of what he wants, right?

RIGHT?!?!

Unfortunately, Perrin’s still playing musical chairs with his players. While he’s not taking squad rotation to the level of Rafa Benitez, Perrin comes close, and though it’s months into the season, he’s rarely established the same team consecutively.

I don’t think Perrin’s even decided what formation he should have. He wants to play a 4-4-2 but fields a 4-3-3 rather reluctantly.

However, I should also point out that Lyon have been faced with an injury crises of massive proportions, with a different player getting hurt every week. But even if you take into account the injuries and suspensions, Perrin’s hesitancy is still obvious.

Some positions seem set in stone – Juninho, Sebastien Squillaci, Anderson, Sidney Govou, Remy Vercoutre, and probably Fabio Grosso.

But what about the other five spots?

Karim Benzema should be the first choice center forward, but Fred’s return has thrown that up into the air. Perrin has to play Fred – he’s a good striker, and as his coach, Perrin has to give him a chance, but unlike Kader Keita and Milan Baros, Fred will actually take it.

Because Perrin’s afraid to take more chances on a two striker system, and because Fred can’t play anywhere else except dead center, that means that Benzema may have to play on the left. And since he does it tolerably well, he won’t have much choice. But if Benzema plays on the left, that means that Hatem Ben Arfa loses his place. Which is as much of a tragedy as having Benzema play out of position.

Defensively, I think Anthony Reveillere, who’s seemingly in the best form of his life, has the nod over Francois Clerc, while Nadir Belhadj, who’s done better than Grosso the few times he’s played, will probably be benched just because Grosso won a World Cup and he didn’t. And until Cris comes back, it looks like we have no choice but to see Squillaci paired with Anderson, unless Patrick Muller somehow forces Anderson out.

Does Grosso deserve to start over Belhadj?

It’s in midfield where Perrin has the biggest dilemma. Everyone knows that Mathieu Bodmer is a better midfielder than Kim Kallstrom, but Bodmer’s spent most of this season playing as a defender, and any time Perrin wants to integrate him back to his normal position, another defender gets injured or suspended.

I used to think that Jeremy Toulalan was not movable because he’s been Lyon’s best player for months now, but Fabio Santos has been superb, not just in the last two matches but in the past month. He’s done enough that we know he’s not a fluke, and the question that has been on many of our minds is whether Toulalan and Fabio Santos can play together. They’ve only done it once before, against Lens.

So here’s my question for you guys: what do you think Perrin’s starting XI is (that is, if he has one figured out), and what do you think it should be.