for the very first time i am looking towards a big match for OL with a far larger measure of trepidation than hope. lazio? lots of hope but nothing really to lose. bruges? so little hope that no one was really worried any more (except sonny!)... and in those days expectations were lower. since then, OL has had a the bigger they come the harder they fall attitude, and rightly so. no club in recent memory has punched above their weight like lyon. but the components that made that winning attitude possible are in poor supply just now. you can't base appraisal only on the le mans match, or only on the arsenal match, but no matter how you slice it, our gones seem to be in for a rough time. JMA, juni and karim have hit the nail on the head, in fact anyone could: what's missing is not the talent, but the desire, the confidence, the teamwork the combativity... OL can put talent on the field capable of beating MU, but will we see all those other elements that make a champion that hve manifested themselves so rarely the past month? going down the lineup man by man, here, as i see them, are our chances of playng the match we need to: coupet: no problem. squillaci: neither boumsong: problem isn't desire but confidence and concentration. 50% x 50% = 25% clerc or réveillère: either better than 50%. just. grosso: if govou plays in front of him, has a good chance of surprising again. 80% toulalan: no worries here. juninho: 75%; loves big matches but he's been hard to figure out this year. källström: under 50%. the mistakes he's been making aren't the sort desire overcomes. bodmer may get the nod despite playing no better. govou: always hit or miss, but has been hitting consistently all season, thrives on pressure: 90% ben arfa: no reason to worry besides youth. 80% benzema: says he feels no pressure but that it's up to him to have a great match to make the difference. 80% two other intangibles... the home crowd: hopefully as good as usual, but an early manchester goal could be the straw that broke the camel's back. teamwork between the above players: they're this season's équipe type (except JAB) so if they individually hold up the coordination should follow.
I could swear that Coupet celebrated his 400th match for OL just last winter against Monaco (I think it was).
Le groupe lyonnais: Coupet, Vercoutre - Clerc, Reveillère, Squillaci, Boumsong, Cris, Grosso – Bodmer, Källström, Toulalan, Juninho, Delgado - Ben Arfa, Govou, Keita, Benzema, Fred. Le groupe mancuniens:: Van der Sar, Evra, Hargreaves, Ferdinand, Brown, Ronaldo, Anderson, Saha, Rooney, Giggs, Park, Vidic, Carrick, Nani, Scholes, Pique, O'Shea, Fletcher, Simpson, Kuszczak, Tevez, Eagles. I think we'll concede an all too critical away goal. A clean sheet is too much to ask of either team. But I rate our attackers more than MU's defenders, so hopefully we'll score some too.
i was watching a "face-to-face" with the lyon players and i think they're really UP for this game. http://video.eurosport.fr/football/videos-telefoot/2002-2003/video_vid65120.shtml minute 2:17 their faces all light up when asked about facing MU and they all universally said it would be a joy to play against them.
About that video, I just wanted to ask if someone could translate what Benzema was rapping? Was he freestyling? Haha, I found it quite amusing nevertheless. I'm learning French, but I'm not so great so I only understand some of what was said in the video... Also, could someone please post a live stream of this game when there's one available? Because myp2p.eu doesn't load and I really want to watch it. Good luck! I hope you guys can do it!
that video cheered me up, so i'm inspired to give you a little recap: first question: who's fastest? for KB? réveillère HBA? müller KK? grosso JAB? "toul" but after the kidding around, the real answer in chorus: ben arfa. next question: worst loser? only one possible answer: squillaci! best technique? eveone agrees it's benzema. worst technique? govou won't say, though there are several candidates. vercoutre isn't talking either, since it's his buddy... JAB says there's a tight race, and he's in it. but the others spill the beans, it's toto. hatem is kind, he say's his style is... well, special... bizarre. roughest player? juni says KK... who in turn claims it's toulalan. govou says they're still getting to know JAB, but he's probably in the running. the beau brummel of the team? vercoutre gets a couple of votes. benzema votes for himself! grosso says boumsong... la classe. president's son? chorus: juninho! juni: maybe me. maybe. KK, he's brazilian anyway, certainly not swedish! a word to describe JMA? juni: work sidney: clever hatem: strategist JAB: passion AP? RV: communication HBA: perfectionnist SG: dialogue MU... a joy or a sorrow? a joy. the top. chances against them? 50-50 for everyone, with conviction. hatem says they're human after all. best singer? vercoutre, who in turn says that the youngsters are good at rap. KB gives out a couplet or two about getting pulled over and asked for your papers... i think. grosso a little song in italian, JAB in english... THE END
as a club or just for this match? you have to know that french fans really are interested primarily in our own league, as hard as it may seem to believe from a global standpoint and after that the favorite league to watch is spain. and among premiership teams the obvious favorite is arsenal. there is some impatience with MU, as with Chelsea, réal, etc... as a club that musters seemingly unlimited financial firepower by means that are not perceived as perfectly cricket. also some bemusement at that part of your fan base that could just as well be milan or barça fans, who support ManU the way one uses crest instead of colgate toothpaste. that said, MU's attacking fast-paced style is much appreciated, and this draw was seen above all as a great opportunity to see a real open and exciting match. finishing second inour pool we knew we were going to get someone tough. as far as tonight's result, the players see it as 50-50 and we have to go with them, even though our results over the last month have been very disappointing. btw, concerning some ideas on your (much more substantial) mirror thread... - cris is on the roster but has only played 90 minutes with the reserves so is unlikely to start. - juni is not suspended... - and while govou on the left to help grosso was expected (HBA defends like a girl's blouse) it was thought ben arfa would be on the right; clerc is a total surprise, though this is not a first. PS: with your nick i thought you were a local! 69 is the number of the rhône departement.
Thanks guignol. I was talking more in general but the response is still appreciated. To answer your financial power point, we can't really spend that much and we usually have to sell to buy players nowadays. Our massive debt means we can't spend as freely as we used to. You were the one team we wanted to face as you play fast paced football and have a good CL pedigree. I'm hoping for off your seat stuff and hopefully this will be a match for the ages. Out of curiousity, who do you think our United's biggest threats? (For obvious reasons, most united fans are petrified of Juninho and Benzema) Anyways I've seen we've made some mistakes on our part and I'll be sure to clear them up.
i think the player we need to shut down is CR. grosso did a good job on him recently with italy, but he's not speedy so will need to keep his perimeter of play realistic, and that's why sid's on the left to help him. another key is not letting rooney turn around in the box. but the main opponent is MU's incredible rhythm. we have to press as far up the field as possible, make it necessary for CR and giggs to work from as far away as possible, and make rooney come out if he wants the ball. even if you let you fire up a counter from 60 metres away, we have the athletic ability to cover, but if we let you start stringing the passes together from 30 metres, it will be a nightmare.
That video with the players was very cool. Good luck against ManU, hope Juninho steps it up and influences on not only set pieces. Ben Arfa and Benzema will surely feel pressure at Old Trafford, but they seem to be growing up quickly. Your defense is going to have one helluva tough time keeping CR7, Tevez, and Rooney in check. It should be a good one. Hope Lyon takes it to them
I'm fired up. I'm mad that I'm going to be teaching when the match is on, so I can't see it, but I'm pulling for the boys today.
The official website has these lineups: Coupet Reveillere - Squillaci - Boumsong - Grosso Juninho - Toulalan - Kallstrom Clerc - Benzema - Govou vs. Van der Sar Brown - Ferdinand - Vidic - Evra Scholes - Hargreaves - Anderson Ronaldo - Rooney - Giggs Has Perrin not learned from the Barca debacle? Lyon have to play their own game, not try to stop MU from playing their's. The doubling of fullbacks didn't work against Messi. Perrin is obviously going to try for a clean sheet. This won't work! Anyway, from looking at the MU lineup, Ronaldo plays on the other side. Giggs, while a good player, does not need Clerc and Reveillere watching him.
I think I would like MU a lot more if it weren't an English team. I can't stand British media and their constant hyping of anyone with a modicum of talent, and I'm afraid it's leaked over into my perception of the league. Also, I don't like how finances are handled in England and hate that money is an answer to everything (like relegated clubs getting "survival money"). But I think Manchester United has a lot of quality and a great manager, and Lyon will need to be at their best in order to get a result.
Thank you so much! I really appreciate it. I'll hopefully be able to watch this game if the live streams work. All the best for Lyon! Good luck
I agree and its also annoying that most of their fans arent even from England. Go to their forum on this site and check the locations of the posters.
Nice Freekick by Juninho 19 Click Here For Video Nice Chance by Rooney saved by Coupet 24 Click Here For Video
Nice Skill by Ronaldo 42 Click Here For Video Nice Freekick by Ronaldo punched out by Coupet 44 Click Here For Video
2nd half. Now is the time to get down and dirty. The Benz needs to get his engine purring. I also think Toulalan needs to get into the thick of things. When they're soft, bring on Hatem...