CL matchday 1: Barça - OL 19/09/07 [R]

[guignol]

obviously you can't compare metz to barcelona but that match sure did us a world of good.

a couple of weeks ago i was of a mind that this was the best way to start the group matches for us: losing at nou camp wouldn't be a disaster after all, and if the team is in spotty form, better to drop points there than anywhere else. now the situation is different as concerns our preparation, and considering they're only 3 weeks into the liga and coming off a 0-0 it would be great to play barça at gerland. the only thing that will radically improve our chances would be to have cris and coupet back, and that's not until the KO rounds anyway.

i think we'll have at least a good a chance to win as scotland did, though and look at what happened there. and i think OL will enjoy having some space to play in for once!

[guignol]

came upon an interview of eric abidal this weekend, and this is probably the best place to post it... i've translated the part about OL; if you're interested in the rest you'll have to figure it out for yourself here (http://www.myfreesport.fr/sports/football/ligue-des-champions/0/eric-abidal-aulas-aime-provoquer-31936.html). this ain't no charity!

Did you expect to cross paths so soon with Olympique Lyonnais ?
No! I didn't think we'd meet in the group matches. Personally I'd have preferred to play them in the semifinals or the final, and of course, beat them! But well, it's a good thing. Knowing the philosophy of the Lyonnais and above all their president, they like to meet teams they've never played against. [Ed: the two teams met in 2001-02].

What was your reaction when you learned Lyon would be Barça's first opponent?
At first it made me smile. Then i was displeased. There were certain articles in the Lyon press I didn't appreciate. But there's nothing to do about that; the draw decided I'd meet Lyon two months after leaving the club. It's fate.

You're also going to see Jean-Michel Aulas who was pretty hard on you at the time of your departure...
I don't feel any need for revenge. I spent three great seasons at Lyon, even if there were some unfortunate comments at the end. We talked that over. A few days ago he left a message for me... there's no conflict, no hard feelings, even if I would have preferred him to say things to me face to face instead of to the media. It's OK to make certain comments, but within limits. But everyone knows that he likes to provoke, to tease...

In your opinion is he a good president ?
Sincerely, yes. His best quality is he's very close to his players. And like them, he always gives 100% even if he doesn't play. He puts a lot of heart and effort into his club and knows exactly where he wants to go, how, and with whom.

How do you prepare for this match?
As a Lyon native and an ex-OL player, i'll give a maximum of information to my new teammates. I know the strengths of a lot of their players, their mentality, how they see things. I'll give some information to the coach to help him prepare for the match.

What chance do you give Lyon to qualify for the round of 16?
Today, I'm only interested in Barça. It's not an easy group. With home and away matches teams have twice as many chances to pick up points. Lyon has always had good starts in the Champions' League, they've always finished first in their group [Ed: since 2003-2004]. It's something to take into account.

Is OL as strong as in years past?
They're stronger every year! I'm not worried for them. Before every season there are doubters. Remember what people said when Essien or Mahamadou Diarra left.

Will they have it as easy in Ligue 1 this year?
Perhaps a little less. But I'm convinced they'll be champions again hands down.

The team has lost four mainstays (Tiago, Abidal, Malouda et Wiltord). Isn't that a bit much?
It's a lot. But they recruited intelligently. I played two years with Mathieu Bodmer and he's a very good player. He's versatile and can give Kader Keita very good balls. He's the player they need at Lyon.

[SportBoy333]

I hope Tommy Smyth is doing this match because I wanna hear his reaction when his cohort tells him that Benzema has 8 goals in 7 matches. You just know Tommy isnt gonna be impressed by that, I bet he dissmisses that accomplishment completely. It will probably go something like this:

Derick Rae:"Karim Benzema is Olympique Lyonnaise's leading goal scorer with an astounding 8 goals in 7 matches."

Tommy Smyth:"Well I'm not too impressed with that.""The French league isnt very strong at all.""Lets see him do that at Chelsea."

[Inara]

I hope Tommy Smyth is doing this match because I wanna hear his reaction when his cohort tells him that Benzema has 8 goals in 7 matches. You just know Tommy isnt gonna be impressed by that, I bet he dissmisses that accomplishment completely. It will probably go something like this:

Derick Rae:"Karim Benzema is Olympique Lyonnaise's leading goal scorer with an astounding 8 goals in 7 matches."

Tommy Smyth:"Well I'm not too impressed with that.""The French league isnt very strong at all.""Lets see him do that at Chelsea."


So true. I hope Lyon puts in a really good fight to prove that they aren't dead just yet.

In an interview, Aulas talks about Barcelona's superior squad but says a good result at Camp Nou would do Lyon worlds of good. He is sure that Lyon will win the CL one day, but doesn't know when. He also says that despite the criticism Lyon got for its mercato, Lyon failed to win the CL with the players that left.

:D

[SuperSebGrimaldi]

I hope Tommy Smyth is doing this match because I wanna hear his reaction when his cohort tells him that Benzema has 8 goals in 7 matches. You just know Tommy isnt gonna be impressed by that, I bet he dissmisses that accomplishment completely. It will probably go something like this:

Derick Rae:"Karim Benzema is Olympique Lyonnaise's leading goal scorer with an astounding 8 goals in 7 matches."

Tommy Smyth:"Well I'm not too impressed with that.""The French league isnt very strong at all.""Lets see him do that at Chelsea."

Derek Rae: "Speaking of the EPL, John O'Shea has struggled to get into the starting lineup at Manchester United, and has looked poor coming on as a substitute."

Tommy Smyth: "Well, I wouldn't worry about that. He's got a ton of ability, that John O'Shea, coming from Ol' Waterford back in southern Ireland, he will soon be starting ahead of Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic. If not, he could start in midfield ahead of Paul Scholes, Michael Carrick or Owen Hargreaves, he's very capable."

Derek Rae (aside): "What a stupid old fart."

[lefutur]

Lolz ^^^^

[SuperSebGrimaldi]

I actually think Rae is a good commentator. Doesn't try to do too much, typically forthright in his analysis.

Anyway, more on topic, obviously this a terrific opportunity with Barca off-color and perhaps more importantly, they've barely managed to score goals.

Interestingly enough, half the team Barca fields could be from L1. Ronaldinho, Henry, Marquez, Abidal, Thuram, Yaya Touré, and Edmilson are all on the roster.

[Inara]

Great. They'll understand all the secret codes the players have.

Actually, I don't think Abidal will be able to say that much about his former teammates. Perrin is a new coach, and with new players in different positions, it's not the same team from last year. He does, however, know Vercoutre's weaknesses, which is troubling. But then again, the whole world knows that, so I guess it's not a big deal.

[Inara]

Le groupe lyonnais: Vercoutre, Roux - Clerc, Réveillère, Squillaci, Cléber Anderson, Bodmer, Paillot, Grosso, Belhadj, Fabio Santos, Toulalan, Källström, Juninho, Govou, Ben Arfa, Benzema, Baros, Keita, Rémy.

[guignol]

... I don't think Abidal will be able to say that much about his former teammates. Perrin is a new coach, and with new players in different positions, it's not the same team from last year...OL has a definite advantage in the area of scouting and preparing for the opponent.

both teams have integrated numerous new elements (here also OL has a slight advantage as our new crew has more matches under the belt) but barça's newbies have been in the public eye for ages... perrin doesn't need no damn video to know what TH does and how he does it, whereas ben arfa, benzema, belhadj, keita and bodmer are relatively unknown quantities. Its also pretty clear how barça will line up... right up to today perrin probably had a better idea of the formation he'd face than the formation he'd field!

[guignol]

the group for barcelona
20 players
- Vercoutre, Roux
- Clerc, Réveillère, Squillaci, Cléber Anderson, Bodmer, Paillot, Grosso, Belhadj
- Fabio Santos, Toulalan, Källström, Juninho
- Govou, Ben Arfa, Benzema, Baros, Keita, Rémy.

some stray notes on CL experience:

vercoutre may seem a weak link but has played 3 matches in the CL, all victories and all clean sheets. "youngster" benzema has played 4 CL matches and scored... 3 goals! ben arfa at 20 has 0 goals in 6 CL matches... the same figures as fabio grosso at 29...

the OL players with the most experience at this level are govou and juninho 48 and 44 matches and 7 and 12 goals respectively.

ronaldinho has "only" 27 CL matches to his credit (13 goals however) while thierry henry has the most experience of all: his 86 CL matches even top thuram's 69, and he has scored... FORTY-TWO GOALS.

last tidbit: edmilson has 44 CL matches under his belt... 32 of which were with OL!

[AfrcnHrbMan]

Wow, let's hope Henry waits til the weekend to rediscover his scoring touch. Nice to see that Vercoutre has had some experience on the big stage. That alleviates my fears somewhat. Though the coupe de la ligue final will always haunt my dreams, I feel he is up to it. Can't wait for this match.

[SuperSebGrimaldi]

One can argue the keepers are the Achilles' heel for both teams, it's too bad Coupet is out injured as that would have given OL a considerable advantage in that department.

[lefutur]

thierry henry[/B] has the most experience of all: his 86 CL matches even top thuram's 69, and he has scored... FORTY-TWO GOALS.



pfffff. Benzema's goal to game ratio is WAY better! :D

[Mosco]

Hello and greetings I was wondering were does Lyon stand in the French division I league? I hope to see Gio start against Lyon or even sub becuase I think Messi is injured and so is Eto if I am not mistaken. cheers

[AfrcnHrbMan]

Lyon is in second place with 15 points. Bordeaux also have 15 points but we have a better goal differential and they have played the full 8 matches. We have a game in hand, but so do Nancy, who are toping the table at 16 points

[SuperSebGrimaldi]

Hello and greetings I was wondering were does Lyon stand in the French division I league? I hope to see Gio start against Lyon or even sub becuase I think Messi is injured and so is Eto if I am not mistaken. cheers

Lyon have actually won the past 6 championships in France, are in good shape to win a 7th. I definitely think Gio will be on the bench, if not starting, though Rijkaard may opt for experience.

[AfrcnHrbMan]

Lol i thought he meant in the current table, not 'standing' amongst french clubs.

[SuperSebGrimaldi]

LOL, does it really matter? L1 may be a bit more competitve this year, though I wouldn't put money against another title for OL.

[Inara]

It looks like Monaco and Bordeaux will be Lyon's main competitors this season, unless Marseille get their act together soon.