Moliere

Yes, we were held to a draw by Bordeaux. Yes, Marseille cut our lead to one point with their victory over Montpelier. Yes, yes it sucks we dropped points, having only taken one point from six possible. All the talk of Lille hitting a wall and mental weakness will only grow.

Okay.

So let’s fight.

Who seriously thought the Ligue 1 title would be a cup of tea? Especially the last seven matches of the season. This is Lille. We haven’t won a league title in 57 years. We have to fight. Period. We are going to lay eggs (Monaco for one). We were not clinical in finishing. We still need to throw punches. Not having Gervinho hurt yet there were still positives. Moussa Sow scored again. Mickael Landreau was huge between the sticks.

Championship teams find ways to earn three points. They win at home. They win on the road. They win with makeshift lineups. We need to find ways to win and play our brand of football. We are contenders for the throne, not the title holders. We need to be looking for a fight, not waiting for one.

Supa Sow

It’s been said that form is temporary but class is permanent. It’s too soon to tell whether Sow is just in good form or he is a player of high class. He is, undoubtedly, the ever present danger-man that fuels Lille’s goal assault on Ligue 1.

A couple bars….

They say Ligue 1 is soft

That cats like me and Gervinho are better off

Going to Newcastle, Liverpool or maybe even Tottenham where we could run things

Like Tony Danza in “Who’s the Boss?”

They tweet,

That I’m the flavor of the week,

other players on more established teams deserve the MVP.

What don’t they like?

Is it because I don’t play for Marseille, Lyon or PSG?

Or because I have at least 3 teammates everybody says are better than me?

You can say what you like, it’s your right,

I’m a keep scoring goals like Thomas Edison flew his kite.

My game is so sick it should be illegal,

I scratch up defenses like a DJ with a needle.

My game is on the uptick, I’m spreading my wings like an eagle,

I don’t have time to chill on the beach and eat crackers with the rest of the seagulls.

Gervinho’s on my left, Hazard’s on my right,

We keep listening to Rudy, Lille’ll be top flight.

They keep asking me when my game got so mean

I smirk and then tell them it’s in my genes.

Lille has the best attack in Ligue 1 so it seems,

Mickael Landreau sits on the porch, keeping our sheets clean.

Moussa Sow, don’t forget the name,

Don’t be afraid, but my form is insane.

Peep the league leader charts, I’m all flame.

I score goals, that won’t change.

Harry Redknapp and Kenny Dalglish are trying to snap me up like some prime real estate,

I ride for Rudy and Lille, they can wait.

As the season wraps up, we’ll find out our fate,

Moussa Sow, I score goals so Lille can take the cake.

———————————————————————

Moussa Sow, for my money, should be heavily considered for Player of the Year.

Shout out to 1986Kreuzberg for this gem.

Video evidence

In other news Lille’s 2011/2012 kits have been leaked to the inter webs. Shout out to Chris for the heads up. Maybe they’ll grow on me but they look OK to me.

Gervinho and Eden Hazard came out of the locker room with their play making boots early. Gervinho’s energy and burst was contagious in the attacking third, fueling the link-up and unlocking Caen negative stance. Clinical finishes from Aurelien Chedjou (30’), Hazard (61’) and Moussa Sow (73’) ensured three points that pushes the club four points clear in league play.

First Touch

1. Lille were surgical and commanding in possession. They finished with 60% possession that would have been much higher if it weren’t for lapses in focus at the ends of both halves. Matthieu Debuchy, Florent Balmont, and Yohan Cabaye were instrumental in keeping play in Caen’s half.
2. The attacking trident of Sow, Gervinho and Hazard was in full flow. The synergy of the attack rendered Caen hopeless seemingly from the first whistle. Gervinho’s work rate was phenomenal, it’s a shame he didn’t get on the score sheet.
3. Mickael Landreau is one of the better club keepers in Europe. The times he had to come off the porch to clean up messes were few yet crucial in maintaining the balance of the match.
4. Rudy Garcia signing on through 2014 was a huge boost for morale. To see him raise up and holler at the referee after a studs up tackle on Hazard underlies his commitment and importance to Lille’s confidence.
5. Florent Balmont put in a full shift in the center of the park. Respect.

I like lists so I put together a quick one for Lille’s 27.

1. Gervinho is currently tied for 5^th on the Ligue 1 goal scoring chart with 12 goals while also being the 4^th leading assist man in the league with 8 assists. Marseille could not consistently deal with him at the Stade Velodrome. Think Chris Paul on grass.  Pace, technical ability and finishing prowess.
2. How many players can go from Gervais Yao Kouassi to Gervinho and pull it off? Is he really Brazilian?  Wait he’s from the Ivory Coast? Uh yeah and you can catch him at the Africa Cup of Nations 2012.
3. Only two people can rock that hairstyle- Bacary Sagna and Gervinho. Sagna  cheats with the blond extensions(Wagner Love, Sagna, Djibril Cisse and Alexander Song must still have Sisqo’s Unleash the Dragon album) but I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt. Gervinho keeps it clean and classy.
4. Its one thing to be linked to transfer rumors and be blessed by the greats (read: Eden Hazard). It’s another thing to continue to produce. Gervinho scores. He creates chances for Moussa Sow while using pace and guile to effortlessly cut in from the flanks. After Gervinho the production from Lille is dispersed over many players, statistically. His presence on the opposition’s fullbacks is crucial to Lille’s seemingly unending waves of attacking forays.

For the record I rate players like Eden Hazard and  Gervinho as top shelf but my respect begins with Adil Rami. His work ethic and presence embodies what Lille is all about to me.

My love and admiration for Lille is ever increasing and I aim to share as much of it as I can.

Let’s get started!

Sunday, August 09, 2009 – 17:00 H
STADIUM LILLE METROPOLE
Attendance 14, 710

LOSC
BUTELLE
EMERSON
BERIA
AUBAMEYANG (59′ )
RAMI
PLESTAN
BALMONT
DEBUCHY (74′ )
CABAYE
OBRANIAK
MAVUBA (c)
HAZARD
VITTEK
DE MELO (54′ )

Lorient
AUDARD
KOSCIELNY
MOREL
BACA
MARCHAL (c)
MVUEMBA
JOUFFRE
MANSOURI (61′ )
MONTERRUBIO
AMALFITANO
GAMEIRO
VAHIRUA
DIARRA (81′ )

Cards:
Balmont (63’) and Mavuba (88’) for Lille – Koscielny (34’), Jouffre (57’), Marchal (80’), Amalfitano (88’) and Audard (91’) for Lorient.

Goals:
Monterrubio (65′, own goal) for Lille – Gameiro (33′) and Vahirua (52′) for Lorient.

After a long and successful mercato for LOSC the club’s opening match of the 2009/2010 Ligue 1 season awaits tomorrow at the Stadium Lille Métropole. Here is a short transfer summary before I delve into tomorrow’s match:

Transfers In
Aubameyang (loan-Milan AC)
Butelle (Valencia)
Douaniama (Orléans)
Franquart (return on loan-Le Havre)
Gervinho (Le Mans)
Landreau (PSG)
L.Touré (return on loan-Grenoble)

Transfers Out
Bastos (Lyon)
Lebbihi (Zulte-Waregem)
Makiesse (Zulte-Waregem)
Malicki (fc-Dijon)
Moro (Malines)
Tafforeau (fc-Caen)
Taravel (Zulte-Waregem)
Youla (Eskisehirspor)
Yanes (Cucuta Deportivo)

The home start to the season can potentially garner us an early 3 points in the table. Nevertheless, at the start of a new season we still aren’t exactly sure the power rankings for the league. Players are still adjusting to new managers, clubs, and formations. Kickoff is at 17h local time. The last three encounters between the two clubs have ended in two victories and two draws:

2008/2009 11/29/2008 LOSC 1 – 1 FC Lorient
2007/2008 08/04/2007 LOSC 0 – 0 FC Lorient
2006/2007 10/21/2006 LOSC 1 – 0 FC Lorient
2001/2002 08/04/2001 LOSC 3 – 1 FC Lorient

The line-ups have not been officially announced yet. I predict a narrow victory for Lille of 1-0. I do expect the usual 4-2-3-1 formation used by the club.