Rivers upon rivers were flooded. It was reportedly the worst flooding Lyon had seen since the great flood of '01. Yet, it wasn't rain water that caused them. Tears filled with a mix of distraught and bitterness followed Hugo Lloris' footsteps to Tottenham. The French golden boy choosing to "move on" and leave a league that can only offer so much.
Of course, Deschamps felt Lloris "shouldn't have joined Tottenham". We're a country's length away from challenging the league title and find ourselves odds-on to finish outside the top 4. Why would a player that has these things choose to cross the water for the minnows that are Tottenham Hotspur? We'll get more of a feel of the level the French are at when we face Lyon in the next round of Europa League in February. It's too easy to dismiss the league as inferior to the Premier League - although, a league in which Chamakh and Giroud can thrive in does bring its' credibility into question.
Lloris admitted himself that he needed the move to Spurs to further his career. Evidently he doesn't fully agree with what the French boss said regarding the move. Deschamps almost reminds me of the friend that slags off their friend's ex after they move on to someone else. His ghastly face popping up just when it's not needed. It all got a little embarrassing. You'd have thought Lloris was his son. He spoke as if our number 1 had no legs in which to stand on.
I did have initial fears. We had a fantastic goalkeeper in our squad yet wasn't playing. Friedel's a brilliant keeper but Lloris just has that edge on him. Do you play a very good goalkeeper or the slightly better goalkeeper? My fears were derived from the seeming reality that a lack of playing time for Lloris as January emerged would leave him unsettled. A bid from a big club may have just done enough to unsettle him.
Interestingly, Lloris recently came out and felt he "feels stronger after time on the bench". Deschamps has yet to say a word. It's reported that he went all Liam Ridgewell and used the article a toilet paper for the day. He'll soon start commenting that Hugo said that whilst at gun point from Levy. There's no way a player could feel stronger after watching the games from half-way, in Deschamps' eyes anyway.
It's fair to say that until Hugo joined, the position of sweeper-keeper was something almost unheard of at White Hart Lane. You only have to watch Lloris over the course of 90 minutes to fully appreciate what else he can bring to a position that seemed incredibly linear. For me, the commanding of the area and quick distribution is something we've lacked in the goalkeeping department. For a side that likes to press high up the pitch, a keeper that can come quickly off of his line is essential.
AVB's played the goalkeeping situation just right. He's remained calm despite calls from abroad to instate Lloris as our immediate number 1 and managed, seemingly, to keep 2 very good goalkeepers happy. He's gone someway to ensuring that Hugo's feet are kept purely on the ground and has made him work to earn his position, something any player should be having to do. Lloris has made a bright start to life in London. Some fantastic stops and numerous clean sheets have lived up to the weighted expectation placed on his shoulders because of his reputation in France. A handful of errors have been forgiven. Had Hugo not been slowly acclimatised to the league, the small handful of errors may well have been 2 hands-full of errors.
Maybe Deschamps has a letter of apology in the post, but I wouldn't hold my breath. AVB may have just made France's number 1 goalkeeper even 'stronger'.
Regards,
Ben