Lyon lapse opens door for renaissant OM

It’s been a mad March for league leaders across the continent. Manchester United let Liverpool back into the Premier League title race in 90 crazy minutes at Old Trafford; in Spain, Barça’s once-handsome lead over Real has been slashed to six points; Bayern’s domestic travails mean that the Bundesliga is now a five-horse race; even impregnable Inter have conceded a little ground in the hunt for the scudetto. Next we’ll be hearing news from across the channel that unassailable Lyon are in danger of failing to top Ligue 1 for the first time in eight long years. Well, dear readers, that might just be the case; as Claude Puel’s boys stumbling form has finally brought the wolves to the door.

For the first time in near-on a decade, it’s on. The leaders’ 0-2 loss to Auxerre – brought about by defensive errors from Jean-Alain Boumsong (who’d have guessed?) and the usually dependable ‘keeper, Hugo Lloris – added extra weight to the playing of ‘Le Clasico: Part Deux’ late on Sunday evening. Paris Saint Germain hosted their fierce rivals from the south, Olympique Marseille, knowing that three points would see them usurp Lyon as table-toppers. The visitors from the Mediterranean coast, meanwhile, could draw level with PSG in second place if they could overturn their shock 2-4 defeat in October’s reverse fixture.

As the heavy early fog of the pre-match flares dispersed, Marseille emerged from the smoke the stronger of the two contenders; the Parisians clearly burdened by the weight of expectation which swilled around the packed Parc des Princes. Having been fortunate to survive the drop last term, PSG now faced an altogether different pressure, as the prospect of a first title since 1994 looms large.

The opening goal came as a direct result of an ultra-rare Claude Makelele error. The ex-Chelsea and Real Madrid midfield shield, who might retire at season’s end, uncharacteristically fluffed possession in his own half, allowing January signing Brandão to cleverly backheel a pass into the path of on-charging Bolo Zenden. Some quick footwork and a tidy finish by the veteran Dutchman gave OM a merited lead.

Marseille coach Eric Gerets surprisingly preferred Zenden to Hatem Ben Arfa and Brandao to bustling target-man Mamadou Niang, still recovering from a foot injury, but was quickly vindicated by the pair’s incisive impact. The gruff Belgian also opted to hand Tyrone Mears a rare start at right back, though the Englishman coped admirably with being thrown into the cauldron of France’s national ‘derby’ having spent months on the bench. Having controversially escaped the nightmare which was Derby County under Paul Jewell, a sojourn in the sultry French port must have its attractions, even if playing time has been at a premium. Mears was the last man, but by no means wholly culpable, as evergreen forward Ludo Giuly deftly escaped the offside trap to carefully place an equaliser past Steve Mandanda in the Marseille goal.

It was an undeserved reward for an out-fought and out-thought PSG side as half-time approached. Just when the home team looked as if they might be capable of snatching a win, and with it top spot, their dreams of domestic supremacy imploded before the eyes of the Parisian faithful.

Early in the second period, Zoumana Camara crudely brought down Zenden on the periphery of the penalty area; resulting in a red card for the one-time Inter Milan (and, briefly, Leeds) defender and a free-kick in dangerous territory for Marseille. Zenden’s kick stung the palms of Mickael Landreau, but Bakari Koné fortuitously (for he knew little about it) diverted in the rebound. PSG were now a goal and a man down and, even with more than half-an-hour to go, unlikely to recover.

Paul Le Guen’s re-organisation left three against three at the back; the makeshift backline helmed by 19-year-old prodigy Mamadou Sakho. Recent Marseille signing Sylvain Wiltord watched on from the stands in the company of Patrick Vieira – fresh from his inglorious return to Old Trafford – as his new team-mates effectively concluded matters shortly after. Once an employee of PSG, Marseille’s skipper Lorik Cana took great delight in firing a low, deflected shot past the outstretched arms of Landreau.

That killer third goal quashed any lingering dreams of a home revival, yet there was still time for Giuly, inevitably diminishing in pace but still retaining sharpness of mind (and a great foil for tall striker Guillaume Hoareau) to fire a ferocious volley at goal following an innovative free-kick routine. The diminutive attacker was denied even the consolation of a spectacular second goal though, as Mandanda pulled off a world-class reaction save low to his right. It was a stop, allied to the consistently brilliant accuracy and length of the ‘keeper’s kicking out of hand, that surely impressed the on-looking national coach, Raymond Domenech. Once a trialist at Aston Villa, Kinshasa-born Mandanda has started the World Cup qualifying campaign as first choice no.1 and, on this evidence, will be a worthy successor to Grégory Coupet.

In losing at the Stade Gerland for the first time this season, the aura of impregnability which once surrounded Coupet’s former club, Lyon, has been well and truly punctured. They cannot afford their obvious Champions League hangover to continue any further into the championship run-in. Puel must hope that star man Karim Benzema, too, can shake the torpor which has dogged his previous progress since admitting he wants out of the club, earlier this season.

For once, the big clubs and their impressive management – Messrs Gerets, Le Guen, and Blanc (of Bordeaux) are all capable of ending the monopoly – are sincerely threatening the monotonous supremacy of the little-loved Lyonnais. Even Lille and upstarts Toulouse have a decent shot at glory; each lurking a mere four points behind the leaders. As Bolo Zenden says: “Now, the league is wide open.”

Rule-makers are a law unto themselves

Radical change could be on its way. Football; the most popular, simple and - arguably - conservative sport on the planet is long overdue a 21^st century overhaul. This weekend, the game’s lawmakers, the IFAB, convene in County Down, Northern Ireland for their 123^rd AGM. On the agenda for discussion are a number of potential rule-changes which would have the greatest impact on professional football since the back was abolished in the aftermath of the awful bore-fest that was Italia ’90.

The International Football Association Board has been the ‘guardian’ of football’s laws since 1886. Four FIFA representatives and one each from the home nations sit at each meeting, and a three-quarters majority is needed to pass any motion (which can be submitted by any of FIFA’s member associations).

In 2009, it is surely anachronistic that the British FAs should still be so disproportionately represented on the IFAB panel, but what more should we expect from an organisation which Sepp ‘women footballers should wear hotpants’ Blatter has, in the past, acclaimed for its “stable and steadying influence” on the world’s favourite game?

While tennis (with the notable exception of Roger Federer) has welcomed the retrospective decision-making HawkEye system with open arms and rugby union ushers in controversial new laws (or ELVs) designed to move the sport away from insidious negativity and adapt to the modern era of professionalism, football remains, staidly, the same. The governing bodies still shy away from the introduction of technology to ease the burden on under-fire referees, but at least this year’s meeting will discuss several potentially crucial developments which could alter certain aspects of the game forever.

What might these changes be? Let’s take a look.

Sin-binning players for second bookable offences. Backed by the first and only refereeing galactico, Pierluigi Collina, the introduction of sin-binning or the ‘orange card’ has long been cited as a means of improving on-field discipline. This will mirror rugby’s introduction of the temporary removal of a player for infringing the rules. Raymond Kennedy, president of the Irish FA says: “The offence would be dealt with on the day and the team offended against would be the team to benefit. We see a lot of merit in it and I am hoping they sanction an experiment at youth level for a season or so.” Hit or miss? The current disciplinary model makes it rational for defenders to take out opponents in attacking positions, picking up a ‘professional’ yellow card, rather than concede a goal. As in basketball, cynical behaviour or dangerous tackling should be dealt with in a harsher manner than ‘technical’ offences like shirt-removal during goal celebrations or kicking the ball away. Just imagine Cristiano Ronaldo, Steven Gerrard or (insert your favourite diver here) languishing on the bench for ten minutes as punishment for ‘simulation’ (i.e. cheating in order to win a penalty). Justice would be meted out in a fair and proportionate manner, dealing with offences summarily during the 90 minutes of play...HIT.

20-minute half-time interval. Altering Law 7 – ‘The Duration of the Match’; the mid-game break will be extended by a further five minutes. This will apparently allow players more time to negotiate their way through the labyrinthine corridors of badly-designed stadia and brings the total time of the average match (accounting for stoppage time) closer to the two-hour mark. Hit or miss? Stuff the integrity; it’s all about the money. Primarily suits advertisers and few others – certainly not the common fan sitting in the stadium. In mitigation, a half-time pee could be undertaken at a more leisurely pace, with ample time remaining to purchase your balti pie/tongue-scorching cup of tea/massively-overpriced Coke product, so all’s not lost. Nonetheless this one’s a...MISS.

A fourth sub for games that go into extra-time. A change to Law 3 – ‘The Number of Players’ to increase the maximum number of substitutions in the event of extra time. Possibly designed with increasing the chances of achieving a result during the extra half-hour (more fresh legs = more goalscoring opportunities). Hit or miss? This change would allow coaches to play their full hand, thereby initiating any necessary tactical changes, before 90 minutes are up, with the cushion of a further sub remaining. Many a major tournament classic has been tainted by the unedifying sight of two teams limping through the extra period with penalties a painful inevitability throughout. It’s more a cosmetic tweak than a major facelift, but this change could help a little...HIT.

Two additional goal-line refereeing assistants. These additional officials (bringing the total to an unwieldy six) will assist the referee with decisions within the penalty area. Hit or miss? This proposal makes clear that the law-makers’ stubborn refusal to entertain the introduction of goal-line technology remains stronger than ever. It would be something of a compromise, which acknowledges that something needs to be done to resolve ball-over-the-line controversy – particularly in this moneyed age – but the possibility of human error remains. The referee’s once all-pervasive authority would be diluted even further and there could potentially be three conflicting verdicts on any penalty-box decision. Also, if this comes into force; spare a thought for those officials who would need to stand statically at the end of the goal-line, taking all kinds of abuse from irate fans for an hour-and-a-half. All in all, a...MISS.

In an ideal world, the IFAB would also find time to address the inherent silliness of making obviously uninjured players leave the field before returning at the referees behest; re-clarify the offside law (which was exposed by Ruud van Nistelrooy’s goal vs Italy at Euro 2008); and formalise the clever use of an aerosol spray to effectively maintain the 10-yard distance between kicker and wall at free kicks. However, progress comes slowly in football’s corridors of power.

For now, at least, fundamental reforms such as larger goals, reduced penalty areas, and micro-chipped balls will have to wait. While past innovations such as ‘Gold’ and ‘Silver’ goals were a flop, the IFAB should not fear change. The essential simplicity of the game must be retained at all costs, but not at the expense of innovation and modernisation. That is how the greatest game on earth can continue to grow for years to come.

UEFA Cup Last 32, 2nd leg Previews

The UEFA Cup gets a bad press. While its bigger, better, more glamorous brother, the Champions League, draws attention with all manner of sexy match-ups between continental heavyweights – and there are some particularly alluring ties this week – Europe’s second tier are relegated to something of a mildly-amusing sideshow. It’s a sad state of affairs, especially because this year’s last 32 has a lot to offer – with a number of high-quality sides poised to resume battle on Thursday evening and a number of intriguing ties still in the balance.

The reality is though, for some, the UEFA Cup is something of an unwelcome distraction from the bread and butter of domestic competition. Just look at Tottenham’s approach to the first leg of their clash with Ukraine’s Shaktar Donetsk, where young Dean Parrett was handed an unexpected debut and on-loan back-up Frazier Campbell ploughed a lone furrow up front with minimal success.

Coming, as it does, sandwiched between Monday’s crucial late victory at Hull and Spurs’ Wembley engagement with rampant Manchester United this weekend, Harry Redknapp’s promised approach (a youth/reserve team XI) to the second leg essentially foregoes any further involvement in the competition they last won back in 1972. So, as a Shaktar side well-drilled by veteran Romanian coach Mircea Lucescu should reasonably be expected to consolidate their first-leg advantage, it’s better to focus primarily on the other remaining English sides.

It is either high-flying Aston Villa or Roman Abramovich-backed CSKA Moscow that will await the Brazilian-inspired Ukrainians (should they take care of business at White Hart Lane) in the next round. CSKA do not resume domestic duties until next month, following a three-month break, yet looked far from ring-rusty in last Wednesday’s pulsating 1-1 draw at a vibrant Villa Park.

Finishing the 2008 campaign as runners-up to surprise winners Rubin Kazan, qualification for next year’s Champions League is already in the bag for the side now managed by Brazilian midfield maestro Zico.

As recent UEFA Cup winners, with victory over Sporting in the 2005 final in Lisbon, the Muscovites are no strangers to continental success. Money injected into the club by Sibneft, the Chelsea owner’s oil company, has enabled the team to recruit Brazilian stars such as extravagant striker Vágner Love (scorer of the brilliant, precious away goal in Birmingham and competition top-scorer with nine already) and talented midfielder Dani Carvalho, recently returned from a five-month loan deal back home with Internacional. Arguably though, CSKA’s star man was grown rather closer to home.

Yuri Zhirkov, a raiding left full-back for Guus Hiddink’s Russian national team, is a hugely effective, quick-witted winger for the club he joined in 2004. Zhirkov – voted Russian footballer of the year, ahead of Arsenal’s Andrei Arshavin – was largely contained by Luke Young during their first clash. In the more familiar sub-zero surrounds of the plastic Luzhniki pitch, Villa should expect the elusive wide-man to exert far greater influence on the second leg.

Regrettably, and contradictorily – given their protracted involvement in the mid-summer Intertoto Cup as a means of getting to this stage – Martin O’Neill will field a much-weakened team in the Russian capital. The Villans’ notoriously thin squad can barely accommodate more than one or two absentees at a time, as the second-string’s limp defeats against Hamburg and MSK Zilina earlier in the competition testify. The club of the Russian Army must, therefore, be firm favourites to progress.

Such a scenario could leave Manchester City as the Premier League’s last remaining representatives. Their helter-skelter two-all draw with FC København leaves Mark Hughes’ side ideally placed to advance to the last 16.

Another graduate from the final Intertoto competition was Deportivo La Coruna; the Galicians slumped to a 0-3 away defeat at the hands of Danish champions Aalborg and so have a mighty task on their hands to turn things round at the Riazor.