Some random thoughts coming off the weekend action around the world:
1987 is hailed as a golden year in French football. It was the year that Karim Benzema was born, as was Samir Nasri, Jeremy Menez and Hatem Ben Arfa. These players made up the squad that won the 2004 U-17 European Championship, beating Cesc Fabregas's Spain 2-1 in the final (it was Nasri that scored the winner).
When Didier Deschamps was appointed coach of Marseille in summer 2009, the first thing he did was rebuild the team's defense. The central-defensive partnership that had started the previous season, Vitorino Hilton and El-Amin Erbate, had flopped big-time and potentially cost Marseille the league title: it finished only three points behind champions Bordeaux, who clinched the trophy on the final day of the season.
Claude Puel has been Lyon coach for almost three years, and the jury is still out. Puel was appointed after Lyon's unprecedented dominance of Ligue 1 resulted in seven straight titles, but the club has not yet won a trophy under him. It did, however, reach the Champions League semifinals last year for the first time in its history.
Bordeaux broke a French top-flight record when it won the league title in 2008-09, winning its last 11 games to jump four places and overturn a six-point deficit. At the time, it was as though a perfect storm had descended over Les Girondins. Stats later showed that no team that season scored more goals from headers (22), from set-piece moves (25, nine from corners), from substitutes (10) or by coming from behind (23 points).
It's been over two months since France's players went on strike during the World Cup in protest of the French football federation's decision to send home striker Nicolas Anelka, but it might as well have been yesterday given the mess the team faces as its Euro 2012 qualifying campaign gets under way.
Lyon have reached agreement with French league rivals Bordeaux to sign French international playmaker Yoann Gourcuff for a fee of 22 million euros.
Arsenal have signed Moroccan international striker Marouane Chamakh from Bordeaux on a free transfer.
Lyon coach Claude Puel is confident that his team can cause an upset in their European Champions League semifinal first leg against German giants Bayern Munich.
Bayern Munich produced a spirited fight back to knock 10-man Manchester United out of Europe's Champions League and set up a semifinal against Lyon.
Bayern Munich scored in injury-time to defeat Manchester United 2-1 in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final, while Lyon beat their French rivals Bordeaux 3-1.
Lionel Messi underlined his status as the best player in the world with two inspirational goals and an assist as holders Barcelona cruised into the quarterfinals of the Champions League with a 4-0 victory at home to Stuttgart on Wednesday night.
Arjen Robben proved the difference for the second time in four days as Bayern Munich came from behind to beat Freiburg 2-1 to leapfrog Schalke at the top of the Bundesliga.
David Beckham admits he has mixed feelings ahead of the first leg of AC Milan's Champions League last-16 clash with Manchester United, the club where he made his name as a sporting superstar.
Lionel Messi scored an extra-time winner as Barcelona came from behind to beat Estudiantes 2-1 in the Club World Cup final on Saturday to confirm the Spanish and European champions as the top team on the planet.
CNN's Tracey Holmes joined a packed crowd in Abu Dhabi for the FIFA Club World Cup semi-final match.
Real Madrid took a step closer to the last 16 of the Champions League after easing past Zurich 1-0 thanks to a first-half goal from Gonzalo Higuain.
Real Madrid capped a disappointing week by being held goalless by Sporting Gijon in the Spanish Primera Liga on Saturday night.
We're halfway through the Champions League group stage, which means it's midterm report-card time for Europe's elite. In this evaluation, though, you don't get a straight grade -- you're on a curve based on how you've performed relative to expectations.
Brazilian Alexandre Pato scored twice as AC Milan stunned Real Madrid 3-2 in a thriller at the Bernabeu to get their Champions League Group C challenge back on track.
Inter Milan needed a last-minute goal by Wesley Sneijder to beat Udinese 2-1 to move top of the Serie A standings on Saturday.
Kenwyne Jones scored a double as Sunderland fought off a Wolves comeback to register a 5-2 victory in the only English Premier League match on Sunday.
Juventus maintained their fierce pace at the top of Serie A with a 2-0 home win over Livorno in Turin on Saturday night.
Juventus moved three points clear at the top of Italy's Serie A with a 2-0 victory at Lazio on Saturday, while AC Milan's poor start to the season continued with a 0-0 draw at Livorno.
Holders Barcelona will face Inter Milan, pitting Samuel Eto'o and Zlatan Ibrahimovic against their former clubs, after the draw for the Champions League group stage was made in Monaco on Thursday.
Bordeaux clinched the French league title with a 1-0 win over Caen on a dramatic final day of the season.
AZ Alkmaar were crowned Dutch champions for the first time since 1981 after Ajax were thrashed 6-2 at PSV Eindhoven on Sunday.
Defending champion Lyon stayed ahead in the tight French title race with a 3-1 victory over Le Mans with star striker Karim Benzema scoring twice.
Seven-time reigning champions Lyon went back to the top of the French first division with a 2-0 home win over Sochaux on Sunday.
Juventus moved to within four points of Serie A leaders Inter Milan with a 4-1 thrashing of AS Roma in the Stadio Olimpico on Saturday night.
Toulouse striker Andre-Pierre Gignac has been handed his first call-up to the France squad for their two World Cup qualifiers against Lithuania.
CSKA Moscow produced a professional performance to get past Aston Villa's 'reserves' in the second leg of their UEFA Cup last-32 tie on Thursday, winning 2-0 on the night for a 3-1 aggregate victory.
Italian giants AC Milan will face Bundesliga side Werder Bremen in the last 32 of the UEFA Cup as they continue in their quest to win the only major European trophy that has so far eluded them.
Lyon were held to a scoreless draw by Marseille on Sunday but kept their three-point lead at the top of the French league.
Didier Drogba delivered the knockout blow as Chelsea finally saw off Romanian challengers Cluj 2-1 to qualify for the last 16 of the Champions League as section runners-up behind Roma.
Marseille's French title challenge hit the buffers as Lorient came from two goals down to beat them 3-2 at the Stade Velodrome on Saturday.
France coach Raymond Domenech has opted for youth over experience with veteran goalkeeper Gregory Coupet left out of a 20-man squad for the friendly against Sweden in Gothenburg on August 20.
Lyon romped to a seventh successive French League title as a 3-1 win at Auxerre saw them hold off the challenge of Bordeaux who were held 2-2 at relegated Lens.
High-flyers Bordeaux have been dumped out of the French Cup at the quarterfinal stage, losing 4-3 on penalties to Ligue Two side Sedan after the match ended in a goalless draw.
© 2013 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
|