[Allez Lyonnais]

For me, it's Tiago..

[rockymtn_mike]

I got to agree I like Tiago

[SportBoy333]

This shouldnt even be an issue. Clement is too young and Pedretti is too inconsistant.

[guignol]

all of them. giving up on ben would be a mistake, he can add a dimension tiago can't. more physical, but with good technique, and his long balls can be as good as anyone's since scifo.

i say let 'em win a cup each:

- tiago the CL
- pedretti the L1
- clément the CdF.

[guignol]

here's an article from the free daily Lyon Plus:

The Portuguese player Tiago, who was transferred at the end of August from
Chelsea to Lyon, has quickly adapted to OL's game. Even to the point of making
people forget his predecessor in the midfield Michael Essien.

Quite a feat. The Ghanaian had after all been voted Ligue 1 player of the year
last year, and the discussions over his transfer to English champion Chelsea
had made headlines all summer and provoked a lot of anxiety among the Lyon
fans.

The technical wizardry of Tiago Cardoso Mendes, his tactical sense, his ability
to hold onto the ball and move it forward fit perfectly in the ball-control
adopted by manager Gérard Houllier, more in any case than the qualities of
Essien, whose style was more physical.

The Lyon team also profits from the clever positioning of the Portuguese
international to win balls, especially on the second touch after goal kicks.

In league play, Tiago has started 6 times and come off the bench once, and has
already scored two goals, against Lens (1-1) and Rennes (3-1). He has also bee
invaluable in Lyon's three Champions' League victories over Real Madrid (3-0),
Rosenborg Trondheim (1-0) and Olympiakos Piraeus (2-1).

"I had little hope for much playing time at Chelsea, and the fact that Lyon is a
big club that has played the CL quarterfinals the last two years contributed to
my decision to come here", he explained upon his arrival at OL.

"Tiago is obviously four times less expensive than Michael Essien, but certainly
not four times less good", Houllier assured when the negotiations were
concluded. And the supporters once again have good reason to praise their
president Jean-Michel Aulas, who was able to get 38M€ for Essien, a record sum
for French football, and get Tiago for 10M€. Chelsea had shelled out 12M€ to
recruit him a year earlier from Benfica Lisbon.

In the Portuguese national team, Tiago, (1m83 and 75kg) 24 years old, started
next to Maniche in Porto against Latvia (3-0) in their last WC qualifying match.
In Germany he will join many of his Lyon teammates, not only French but
also Brazilian (Juninho) and Norwegian (John Carew).

[okocha1]

Its seems like Tiago is playing quite well for Lyon this season. Even better than he played for us last season. I just wish we hadn't sold him, because he has vast amounts of potential (displayed it in Manu game at OT last year) and could have deputized for Lampard. He reminds me of Rui Costa or Deco in some ways. He was an unsung hero (much like Maka) for the press but in the dressing room I think the Chelsea players really respected him and his quality. I just wanted to ask the Lyon fans think of Tiago. How does he compare with Essien?

I miss Tiago, and wish him well (except if Lyon play Chelsea! )

[guignol]

i'm very pleased with the way things have turned out.

both tiago and essien can cover amazing amounts of ground. both are fast and have fine technique. essien was much more physical, tiago has better vision and passing.

both will keep improving, but i think tiago will end up the better of the two.

to improve, essien must mature mentally: play better under pressure, avoid stupid, angry fouls, and make better decisions. this can come with experience, but not necessarily.

tiago already has that intelligence on the field. he needs to bulk up a bit, but there are lots of OL players who will show him around the weight room. all in all it's a lot easier than what essien needs to work on.

[okocha1]

Thanks, I wish we never sold Tiago, but at least Essien (22) has two years to play catchup with Tiago (24). Essien has more power, pace, and presence however, Tiago like you said has better vision, awareness, and shooting. I think they both have good technical ability, but Essien sometimes doesn't pass when he should. How bout their range of passing?

[blackjack]

Originally Posted by guignol

i think tiago will end up the better of the two.

Not trolling here, but I think you're very wrong about this. Essien has had at least 5 MOTM performances for Chelsea. He can do everything: get stuck in, attack, make runs, and even take the ball down the wing from time to time. He even played RB for us on one occasion, and was dominant there as well. It's evident when he's not playing. Yes, he needs to learn to control himself a bit, but that will come with age. Tiago is good, certainly, but I think Essien has the potential to become one of the best midfielders in the world.

[sl7vk]

Essien is better for the English game, Tiago for the French game. Both teams won, but the transaction made Lyon 28 million euros richer.