POLL: Lyon’s Summer Mercato
By: Inara | September 3rd, 2007How do you rate Lyon’s transfers this summer? Did the players improve or weaken the team?
Recap:
IN: Bodmer, Keita, Belhadj, Grosso, Anderson, Roux
OUT: Malouda, Abidal, Tiago, Cacapa, Wiltord, Diarra, Berthod
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Category: Transfers
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Comments
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Corbin: Kallstrom has been playing like a new player, hasn’t he? It’s no wonder all the clubs were so hot to sign him, and he would have fetched a higher fee than Tiago. With him, Bodmer, Toulalan, and Juninho, Lyon have an even better midfield than last year.
Jedi2003: I hope Anderson doesn’t become the next Fabio Santos, who was signed to take Alou Diarra’s place on the bench. But Perrin needs to get Bodmer out of defence as soon as possible, and Muller may be out for another month.
Evilo: Anytime I’m feeling negative about my team, you manage to hit me upside the head and remind me what’s good about Lyon. So thanks
I agree that Keita has more talent than Malouda, but without even half his consistency, Keita hasn’t had the same impact so far. He’s been playing kind of selfishly, so his movements have been rather wasteful for the most part. I hope he can change that. I agree on Belhadj, Anderson, and Bodmer being upgrades, but I am worried about Grosso. I think if Cris was there, Grosso would be okay because even though his runs up the flank leave the back exposed, Cris and Squillaci would be there to cover him. But right now, Bodmer and Squillaci can’t seem to handle it.
Massaer: “when they finish fifth this season”
Surely things aren’t that dire?
I agree, the loss of Cacapa’s leadership is a hard one, but Wiltord’s presence was creating problems within the team, so keeping him might have done more damage in the long run. And while I am missing Coupet and Cris on the field, Juninho finally stepped up again. I also think that Govou, who has been captain before, can try to help out, and Toulalan, who has been more assertive recently, often times getting the armband when Juni or Govou aren’t there, could be another leader. I do think Anderson will play just because he’s still a better defender than Bodmer. Lyon also have a manageable manpower, so we should hopefully see more player turnover. I don’t know if that will include Roux though.
Posted from
United States
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Sorry I havent posted in awhile Inara, been busy with school and stuff. The mercato was poor for me. There was several different things that went wrong, and the big one was the loss of the left side of the team.
Abidal was inevitable, and probably for the best. He is replaced by Grosso, who has yet to convince me. Id say this was a good move though based on his WC form.
Malouda left inevitably too, and was replaced by ? Keita is not a left winger and wont do as well as on the right, and Ben Arfa was doing sorta well but got injured. Belhadj looks good but he is like Royston Drenthe, caught in two minds. Belhadj is better suited as a LB then a left mid/winger. So, even though Ben Arfa has the promise, Malouda was not replace. What happened to Mounier? He was terrific in the Peace Cup.
Tiago for 15 million was a great deal, as is the usual with Jean Mimi. His replacement is Bodmer, the best buy of the year. He is an improvement over Tiago, but is playing at CB right now due to injuries and the form of Kallstrom.
Wiltord will not be replaced, and that will effect the squad during those close games where you need a goal at the death. Keita is to inconsistent to hold down the right wing, as is Govou, who looks great right now (lookin at you Inara) and Remy has been indifferent in preseason.
Berthod leaving was saddening, but Belhadj can make up for that, especially in the attacking department.
Remy Riou was lame, and he is #2 at Auxerre, the town of 50,000. Great career move, he would have probably been starting for us right now due to Coupets injury, because Vercoutre is just damn terrible, Hartock is error prone and 19 and Roux??? Who the hell are you.
Im gonna say Fred was a departure too, because he is injured and at odds with the club. I dont see him playing for us again to be honest. He was not replaced, and that is a huge mistake, because Benzema is the future and is scoring right now, but its him and Baros and no one. So much for the 4-4-2 with two strikers.
Fabio Santos should have been sold, and Diarra was which is fine with me, but he was not replaced either.. Les verts picked up France U-21 stud Blaise Matiudi, while Sidi Yaya Keita sits at Lens still, and Lassana Diarra now plays for Arsenal. Mathieu Flamini would have been nice too, and Jeremy Mathieu would have been a good utility man pickup for the DM or LB spot.
Players like Bettiol and Benhamida were sold off that could have played a role this year, while Paillot is not getting a fair shake at CB, seeing as how Bodmer is starting over him. Anderson is a mystery to me, a panic buy if you will, like Roux. Injuries have cast a cloud over the campaign, but I think once we get healthy we will be fine. Im predicted that we win the title, not as easily as last year, and we finish 2nd in the group and go out in the first round of the CL again. The team is lacking, alot of the players we brought in just are not up to the standard of previous campaigns, and I for one will be doing alot of selling when i get my Lyon career up and running when FIFA 08 comes up.
Posted from
United States -
I am not a Lyon fan but from the players leaving the club and the players ariving I think that the team has taken a big step back in defence since Cacapa had more in him and Abidal was a great LB
Bodmer was a great buy and a great addition to the midfield, Keita as well they are goign to be great signings
Posted from
El Salvador -
Loosing Abidal, Tiago and Maloudo was a big loss, especially at the same time!
Keita has a huge potential, Bodmer too and it’s time for Ben Harfa and Benzema to show their skills. Now it’s just a question of getting everybody to play together.
I think the biggest problem @ the moment is more the injured list than the level of the mercato, which is OK.Posted from
Luxembourg -
Massaer : you should have said before hand you were an OM fan. I now understand your appreciation of Malouda…
Malouda is worthless in every big game because he can’t beat a good defenseman. He’ll kill lower profile RBs but hit the wall against good ones.
He also can’t finish properly.
Keita is not a finisher, but he has already sent more easy balls in his first game at Gerland than Malouda in half the season.
Yes Keita has been bad the last few games. However, he was unstoppable against Sochaux and Auxerre, keep that in mind. I still remember how our german friends at hfboards that wer seeing him for the first time wrote “Keita is indeed inhuman”. He reached heights these two days that weren’t even thought of by Malouda.
Malouda is also the starter by default on the NT IMO.Corey : Yes Keita can play either side with ease.
Rémy Riou is not #2 in Auxerre, don’t know if you’ve watched them lately. As I predicted on hfboards, he took over the starting spot after just three games. Great career move if Auxerre stays up.
Why would Fabio Santos be sold? What if Toulalan picks up a long injury? They need a worker there. Bodmer, Juninho or Kallstrom are not pure DMs.I perdict that when everyone comes back from injury and starts to gel, this team will be horrible to play against and has much more potential to do something in CL action (in later rounds).
Of course, injuries could harm their CL chances since they’ll have to play Vercoutre and co in the group stage.Posted from
United States -
Its too early to judge Keita as he is so new to the team. I’m one of the people who believes he can be better for Lyon than Malouda was but its going to take time for him to adapt. I think he was used to playing for a team where his individual exploits were a necessity to make things happen but now he needs to learn to play more collectively. He had a few really good games early on where he did some explosive things and people took notice, and since then he’s been trying to repeat that. Ultimately he will learn that its better for him to play more intelligently and to use his skill in a more efficient manner rather than trying to steal the show.
Posted from
United States -
Evilo : “[Malouda] can’t finish properly”. Well, I guess being 2nd best goalscorer for Lyon last season in the league and best overall goalscorer was quite the demonstration of this. Malouda was also player of the year, and featured in 35 out of Lyon’s 38 Ligue 1 games. As for being 4 times in a row amongst Lyon’s 5 best goalscorers of the season, that must be because Lyon doesn’t have a striker, aye?
As for him being technically inferior to Keita : http://www.dailymotion.com/visited/search/malouda/video/x21jl0_portrait-malouda_sport
Malouda has already proven that he can tackle the best defences in the world, with 3 CL semi-finals in 4 years, with him each time an integral part of Lyon’s route to get there. Keita hasn’t proven anything. His game against Man U was anything but an insurance as to his ability to crack down top level defences.
As for Keita playing with ease on the left wing… I’ve never seen him do it. Sure, he can play on the left wing, but he does all the moves the same way he does on the right wing, and ends up running towards the defence instead of running towards the throw-in line.
I agree with lefutur’s analysis of Keita’s current play : too much style, not enough efficiency. However, I think that Malouda is far better than Keita, because he already applied this. Malouda didn’t often try tricks and such, because there was no need to. When Malouda played against quality CL opposition, then he started to do a few more tricks, but remained concentrated on the efficiency of his moves, playing for the team and not to make a video. Keita still plays like has to make 7 or 8 “moves” per match. However, he only succeeds in doing 4 or 5, and on the balls he loses, counter-attacks come. Malouda very rarely missed a pass or lost the ball, and that was why he was a great player for Lyon. “Just give the ball to Malouda and move forwards”. He won’t lose it, and he’ll give it back intelligently. On the other hand, with Keita it’s more “give the ball to Keita, wait for him to try his trick, it he manages to get past, rush forwards for his pass/cross”.
There’s only one rule that will show if Malouda was better or worse than Keita : how Lyon do. Malouda won 4 titles in 4 years, and got 3 semi-finals in 4 years. (As for breaking down good defences, he’s one of the 4 players that have scored in more than one game after the group stages of the CL for Lyon in Lyon’s whole history) I doubt Keita will allow such regularity and such high performance for Lyon as Malouda was used to providing.
Posted from
France -
Shazback :
So hold on a second so that I understand you point. Malouda playing 35 games on offense and scoring less than 10 goals playing up front (like last year) is supposed to show his finishing is good??? Are you kidding?
Malouda was always starting on the best team in the league, with the best offense in the league. Any decent player would rack up 5 goals minimum there.As for this technical skills, it’s obvious to anyone really. Keita is twice the player Malouda is technically. Not even close.
So Malouda has proven he could play with the best defenses in the CL since he player 3 times in the semi final.
Sorry that makes no sense to me. Lyon lost in the quarters, not semis, and everytime Malouda was horrible.
What more can you ask? You proved your point was wrong yourself.Keita can play on the left, he did many times with Lille.
He also crushed Milan a year ago, so I guess destroying the CL winners in a crucial game is really not an accomplishment in your book. It is in mine.Your “analysis” of Malouda and Keita is quite right and exactly my point : Malouda is a solid player that will beat average defenses because he rarely misses what he tries : easy stuff.
Keita will miss a lot, but he’ll also ridicule top defenses because nobody can guard him.
Funny, just the other day, Sylvain Armand, who knows a thing or two about defending said Keita was the hardest player to defend because he was unpredictable.
Malouda is awfully predictable.How is the Keita/Malouda comparison determined by how the team does???
That’s like saying Zidane is twice the player Platini is because he won twice the titles.
That’s like saying Stephane Guivarc’h is a better striker than Van Basten : completely stupid.
Lyon is a team in trouble right now with injuries, adjusting to a new coach and a new system.
Keita is not the lone responsible for the team doing well.And again, please stop saying Lyon reached the CL semis 3 times. It makes you look ridiculous and uninformed.
Posted from
United States -
Evilo : Malouda scored more goals in 35 games than Keita did in 36… So yes, Malouda is a better finisher than Keita. By my book at least. And if “any decent player” would rack up 5 goals, then how come Benzema played 21 games and only scored 5 times? No. Scoring 10 goals against teams that play with 5 or 6 defenders is an achievement, no matter how you look at it. I’d even go as far as to say that scoring 10 goals with Lyon is harder than 14 with Valenciennes or 15 with Paris, since when sides face Lyon, they play for the draw, not for the win.
As for Malouda being “horrible” in the quarters (sorry for the slip of mind when I said semis), I’d like to remind you that he scored against PSV Eindhoven in the quarter-finals of the 2003-04 season (I think), and was far from ridiculous. Same against AC Milan, where he was one of Lyon’s best players in Gerland, and was also one of the best players in San Siro, despite Lyon’s defeat. L’équipe might not be a perfect rating system, but when they give a player 7 in both matches (home and away vs AC Milan), I doubt it was because he was “horrible”.
Keita and Lille “crushed”… Milan B. Milan were already qualified, so even if they lost, they were 1st of their group. Look at their starting eleven : Kalac - Bonera, Simic, Kaladze, Jankulovski - Brocchi, Pirlo, Ambrosini, Gourcuff - Borrichello, Inzaghi. Kalac’s 4th ever game for AC Milan, Bonera, Simic, Gurcouff, Borichello had played less than 10 games for AC Milan, Jankulovski and Ambrosini were coming back from injury… Honestly, when you say that Lille “destroyed” the CL winners in a “crucial game” it is you that sounds rediculous. 2-0 against that squad? Palermo and Atalanta won 2-0 against a full-force AC Milan (Kaka, Gattuso, Seedorf, Pirlo, Nesta, Dida, Cafu, Maldini, Gilardino). You’re going to say that any of Palermo or Atalanta’s players are good signings for Lyon because of that?
Malouda, since he has moved to england, has started using more tricks. He can do them, and he can do them well. But he knows that there’s no point beating your man for the sake of beating your man. Beat him to pass the ball or beat him to cross. Don’t just beat him because you feel like you need to beat him. Sylvain Armand “knows a thing or two about defending”? Well, retort : Gary Neville said that defending against Malouda was the hardest he’d had since Robben. Sorry to bother you if I feel that someone who has won 7 Premier Leagues, 3 FA Cups and 1 CL is worth more respect than someone who is 10 years younger than him, and whose Champions League credentials are… Worse than a joke.
Keita was brought in to replace Malouda… Zidane and Platini played 20 years apart, Guivarch and Van Basten played in different teams, and not at the same time. Keita’s success with Lyon will be an approximative insight as to his relative level when compared with Malouda because one has replaced the other. It’s like when Cantona was left out of the French national side and Zidane took his place. You can compare the players by their results since the players they were up against and the players they play with are largely the same. Sure, I’m not saying that Keita’s success this season with Lyon will show if he is better or worse than Malouda, but that if after 4 seasons Keita hasn’t got anything on his trophy cabinet, then it’ll be hard to say that he was better than Malouda, who has a well-laden trophy cabinet.
And I’ll repeat it : Keita is not suited to playing on the left wing. In the 43 games he played last season for Lille and Ivory Coast, he started 3 games as a left winger, and came on once as a substitute left winger. He played 37 games as a right hand winger however. Puel tried to get him to play on the left for a short while (4 games over a span of 7 matches), but then dropped it as Keita wasn’t anything like as effective.
As for making a mistake about Lyon reaching the semis instead of the quarter-finals, well, if that makes me “ridiculous” and “uninformed”, then what are you? (Malouda can’t finish - debunked ; Keita plays often on the left wing - debunked ; Malouda is worthless in big games - debunked ; Keita provides more assists than Malouda - False, Malouda did 6 last season in Ligue 1, Keita did 6 also, however, Keita played almost 700 more minutes…)
Posted from
France -
Shazback :
-I never said Keita was a good finisher!!! I even stated the contrary. That does not mean Malouda is a good one either. You’re fighting against winds here.
- Benzema hardly started games for Lyon. What games were you watching? And in the few games he started, he still managed to score 5 goals, as an 18 year old. Again, you only proved my point.
- No it’s no easier to score 15 goals in Paris than 10 in Lyon. When you have Juninho or other superstars creating opportunity after opportunity, it’s certainly easier. Is it harder to score 10 goals as Zidane’s partner or as a Luxembourg player?
- Keita crushed Milan in both legs actually. They won 3-1 in a crucial game they needed to win and Keita came up big. Yes that does count as clutch play IMO. So it was Milan’s B squad? It’s still better than any team in France besides Lyon.
- About Armand/Neville : which has played against both?
Got my point.
Keita is exactly like Robben in fact, minus the injuries and the finishing (though Robben isn’t a great finisher, he’s still better than Keita).
I’m sure you’re right and Neville should have stated that the hardest player to defend against was a guy he had never defended… oh wait, that sound ridiculous….- Malouda just the other day against Villa was the worst player on the pitch and looked out of place.
So he may be consistant at L1 level, but he’s certainly not consistant at the EPL level.- Don’t forget that when things get tough, Malouda hides. He doesn’t like the rough play. That’s OK though, some players progress in that area (Pires comes to mind).
Malouda is also a cynical diver.- And no I don’t agree with your assesment that Keita’s success will be determined by Lyon’s.
Teams achievements are totally different.
If he was the only guy changing, then I’d understand, but here we had 5 important guys leaving and a change of coach. That hardly means anything about Keita’s talents if Lyon fails.- Yes Keita regularly plays left wing. Obviously, you haven’t seen Lille games, because he spent half the game switching sides.
- Malouda can’t finish is debunked? In what fantasy world? Anyone that follows L1 knows that Malouda misses more opportunities to score than he makes them over the lenght of a season. That does not qualify as a good finisher for me. Uninformed again.
- Yes Keita plays on the left side. Uninformed again.
- Malouda is worthless in big games is hardly debunked. It’s a fact. Get a tape of every important CL quarter final game and you’ll see a timid Malouda. I still remember vividly when PSV played tough on the guy. He disappeared. As usual.
Uninformed.- I didn’t say Keita provided more assists. I said he provided more chances. However, he didn’t have Lyon’s talents beside him mind you. He finished with as many assists but he didn’t play with Juninho, Fred and cie.
Uninformed.Sorry to be rude, but you have to stop stating things that are hardly facts.
These are obvious from watching all of Malouda’s career :
Malouda IS a poor finisher, there’s no way around it.
Malouda DOES disappear in big games.
Keita HAS spent a lot of time on the left, switching sides in nearly every game with Lille.These do not come from stats or legends. These come from watching the games.
Keita is more talented than Malouda and can beat anybody.
Posted from
United States -
wooaw shazback and evilo you two are on fire.
Actualy reading your two opinions, I tend to agree with both of you.why do you want to compare Keita and Malouda? Keita did not join Lyon as a replacement for Malouda, so stop comparing.
Keita came to play on the right! If you want to compare those players, compare malouda with ben arfa and keita with govou.I would have liked to see those two play together, that would have been great (i am sure we can all agree on that).
As for Keita playing on the left, he did switch a lot throughout games, but so does Malouda on some occasions.
Still both were not as good when switched.
I dont agree with you Shazback for the trophees to compare. If Lyon doesnt win any titles (which won’t happen) and that Keita scored 10 goals and gave 15 assists, that wouldnt mean he was worse.Malouda is security, especially defensively, but he is a diver and that always pissed me off (even in the WC final!).
As for Keita, he is less of a diver but gets easily pissed off. He also needs to adapt to the RB who is always changing in Lyon (less stability). So Keita is more on his own and has to try more. While Malouda could count on Abidal’s backup. They knew each other well.Anyway, we are all behind the same team so why be nasty to one another. Malouda was very good but never exciting. Keita still has to prove himself but can bring the show for Europe with his tricks.
Posted from
Japan -
I don’t “want” to compare Malouda and Keita, but I feel that a lot of Lyon “fans” are just sour. Only 6 months ago they would have been the first to say that Keita was a step down from Malouda, but now that Malouda has left and Keita has joined, Malouda can barely pass a ball, whilst Keita is Ronaldinho and Pélé wrapped up in one.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYJjAgtsK_0
Keita didn’t “destroy” Milan in Milan. Sorry to say it, but Keita hasn’t yet shown he can be a solid team player at CL level.As far as I see it, Malouda is like C.Ronaldo 3 or 4 years ago : very talented, but tries the tricks “for the tricks” and not because he can give something to the team after it. However, Ronaldo was 18 at the time. Keita is 26.
Neville has played against both Keita and Malouda, fyi, Evilio… Just because you can’t remember that Malouda played Man U 2 times (UEFA 50th anniversary match vs Man U and Chelsea in Charity Shield) and that Keita played Man U 3 times (2 times in group round and 1 time in 1st knockout round) doesn’t mean that Neville didn’t play againts both of them. As for Armand, same comment. He’s 22, has barely any experience, and isn’t really a top defender. Neville is one of the best right-backs in the world for the last 10 odd years, and has won everything with Man U. He has faced a lot of the best wingers that are around now. Armand hasn’t played against many, sorry. Or is it just that Keita sucks on the left wing? Perhaps it’s that too. In that case however, you’re shooting your own foot, because you say that he plays frequently and fabulously on the left wing.
Thing is, I’m just annoyed that Lyon are getting overhyped. Pedretti, Carew, A.Diarra, Elber… Lyon said that each of these players would be the “next” or “new” someone. When they came, Pedretti was France’s best midfielder since Zidane, Carew was the striker that would win a Champions League with Lyon, A.Diarra was Diarra and Essien’s replacement, Elber was the new Sonny… And then when they leave, they are unable to play correctly, barely kick a ball, and Lyon “fans” laugh about them.
It’s just the same thing with Keita. He’s 26, and his margin of improvement is therefore much smaller than a 18 year-old’s. Keita might have, as I think, a potential that is not very far from C.Ronaldo or Ronaldinho’s. However, they were playing at the level he plays at now when they were in their teens, meaning they came a lot closer to fulfilling their potential. Keita has a lot of talent, but can he ever achieve it? I don’t think so. That’s all. Malouda is surely less talented, but he has achieved a higher level through hard work and dedication. That’s it.
You also keep on saying that Malouda is crap in “big games” whilst Keita is (at least) better. Since there isn’t a “big” french side (well, Lyon is, but if Milan B are better than any other french side, they’re the only one in France), then who have both Malouda and Keita played against ? You might not see one, but I spot Milan and Man U. Now, since we can’t compare Milan B with Milan, we can’t compare Lille’s 3-1 win over Milan with either of Lyon’s games against Milan, so that leaves us with Lille’s 0-0 draw. Look at the video I linked a little higher. Keita is 3 times on the highlights. 3 times. How “destroyed” is that? Even Evra made more moves against Milan for Man U than Keita did with Lille. Malouda was at least as good as Keita in the games against Milan, not because he dribbled like a wizard or anything, but because he kept on doing what he does : playing for the team. He got Juninho into space, made through-balls for Govou, Fred and Wiltord who were playing in front of him. Sure, Keita got more screen time on the highlights, but he ended up being more costly for his team, as Milan just kept on attacking on balls he lost (how many times did that happen with Malouda?). And that’s why I think that although he isn’t a showman like Ronaldinho, who can win matches with an instant of genius, Malouda is a better player for the team than Keita.
Milan eliminated Lyon in their last quarter-final thanks to lost balls by Lyon : Clerc and Fred lost balls close to their box, and Inzaghi and Schevchenko scored 2 of Milan’s 3 goals.
Posted from
France -
Your both wrong, how about that. Settles things. Why dont you talk about the mercato instead of whether Malouda is better then Keita?
Posted from
United States -
WOW!!!
I am gone for several hours, and I return to see such wonderful debate going on! I feel like I missed all the fun.
I personally think that Keita is really great, but I’m a Malouda fan too, so since I sit on both sides, and since everyone already knows how I feel about those two, I’m going to settle back and read through all the good points both Shazback and Evilo made.
And, discussions like this are ALWAYS welcome, whether on or off topic. One of my goals for this blog was to allow fans to interact, especially those who don’t know French.
The coolest thing? That neither Shazback or Evilo are Lyon fans! That’s what makes the Offside so damn cool.
Posted from
United States -
Inara : A girl that pretty that loves consensus is like the ideal woman…
Posted from
United States -
Evilo: Now if only I could cook a decent meal…
Posted from
United States -
For some reason I missed SHazback’s latest response.
So, without further ado…- “Only 6 months ago they would have been the first to say that Keita was a step down from Malouda, but now that Malouda has left and Keita has joined, Malouda can barely pass a ball, whilst Keita is Ronaldinho and Pélé wrapped up in one.”
Not true. Ask Inara, I’ve said Malouda was overrated for more than two years, while I’ve hyped Keita as the next big thing for two years as well (all on hfboards).- “Keita didn’t “destroy” Milan in Milan. Sorry to say it, but Keita hasn’t yet shown he can be a solid team player at CL level.”
He did. Maybe you missed the games?- ”
Neville has played against both Keita and Malouda, fyi, Evilio… Just because you can’t remember that Malouda played Man U 2 times (UEFA 50th anniversary match vs Man U and Chelsea in Charity Shield) and that Keita played Man U 3 times (2 times in group round and 1 time in 1st knockout round) doesn’t mean that Neville didn’t play againts both of them. ”
I can’t tell if you’re kidding or not. You’re actually saying that because Neville played 5 times or so (including friendlies) against Keita, he knows him??? WOW!- “As for Armand, same comment. He’s 22, has barely any experience, and isn’t really a top defender.”
Erh, sorry which Armand are you talking about????
Sylvain Armand is a top LB who is 27 and who is highly underrated. He can also play CB or DM with ease.- “Neville is one of the best right-backs in the world”
Oh my, that’s one for the ages! Neville has always been an average RB that had the chance of playing with big teams. Every EPL follower will tell you how average he is.- “Thing is, I’m just annoyed that Lyon are getting overhyped. Pedretti, Carew, A.Diarra, Elber… Lyon said that each of these players would be the “next” or “new” someone. When they came, Pedretti was France’s best midfielder since Zidane, Carew was the striker that would win a Champions League with Lyon, A.Diarra was Diarra and Essien’s replacement, Elber was the new Sonny… And then when they leave, they are unable to play correctly, barely kick a ball, and Lyon “fans” laugh about them.”
Again I’m not Lyon fan! Pedretti was excellent with Sochaux, but that’s it. Carew was never a finisher, Diarra I always found overrated (ask Inara about my comments on him at hfboards) and Elber had a proven track record, but couldn’t do much but whine in Lyon.- “Look at the video I linked a little higher. Keita is 3 times on the highlights. 3 times. How “destroyed” is that?”
Yep, exaclty what I suspected, you didn’t watch the game.- You missed the point : Malouda didn’t create ANYTHING against Porto, PSV, Milan, or Roma. ANYTHING.
Keita had two games against Milan and two games against ManU to help his team, and all 4 times he was arguably Man of the Match.
I mean, no need to look any further.Posted from
United States -
I think we’ll never reach a consensus. However, I did watch all Lyon’s CL games over the last 4 years, as well as all of Lille’s CL games over the last 3 years, and also Bordeaux, Monaco and PSG and Marseille’s. So I think that you’re judging a bit quickly when you say “you should watch the games”. You find Keita is good because he can “try tricks” that Malouda wouldn’t try, and sometimes manages them. Fine. I find that Keita is a liability for his team since he looses too many balls and doesn’t make any defensive efforts.
See, I think we have a very different way of watching games. You say that Armand is a “top LB”. I find that he’s just a run-of-the-mill Ligue 1 defender. I’d put Evra, Abidal, Thuram far in front of him at left-back (even if it’s not Thuram’s normal position), and Armand would be pitting it out with Silvestre, Clerc and Jurietti & Co. far behind… And that’s only french players. Neville might be a “run of the mill” defender for you, but I’d be hard pressed to name 10 better right-backs. Zambrotta perhaps, Sergio Ramos maybe, Sagnol why not, Thuram yes… and who else? By my standards, he’s one of the best out there. The best might not be all-time greats, but he’s there. As for “EPL followers” telling me how “average” he is… I mean… being 8 times in the PFA Team of the Year must be some kind of joke then. Or Premier League footballers don’t know how bad he is.
There is no solving this argument. You like players that do tricks, I like players that help their team play better. You like football as an individual sport, I like football as a team sport. That’s it.
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France -
Thuram as LB? WHAT? As RB I’m guessing you meant.
Abidal is no doubt better. Evra, that’s arguable. He’s certainly better going forward, but not half Armand defensively.
Clerc and Jurietti (besides playing another position) are not close to Armand really. Armand is better than Silvestre too.
I’d say Clichy and Abidal are clearly better, with Evra and Armand behind them.As for Neville, sideback is the weakest position in the EPL (and in the world acutally) and Neville has made the most of it. He’s still an average player. Actually, our friends on hfboards, who are EPL fans for the most part, think he sucks. I probably wouldn’t go that far.
I don’t like players that do “tricks”. I recognise when they’re dangerous. I love Menez for instance, but I don’t like Ronaldo (way too selfish and diving everywhere).
I certainly don’t like football as an individual sport. You seem to forget that Keita is one of the best passers in L1. And certainly doesn’t shoot much for someone playing up front (less than Malouda I’d guess, even though you think Malouda is more of a team player).
I work with young footballers everyday. Tricks is like the epitome of hatred for me because most of the time, they’re useless and players kill the tempo with them. However, when you have a guy that can turn over a match in one single play, you have to recognize his utility.
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United States -
i think lyon’s mercato was awful. That’s my opinion. They had the best left wing probably in whole europe - abidal and malouda. Malouda was the best player in ligue 1 last year. abidal in my opinion is one of the best LB in europe. And both were sold!!! what can i say? grosso isn’t even half of abidal. Cause Grosso that was in champions league is already dead and new grosso is grosso that was playing in peruggia. Maybe Keita is talented but comparing him with malouda is something like comparing baptista with ronaldinho or kaka. Bodmer for tiago is light point but who the hell is kleber anderson??? benficas benchwarmer???
And most funny is that The Great Jean-michel-aulas get from such players like abidal malouda only 35 millions!!! Only robben costs that sum! that’s really funny JMA getting older!Posted from
United States -
sorry not champions league but World cup
Posted from
United States -
So Malouda was facing Oddo yesterday.
Guess what?
Apart from Henry, he was the worst french played on the pitch.
He had one shot and dozens of lost balls to his credit.Posted from
United States -
So after tonight’s game against Scotland, is anyone prepared to admit Malouda’s grossly overrated?
Posted from
United States -
I think most of the NT looked overrated last night. Malouda and especially Trezeguet disappeared a lot. And having Vieira on the pitch was completely unnecessary.
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United States -
Well, at least Pierre Menes agrees with me :
http://fr.sports.yahoo.com/fo/pierrotlefoot/article/115929/Malouda (3) : Un désastre. A un moment donné, il faut dire les choses : les prestations de Malouda avec les Bleus sont indignes du niveau international. Ce soir il y a eu une frappe et basta ! Pas un dribble qui passe, pas un centre exploitable, pas un but depuis un an : pour moi, il a perdu sa place…
Translation : A disaster. At some point, things must be said : Malouda’s performances with the Bleus are not international worthy. Tonight, there was oen shot and that’s it. No successful dribble, not a decent cross, not a goal for a yea : to me, he’s lost his spot.Hehe, good to see that a true football specialist thinks exactly the way I do.
Posted from
United States
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