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French Revelations: CL Report Cards For Bordeaux, Lyon & Marseille
Goal.com's Robin Bairner examines the performance of France's three Champions League representatives, handing them each a grade based on their performance.
Dec 10, 2009 5:22:55 AM
Ligue 1 will be represented by two clubs in the last 16 of the Champions League, a decent return for Le Championnat’s sides, who were all drawn in difficult groups. Prior to the start of the competition, arguably only Olympique Lyonnais would have been expected to advance, with Girondins de Bordeaux and Olympique de Marseille reckoned to be facing up hill struggles.
As it was, Bordeaux moved through with the greatest ease, while Lyon were denied top spot in Group F only at the death. Didier Deschamps’ Marseille, meanwhile, were eliminated, but not without a significant fight.
Bordeaux
Group A – First Place
Drawn with European heavyweights Juventus and Bayern Munich, pundits tipped Bordeaux for third place in a pool that also contained Maccabi Haifa. Had les Girondins been paired with one of the weaker second seeds, hopes would have been higher, but as it was, Laurent Blanc’s men got somewhat fortuitous.
Both the Bianconeri and FCB were under new management, and neither would really hit their best form throughout the campaign, though the Germans would explode into life in a decisive final match in Turin. By that stage their performance was irrelevant to Bordeaux, who had claimed top spot with a series of efficient performances.
Starting out at the Stadio Olimpico, things looked a little bleak when Vincenzo Iaquinta gave Juve the lead midway through the second half. This would prove to be the last goal that Bordeaux would concede in the section, and they would promptly level matters through Jaroslav Plasil. One point might have been three had it not been for home goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, who enjoyed a fine evening.
The real turning point in their journey came from an unlikely source: center-back Michael Ciani. It was the former Lorient player who put les Girondins en route to victory in a game against Maccabi Haifa that looked certain to end in a stalemate.
More pieces of the jigsaw would soon fall into place with victory over Bayern at home, a match in which two penalties were missed by Blanc’s men. But the riled Germans lost their discipline, and with Daniel Van Buyten and Thomas Mueller both dismissed, they had to field a weakened squad at the Allianz Arena when the sides met again.
Bordeaux would snatch their third successive win, this time via a Yoann Gourcuff header and a Marouane Chamakh breakaway, dancing into the last 16 in the process.
And the piece de resistance came at home against Juventus, when without star man Gourcuff they registered a convincing 2-0 win, locking in top spot in the group.
This week’s 1-0 success in Israel over Maccabi was therefore academic, as Blanc recognized by fielding an entirely fringe squad.
Things fell into place almost perfectly for Bordeaux both internally and externally, allowing them to enjoy unexpected success and for the reputation of Blanc to grow further.
Grade: A+
Prospects: Having qualified first, les Girondins would hope to progress to the quarter-finals.
Olympique de Marseille
Group C – Third place
In many ways, Marseille’s Champions League challenge was almost over before it started. Their defining match was always likely to be the home tussle against Milan, and that seemed to come at a fortuitous time for OM, who were paired with the Rossoneri at Stade Velodrome in Matchday 1.
Going into that game with some swagger due to a positive start in the league, les Phoceens seemed to fancy themselves to take down Leonardo’s struggling outfit. They would enjoy the upper hand in terms of possession, territory and chances throughout the game but lacked the necessary know-how to break the Italians, who showed their pedigree at the very top level with two clinical goals. Only Gabriel Heinze could reply for the French.
A trip to Real Madrid was fruitless – Deschamps’ men were outclassed 3-0 – while a narrow away victory over FC Zurich at last gave last season’s Ligue 1 runners up some points. Hope was rekindled with a stunning 6-1 success over the Swiss side at home, again leaving the door to the last 16 a little ajar.
Once more Milan were to prove the major hurdle, and once more OM were to stumble, though they should really have claimed all three points at the San Siro with their best performance of the European campaign. A lack of cutting edge was again evident, with Brandao missing the simplest of chances to put the Provence club 2-1 up with time ticking away. Though Souleymane Diawara would hit the post late on, a point was all they could muster.
Despite their travails, there was still a slim chance of qualification going into the final game, which was against los Merengues at the Velodrome. A Cristiano Ronaldo crackerjack pushed Madrid ahead, but Lucho Gonzalez restored parity and hope for the hosts. With Zurich surprisingly ahead of Milan, there was still a chance.
But Raul Albiol converted smartly in the second half and Lucho missed a penalty, which effectively ended any chance of a famous turnaround. A win would have been enough to push Marseille through, but it was not to be.
Though there can be little doubt that the luck of the draw did not favor OM, the campaign was a tale of missed chances for the Provence club, who could so easily have punched above their weight with just a little more composure. The Europa League awaits.
Grade: B-
Prospects: Should Deschamps elect to treat the Europa League seriously, Marseille certainly have a shot of getting to the last four in the competition.
Olympique Lyonnais
Group E – Second Place
None of the French sides would receive favorable draws, with Lyon pitted against Fiorentina and Liverpool. Undaunted, OL carried their excellent early-season league form onto the continent, doing enough to defeat la Viola 1-0 at Stade Gerland in a contest during which Alberto Gilardino was controversially dismissed for the visiting side.
It was not particularly fluent, but it was a crucial start for Claude Puel’s side, who swept aside whipping boys Debrecen 4-0 in Hungary next. Les Gones picked apart the feeble rearguard of Andras Herczeg’s side in a clinical manner.
After these two warm-up games, les Gones, who were playing with only one recognized center-back due to a plethora of injuries, would have to take a step up at Anfield. Yossi Benayoun put the Reds ahead just before the break, but late efforts from Maxime Gonalons and Cesar Delgado miraculously turned the tie around.
Boasting three wins from three, OL were on the verge of qualification and would book it through another late strike against Rafael Benitez’s side, this time at Stade Gerland. A stunner from Ryan Babel had seemingly reignited Pool’s ailing challenge, but Lisandro’s cracking late finish sealed les Gones’ place in the last 16.
And it was lights out for Liverpool when a depleted Lyon side were defeated 1-0 in Florence, a result that meant the French side relinquished their group leadership.
That result would prove decisive in the final seconds of the group stage, as the Viola found a late winning goal at Anfield, turning around their game on Merseyside in a similar manner as Lyon had achieved.
The Italians had effectively nullified OL’s strong second half performance in defeating Debrecen 4-0 at home on the final day, leaving the French side to consider their shortcomings.
This is not a Lyon side commanding the quality of the vintage teams that reached the last eight in Europe several times earlier in the decade, and they will find the going tough against any of the group winners.
Grade: B-
Prospects: It was a case of job done in the group stages, but Lyon really needed to claim top spot if they were to have any chance of going deeper than the last 16.
How would you grade the performances of the French sides in Europe? Do you think Bordeaux or Lyon have the potential to go deep in the competition? Can Marseille win the Europa League? Goal.com wants to know what you think…
Robin Bairner, Goal.com
Get all the latest Champions League news with Goal.com's dedicated page.
As it was, Bordeaux moved through with the greatest ease, while Lyon were denied top spot in Group F only at the death. Didier Deschamps’ Marseille, meanwhile, were eliminated, but not without a significant fight.
Bordeaux
Group A – First Place
Drawn with European heavyweights Juventus and Bayern Munich, pundits tipped Bordeaux for third place in a pool that also contained Maccabi Haifa. Had les Girondins been paired with one of the weaker second seeds, hopes would have been higher, but as it was, Laurent Blanc’s men got somewhat fortuitous.
Both the Bianconeri and FCB were under new management, and neither would really hit their best form throughout the campaign, though the Germans would explode into life in a decisive final match in Turin. By that stage their performance was irrelevant to Bordeaux, who had claimed top spot with a series of efficient performances.
Starting out at the Stadio Olimpico, things looked a little bleak when Vincenzo Iaquinta gave Juve the lead midway through the second half. This would prove to be the last goal that Bordeaux would concede in the section, and they would promptly level matters through Jaroslav Plasil. One point might have been three had it not been for home goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, who enjoyed a fine evening.
The real turning point in their journey came from an unlikely source: center-back Michael Ciani. It was the former Lorient player who put les Girondins en route to victory in a game against Maccabi Haifa that looked certain to end in a stalemate.
More pieces of the jigsaw would soon fall into place with victory over Bayern at home, a match in which two penalties were missed by Blanc’s men. But the riled Germans lost their discipline, and with Daniel Van Buyten and Thomas Mueller both dismissed, they had to field a weakened squad at the Allianz Arena when the sides met again.
Bordeaux would snatch their third successive win, this time via a Yoann Gourcuff header and a Marouane Chamakh breakaway, dancing into the last 16 in the process.
And the piece de resistance came at home against Juventus, when without star man Gourcuff they registered a convincing 2-0 win, locking in top spot in the group.
This week’s 1-0 success in Israel over Maccabi was therefore academic, as Blanc recognized by fielding an entirely fringe squad.
Things fell into place almost perfectly for Bordeaux both internally and externally, allowing them to enjoy unexpected success and for the reputation of Blanc to grow further.
Grade: A+
Prospects: Having qualified first, les Girondins would hope to progress to the quarter-finals.
Olympique de Marseille
Group C – Third place
In many ways, Marseille’s Champions League challenge was almost over before it started. Their defining match was always likely to be the home tussle against Milan, and that seemed to come at a fortuitous time for OM, who were paired with the Rossoneri at Stade Velodrome in Matchday 1.
Going into that game with some swagger due to a positive start in the league, les Phoceens seemed to fancy themselves to take down Leonardo’s struggling outfit. They would enjoy the upper hand in terms of possession, territory and chances throughout the game but lacked the necessary know-how to break the Italians, who showed their pedigree at the very top level with two clinical goals. Only Gabriel Heinze could reply for the French.
A trip to Real Madrid was fruitless – Deschamps’ men were outclassed 3-0 – while a narrow away victory over FC Zurich at last gave last season’s Ligue 1 runners up some points. Hope was rekindled with a stunning 6-1 success over the Swiss side at home, again leaving the door to the last 16 a little ajar.
Once more Milan were to prove the major hurdle, and once more OM were to stumble, though they should really have claimed all three points at the San Siro with their best performance of the European campaign. A lack of cutting edge was again evident, with Brandao missing the simplest of chances to put the Provence club 2-1 up with time ticking away. Though Souleymane Diawara would hit the post late on, a point was all they could muster.
Despite their travails, there was still a slim chance of qualification going into the final game, which was against los Merengues at the Velodrome. A Cristiano Ronaldo crackerjack pushed Madrid ahead, but Lucho Gonzalez restored parity and hope for the hosts. With Zurich surprisingly ahead of Milan, there was still a chance.
But Raul Albiol converted smartly in the second half and Lucho missed a penalty, which effectively ended any chance of a famous turnaround. A win would have been enough to push Marseille through, but it was not to be.
Though there can be little doubt that the luck of the draw did not favor OM, the campaign was a tale of missed chances for the Provence club, who could so easily have punched above their weight with just a little more composure. The Europa League awaits.
Grade: B-
Prospects: Should Deschamps elect to treat the Europa League seriously, Marseille certainly have a shot of getting to the last four in the competition.
Olympique Lyonnais
Group E – Second Place
None of the French sides would receive favorable draws, with Lyon pitted against Fiorentina and Liverpool. Undaunted, OL carried their excellent early-season league form onto the continent, doing enough to defeat la Viola 1-0 at Stade Gerland in a contest during which Alberto Gilardino was controversially dismissed for the visiting side.
It was not particularly fluent, but it was a crucial start for Claude Puel’s side, who swept aside whipping boys Debrecen 4-0 in Hungary next. Les Gones picked apart the feeble rearguard of Andras Herczeg’s side in a clinical manner.
After these two warm-up games, les Gones, who were playing with only one recognized center-back due to a plethora of injuries, would have to take a step up at Anfield. Yossi Benayoun put the Reds ahead just before the break, but late efforts from Maxime Gonalons and Cesar Delgado miraculously turned the tie around.
Boasting three wins from three, OL were on the verge of qualification and would book it through another late strike against Rafael Benitez’s side, this time at Stade Gerland. A stunner from Ryan Babel had seemingly reignited Pool’s ailing challenge, but Lisandro’s cracking late finish sealed les Gones’ place in the last 16.
And it was lights out for Liverpool when a depleted Lyon side were defeated 1-0 in Florence, a result that meant the French side relinquished their group leadership.
That result would prove decisive in the final seconds of the group stage, as the Viola found a late winning goal at Anfield, turning around their game on Merseyside in a similar manner as Lyon had achieved.
The Italians had effectively nullified OL’s strong second half performance in defeating Debrecen 4-0 at home on the final day, leaving the French side to consider their shortcomings.
This is not a Lyon side commanding the quality of the vintage teams that reached the last eight in Europe several times earlier in the decade, and they will find the going tough against any of the group winners.
Grade: B-
Prospects: It was a case of job done in the group stages, but Lyon really needed to claim top spot if they were to have any chance of going deeper than the last 16.
How would you grade the performances of the French sides in Europe? Do you think Bordeaux or Lyon have the potential to go deep in the competition? Can Marseille win the Europa League? Goal.com wants to know what you think…
Robin Bairner, Goal.com
Get all the latest Champions League news with Goal.com's dedicated page.
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