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Release Date: Tuesday, November 27, 2018 10:38
They came for a part from Depay, but were lucky enough to discover something much more tasty. They came to see this little Fekir, but their eyes were hijacked by something more eye-catching.
The secret is out: European football has received a new French kiss of life. Monaco was a victim of its success two seasons ago, almost reaching the top of football before being sent back without mercy from where it came from. They were kidnapped and looted, the remains of their brilliance being widely spread in the European elite even before the final credits began to turn after their 15 minutes of glory.
Lyon will not live up to the semi-finals of its Ligue One rivals and should not be either. Being one of the seven undefeated teams in the Champions League this season, having played the tournament favorites at home and away, is a remarkable achievement. They are close to their first place in the round of 16 since 2012.
Manchester City have faced 39 different teams since the appointment of Pep Guardiola as coach and managed to beat only four. Lyon keeps its place in an eclectic list including Celtic, Wigan and Wolves.
They can not hope to keep their main cast members longer than Monaco has succeeded. There is no perspective defining generations comparable to Kylian Mbappe on this side, but Bruno Genesio has stumbled upon a potential gold mine. Memphis Depay and Nabil Fekir hit the headlines and demand attention. they played the second fiddle to their unannounced teammates on Tuesday.
The Gones have never been so good. Jason Denayer, 23, is given as a personal mission to show City what they've unleashed this summer by excelling in central defense. Ferland Mendy, 23, gave a more than pbadable impression of her namesake of 52 million pounds, making the difference at both ends. Maxwell Cornet, 22, had a very good two goals, doubling his season total in one game against one of the best teams on the continent.
However, it is at the center that the impact was the most important. Tanguy Ndombele, 21 and Houssem Aouar, 20, have been phenomenal, offering tantalizing glimpses of the midfield of the future.
Ndombele completed 93.7% of his pbades and had 95 hits while he dictated the tempo of the deepest. His confidence in possession of the ball was striking, a player with less than 100 career appearances in the first team sliding above and pbading through City's extremely expensive army. He completed more dribbling (3) than Raheem Sterling and Riyad Mahrez combined, and only Aymeric Laporte (6) made more accurate pbades than his five.
By his side, Aouar was probably even more impressive. He carried the midfield ball gracefully and proved impossible to dispossess. He was as destructive as his skilful skill, his five tackles, two interceptions and three clearances forming the basis of Lyon's admirable game plan.
It was the perfect mix of composure and power, skill and strength. Ndombele and Aouar have found it as easy to intimidate City with physical submission as to seduce with indecision through their technique. They would have been forgiven for feeling overwhelmed, but they will certainly be known abroad.
The fact that these auditions ran up against Fernandinho, 33, and David Silva, 32 – and a team potentially looking for successors for both – said it all. Many people have questioned Guardiola's decision not to create Phil Foden in France, but this appeal was justified full-time: as brilliant as the 18-year-old was, it was a test that he did not have. would have neither succeeded nor learned.
This game was supposed to provide the platform to Foden to prove his talents, or to Depay to show the Premier League what he missed. Instead, the new generation of Lyon stole the show. Now, the whole world is watching.
Matt Stead
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