Real Madrid will get another stab at the Champions League when they meet Lyon who have defeated them last season. This time we will see a different Madrid (but wait...don't we actually see a different Madrid every year?) but seriously the only reason that I see Madrid being different is because of the manager Fabio Capello, this is his second stint in his first reign he was sacked after winning the Spanish Championship..yes the standards were high back in the "old days" at Madrid, how times have changed.
This time the personnel are being bought not just for ther "good looks" but also for the skill and speciality, which should be the case anyway. Capello has brought the much wanted steel in the midfield with Emerson and Mahamadou Diarra. This gap was missing ever since Makelele left, because Madrid did not view him as a valuable player compared to the rest of the players at Madrid at that time and so Makelele's financial demands were not met.
As if to prove this point Real Madrid have not won a trophy since he left in 2003. Even Though Madrid won their match against Levante 4-1 over the weekend and Nistelrooy scored a hatrick, I still think they would not cause a upset against Lyon. Capello was not happy with the peformance of his team saying they were too slow, this is why I think Madrid this season will be different. But not just yet, there is still some prunning to be done. Nistelrooy should just get on with the game and forget about his "bad time" at United and stop blaming Ferguson for not playing him in the Carling cup, United won, period.
Lyon however are growing stronger every season, the five time French Champions gave Madrid a 3-0 bashing last season and players like Juninho, Cacapa, Malouda (who had an excellent World Cup), Eric Abidal and Tiago are all household names. Lyon made four new signings in the summer new comer Sebastien Squillaci will replace the injured Cacapa.
Houlier who took over from Paul Le Guen never got the credit he deserved he maintained a happy ship and managed to win Lyon's fifth championship after Le Guen left. They could not be any different one is calm, cool and calculated and the other seems to take everything by the scuruff of the neck and though not elegant is far from a bad manager, he (Houllier) after all set the ball rolling for the French football school of excellence after the 1986 World Cup.
Well I am sticking out my neck for two matches tonight Lyon V Madrid I think is going to be 2-2 and Manchester United will beat Celtic 3-1.
This time the personnel are being bought not just for ther "good looks" but also for the skill and speciality, which should be the case anyway. Capello has brought the much wanted steel in the midfield with Emerson and Mahamadou Diarra. This gap was missing ever since Makelele left, because Madrid did not view him as a valuable player compared to the rest of the players at Madrid at that time and so Makelele's financial demands were not met.
As if to prove this point Real Madrid have not won a trophy since he left in 2003. Even Though Madrid won their match against Levante 4-1 over the weekend and Nistelrooy scored a hatrick, I still think they would not cause a upset against Lyon. Capello was not happy with the peformance of his team saying they were too slow, this is why I think Madrid this season will be different. But not just yet, there is still some prunning to be done. Nistelrooy should just get on with the game and forget about his "bad time" at United and stop blaming Ferguson for not playing him in the Carling cup, United won, period.
Lyon however are growing stronger every season, the five time French Champions gave Madrid a 3-0 bashing last season and players like Juninho, Cacapa, Malouda (who had an excellent World Cup), Eric Abidal and Tiago are all household names. Lyon made four new signings in the summer new comer Sebastien Squillaci will replace the injured Cacapa.
Houlier who took over from Paul Le Guen never got the credit he deserved he maintained a happy ship and managed to win Lyon's fifth championship after Le Guen left. They could not be any different one is calm, cool and calculated and the other seems to take everything by the scuruff of the neck and though not elegant is far from a bad manager, he (Houllier) after all set the ball rolling for the French football school of excellence after the 1986 World Cup.
Well I am sticking out my neck for two matches tonight Lyon V Madrid I think is going to be 2-2 and Manchester United will beat Celtic 3-1.
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