There may be a new look to Lyon when the French first division campaign kicks off today, but it will be business as usual as the champions chase down an unprecedented eighth consecutive league title.
Manager Alain Perrin, who led Lyon to the league and cup double, long-time keeper Gregory Coupet and international starlet Hatem Ben Arfa all moved on in a spring clean that raised a few eyebrows, not to mention hackles. In their place came former Lille coach Claude Puel, French reserve keeper Hugo Lloris and striker Frederic Piquionne as Lyon looked to mount a serious challenge, not only at home but abroad.
On signing, Puel spoke of the club’s “lofty ambition” to compete well in the Champions League, a tournament in which they have never made the semi-finals.
But Lyon will not have it all their own way domestically, as evidenced by last weekend’s French Champions Trophy defeat at the hands of league runners-up Bordeaux. Coached by World Cup winner Laurent Blanc, Bordeaux beat the champions 5-4 on penalties, a potentially epoch-busting defeat as Lyon have not been beaten in that cup since 2001.
Another team with a say in the destination of the league trophy will be last season’s third-placed Marseille. The Mediterranean side will surely miss future star Samir Nasri, who moved to English Premier League side Arsenal in the close season, but the capture of Ben Afra could offset that.
One player who will not be making his way to Marseille is former striker Didier Drogba, who is set to pledge his future to Chelsea. Drogba had been the subject of an audacious Marseille fans’ initiative to buy him back, with a donations Web site raising more than 2.5 million euros (US$3.8 million) — but falling some 38 million euros short of the star’s going rate.
On the subject of ambitious projects, sleeping giants St Etienne could be about to wake from a slumber that has seen them go without top-flight silverware for over 25 years. Coached by Laurent Roussey, the 10-time French champions placed a respectable fifth last season to earn a UEFA Cup spot. As a sign of their intentions, the club have managed to keep hold of hot shot Bafetimbi Gomis, who recently pledged his future until 2012.
One thing is for sure, the coming French season will be full of incident and action and, in some cases, it certainly won’t be the place for faint hearts.
Top seeds Alexander Zverev of Germany and American Coco Gauff on Tuesday advanced to the third round of the Canadian Open after both players were pushed hard by their opponents. World No. 3 Zverev, playing in his first match since his first-round loss at Wimbledon, was far from his best, but emerged with a 7-6 (8/6), 6-4 win over Adam Walton under the lights in Toronto. Momentum shifted firmly in Zverev’s favor when he won a 52-shot rally in the first set tiebreak and he sealed the win on a double fault by the Australian in the second set. “It was a very
Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko upset top-seeded Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-4 on Saturday night to reach the National Bank Open quarter-finals. “Your support was incredible,” Mboko told the crowd in French after a chorus of “Ole, Ole, Ole” chants echoed around the venue. “I’m really happy to win today ... It’s incredible. I’m so happy to beat such a great champion.” Gauff dropped to 2-3 since winning the French Open. She followed the major victory with opening losses in Berlin and Wimbledon, then overcame double-fault problems to win two three-set matches in Montreal. Gauff had five double-faults on Saturday after having 23 in
Taiwan’s top women’s badminton doubles duo, Hsieh Pei-shan (謝沛珊) and Hung En-tzu (洪恩慈), achieved a straight-sets victory over Japan’s Kaho Osawa and Mayui Tanabe at the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Super 300 Macau Open on Sunday. The Taiwanese pair won the final 21-18, 21-12, marking the duo’s second title this year after their win at the BWF Super 300 Taipei Open in May. The match on Sunday was their first encounter with the Japanese duo, ranked No. 63 in the world. Hsieh and Hung, ranked No. 12, began the opening game well. Hung, who plays left-handed, performed strongly at both the net and the
Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen on Thursday said that he is staying with the Red Bull team next year, ending months of speculation over his future. “Some people just like to stir the pot, some people just like to create drama, but, for me, it’s always been quite clear, and also for next year,” the four-time champion said ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix. “I’m discussing with the team already the plans — the things that we want to change for next year, so that means that I’m also staying with the team for next year,” he said. Verstappen has a contract with
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