Re: Ligue 1 Orange 07/08 - Start today !
we were watching le mans vs metz from my laptop streaming onto a 56 inch DLP, and well the picture wasnt too great, and the football was kind of boring
so we stopped watching and played the new JLeague!
game is really fun 2 v 2
You notice how loud the Le Mans fans were chanting! :eek:
Holy Crap! So f'n loud that you couldn't hear the commentators well enough.
It was the perfect time for PES/WE patchers to record their chant from this match and put it in later.
later that night i caught the lyon match, gross was impressive but keider keita was incredibly impressive! I didnt realize he was that big of a man, but wow was he doing some tricky stuff.
Keita is physically superb. He's got power, balance, pace, acceleration and of course those elements combined with great dribbling and good technique makes him a VERY hard player to handle.
The problem is, he still very much lacks end-product. His vision, passing and crossing are all avg. So a lot of times, he can go past 3-4 players but then have it lead to nothing except 'replays' for channels like Setanta to show.
If he can improve his end-product though, he could become a much more useful player. Nonetheless, he's still very good to have in the team of course because he can KILL teams in counter-attacks and bring that unpredictability that each team requires to catch their opposing defenders' off guard.
I think there midfield is really good, so who sits when jouhino comes back, Kallstrom or Toulalan?
OL's strength has always been its midfield in recent years.
Let's take a look at some of the players it's had there in last few years alone.
Malouda, Essien, Mahamadou Diarra, Juninho, Alou Diarra, Kallstrom, Tiago, Toulalan! That is pretty f'n scary! :eek:
This year, the midfield is also very strong.
To answer your question, I'd have to say, if the system doesn't change and assuming Mr. Perrin wants to play with the same line up and tactic, then Kallstrom will make way. Because Toulalan is one of the world's very best in his position and as we all know, in today's football, at least one DMF is a MUST! It's essential. Where as an AMF isn't.
So I think, if he was to play with this same system of two wingers and 2 central midfielders like on Sunday, then Toulalan would always play as long as fit and not injured or in bad form, with other guys rotating.
BUT, I don't actually think that's what will happen. Not if Alain Perrin is smart anyway.
Because, why would you sit someone as great as Juninho or Kallstrom out later on, just so you can play Govou on the left? :-s
If I were the manager, I'd play a HALF-diamond 4-4-2. What I mean by that is, your 4 midfielders would be:
DMF: Toulalan
CM (but on the left sorta but not side-lines, still centrally like in a diamond formation) - Kallstrom with Bodmer as backup.
CM/AM (Centrally in more advanced position, Juninho) and as backup Kallstrom,
Right midfielder: Keita with Govou being backup.
So what you have is a real winger on the right side, but no real winger on the left. So on the left it looks like a diamond formation but on the right, you have a real winger.
And this is very possible and may well be Lyon's optimal formation this year when everyone's fit because unlike last year, they now have two good ATTACK-minded left-backs in Grosso and Belhadj.
I wouldn't recommend or play this way if the LB was still the defensive-minded Abidal.
But with Grosso or Belhadj, they will push forward and act like a left winger almost when team has possession and in advanced areas.
So it wouldn't be lacking 'width' from the left. It'd be getting it from the left back and on the right, it'd get it from both Keita and the right-back (Clerc or Reveillere)
I think this is better than sitting out one great player just to play with 2 real wingers so Mr. Govou can play.
Lyon has great central midfielders and not such great wingers anymore. So it's best to play to your strengths rather than the typical way which doesn't maximize your ability.
Of course, let's not forget about Hatem Ben Arfa who could be having his break-through year this year and will be given his fair share of chances on the left as a left winger when Lyon plays in the tradition 4-4-2 system (like on Sunday) with 2 central and 2 side midfielders/wingers.
.
1st half of the show should be Ligue 1; then 2nd half of the show, Ligue 2.
