•Squad list for Arras:

Gardiens: Letizi, Moreau
Défenseurs: Apam, Cid, Gace, Hognon, Jeunechamp, Rool
Milieux: Echouafni, Faé, Hellebuyck, Traoré
Attaquants: Bamogo, Ben Saada, Modeste, Mouloungui, Ozokwo, Quansah

Rémy, Kante, and Coulibaly all have injury problems and Adu is suspended (?!), but the rest of the absences are being rested or, in the case of Barul and Moussilou, cruelly ignored. Antonetti said earlier this week that Moreau could get the start if Letizi can’t go and, though the match is being taken seriously, it’s nevertheless thought that guys like Hognon, Cid, Traoré, Ben Saada and Modeste could all figured in the first XI.

•Though he returned to Nice not yet fully recovered from the injury he picked up last month, Rémy is due to start training again on Tuesday, and is expected to be in the squad when L1 resumes on the 10th. Woo hoo!

•Not surprisingly, Roger Ricort is denying that the club are interested in either Dindane (yes, him again) or Sablé, the former because he (still) costs too much, and the latter because, well, they just don’t want him.

•During the break, both Cyril #1 (who Google translate calls “the crustiest“) and Chouf talked to Nice-Matin about the season so far, and both of them, while pleased with the 30 points the team have amassed, pointed to the canceled Grenoble match as the thing that screwed everything up because it “broke our rhythm.” Cursed rain!

•In an interview with the official site, Antonetti also gave his take on the first half, praising the team’s ability to take points even when they don’t play their best, and being his usual, eminently reasonable self in bringing some perspective to how high Nice were flying about a month ago. (He, also, lists the cancellation of the Grenoble match as one of his regrets, along with the loss to Le Havre on the season’s opening weekend.)

•Ospina was voted Nice player of the month for December, because he is just that awesome.

Happy New Year, everybody. Hopefully next time we talk, it’ll be about advancing in the Coupe de France, and not about some sort of humiliating disaster.

Hooray, training starts today! That means there will be something to talk about other than transfer rumors for the next couple weeks, albeit more than likely only things like “Oh, crap, Rémy’s not fit yet,” or “God dammit, Cyril #1 hurt his calf again — is the man made of glass?” Still, though, beggars can’t be choosers, and anything is better than poring over the papers in the hope of finding a rumor with an actual grain of truth in it.

So, the team will be training twice today and twice tomorrow, then once Wednesday and once Friday (they have Thursday off, because they’re soft and need to rest) before Saturday night’s Coupe de France match against amateur side Arras.

At the moment, apart from training, there’s not a lot going on — the one noisy rumor is that Nice are tracking Lens’ Julien Sablé, but that seems likely to have grown more out of the fact that Antonetti coached him at ASSE than anything else, particularly since another midfielder is probably near the bottom of Nice’s shopping list at the moment. Oh, and also, Matt Moussilou is once again (allegedly) close to leaving: The latest rumors have him going back to Qatar, the scene of his scoring binge last season. Since he’s been on his way out about five times already this year, though, we should probably wait on counting the extra cash that’ll be sitting around if he actually leaves.

In news that’s not transfer-related, David Ospina spent the break in Nice rather than going home (his family came to him, which was very understanding of them), because he had to be Barcelona over the weekend to play Catalonia as part of a makeshift Colombia team. Ospina entered the game in the 55th minute with Colombia losing 0-2 and, according to the Colombian press — who describe him as “a great goalkeeper” — made two big saves to keep Colombia in the match (Huzzah!), though they eventually lost 1-2 (Boooo.).

•The Grenoble match will be played either a week from today or on the 17th of this month. The 10th was the league’s initial proposal, but Pierre Wantiez had a fit about Nice getting an extra day of rest, so it could be pushed back a week. (In response to the fit, Antonetti turned on the sarcasm and suggested that maybe a strike is in order, if only to ensure three full days of rest between matches. Oh, snap!)

•Out of concern for the proverbial “public safety,” the police have stepped in and forced the cancellation of the special train that was to take Nice supporters to the OM match. In light of past problems, one understands their concerns, but Nice’s security guy had a point when he suggested it’d be a lot easier for police to manage the supporters if they were all in one place, rather than arriving as they will now, via bus and car, at various times and locations.

•The official site has an interview with Chouf ahead of the match, in which he’s characteristically cautious, and also expresses some concern about the team going two weeks between games.

•Nice Premium ran a long interview with Maurice Cohen on Sunday, and even through the filter of Google translate, it’s well worth a read. Among other topics, he discusses the status of the club’s youth program, if there will be any winter signings, what’s up with Chouf’s and Letizi’s contracts, and how the defense will stand at this time next season. (He also reveals that Cyril #2 has a clause in his contract whereby it’s automatically extended if he reaches a designated number of appearances. That’s, like, flying car technology right there!)

•On the topic of signings, a couple different sources are reporting that Nice are tracking Monaco’s Camel Meriem. No idea of there’s any validity to the stories at all, though. Anyone?

•Via the OGC Nissa forums, here’s an Infosport feature on Nice from last week that includes some of the yelling at Habib! (among others) that I’m always talking about. It’s hilarious even to me, so I’m guessing people who actually understand French will enjoy it, as well.

•And, finally, I can’t find the original source, but one of the fan sites is reporting that Antonetti has officially announced the gloves are Ospina’s after Christmas. Nice. (Nahhhc, not Neece.) He also may end up playing against OM, depending on how Letizi’s feeling — the old man didn’t train at all yesterday.

ETA: The train to Marseille has been un-canceled.

Gardiens: Moreau, Ospina
Défenseurs: Apam, Cid, Diakité, Hognon, Kanté, Rool
Milieux: Coulibaly, Echouafni, Faé, Hellebuyck, Jeunechamp, Traoré
Attaquants: Bamogo, Ben Saada, Modeste, Mouloungui, Rémy

Absents: Letizi, Ozokwo (blessés), Adu, Barul, Gace, Moussilou, Quansah (choix de l’entraîneur)

* * *

Sorry I’ve not been around this week — travel, family and Thanksgiving seriously cut into my interwebs time, so I’m way behind. What I do know, though, is that Letizi’s got some sort of abdominal problem, so Ospina will make his third L1 start tomorrow. And Grenoble won’t make life easy for him — they’ve got the fourth-best away record in the league and, were it not for their dire home record, would be a lot higher in the table. Definitely not a team to be taken lightly.

I’ve got to get back to grind of eating, but I’ll be back with a match report early next week, if not before. Until then, here’s an article about all Nice’s old people that, somewhat factiously, points out that there are two similarities between Nice and Milan: They both wear red and black, and both also rely heavily on the aged. (Oh, and both teams are second in the table. That’s a bonus similarity.) Additionally, there’s a nice (ha ha) article at UEFA.com about the team that sort of sums up the season thus far, celebrating the new additions and throwing some love the way of Chouf and Cyril #1.

Apam played right back and got forward well a couple of times, creating a few of Nigeria’s handful of chances. Because of way the match went in the second half, Ospina had very little to do, but he did tip a shot over the bar well (in the highlights here), and also pulled off an insane diving header with a striker’s boot bearing down on him. I have no idea why he thought his head was a better tool for the moment than his right boot, but it was crazy brave — in the real sense of the word, not the way Ray Hudson (to whom “brave” seems to mean “breathing”) uses it. And, to make the whole thing even more bizarre, the attacker was flagged for offside, though there was no way for Ospina to know that when he unveiled his header skills.

Elsewhere:

•Faé played all 90 minutes for Ivory Coast in their 2-2 draw with Israel. According to the official Nice site, it was his shot that was deflected in by the Israeli keeper for Ivory Coast’s second goal.

•Gabon seem to have drawn 3-3 with Guinea, but I have no idea whether Mouloungui scored, assisted on anything, or even played. If anyone has a good source for African results, please drop it in the comments, I’m totally at a loss.

•Tunisia drew 0-0 away to Ghana; it doesn’t look like Ben Saada got on the pitch, if he even made the bench.

Back in France, meanwhile, David Hellebuyck is officially tied for the league lead with five assists (more than his total for the entire 2007-2008 season), a fact that apparently made him very flustered when the Nice Media Minions asked him about it today. Aw. When he wasn’t being embarrassed, Hellebuyck preached caution about facing a desperate ASSE side this weekend, and gave welcome assurances about his health — he’s not had any problems with his knee for all of two weeks, which is apparently cause for great celebration.

Ability + vision + audacity + 10 pounds of muscle = legitimate future #10

I’ll have some sort of report up about the match tomorrow whether you like it or not but, until then, watch the above clip. Then, watch this one, which is even better, but is crappy when embedded. Next, sigh happily. Repeat as often as necessary.

When you’re done, take a minute to read this article about the newest of the blood at Fourth Place Nice, specifically new kids David Ospina and Abeiku Quansah. The Quansah quotes are particularly charming, he’s just overwhelmed that supporters not only know who he is, but also actually cheer for him.

Also, add Mouloungui (Gabon) and Fae (Ivory Coast) to the list of people on international duty this week. Fingers crosses no one come home from the friendies hurt.

And, finally, good news regarding to the Coupe de la Ligue quarterfinal against Le Havre: It’ll take place at the Ray. Huzzah!

I managed to find the Créteil match and, while I’ll spare you a full report (I can hear the sighs of relief from here), I’ve still got some reactions to offer on a handful of newbies/youngsters/Habibs.

•Ospina reads the game really well — he’s almost never surprised by what the attacker does with the ball and, in what is probably a chicken-egg situation, is almost preternaturally calm in goal, which can’t help but make it easier to adjust to him as a keeper. He’s also good in the air, and gets off his line very well. The accuracy of his punts could use some work, but the only real mistake I remember him making (and he was admittedly not real busy against Créteil) was spilling a shot for a corner.

•Ben Saada is a pleasure to watch. He’s inconsistent still and can get knocked off the ball, but he’s much stronger and tougher than his size would suggest, and he’s always got his head up, trying to create something. The best thing about him, though, is that he knows when to play simple — you can periodically see him noticing a hint of space for a through ball, but then reining himself in because the odds aren’t quite good enough to try it. His brain is just constantly going; when things slow down around him, he’s like a little kid which too much energy, almost twitching with the desperation to get moving again. Ahem. Yeah, I like him. He needs to play more and improve his constancy, but I like him. A lot.

•Bamogo must be infuriating to play with (and also, if the number of times/match that Antonetti screams his name is anything to go by, coach) sometimes. To be fair, his finish against Créteil was lovely — a little chip over the on-rushing keeper, cool as you like. But his decision making with the ball at his feet is either achingly slow, or too-frequently limited to a choice between “take on the defender” or “take on the defender.” (I’m guessing it’s a bit of both.) Given his success rate in beating defenders (even Championnat defenders) with the ball at his feet, passing really should be a more prominent option, particularly when he’s playing with guys like Ben Saada and Mouloungui, with whom playing a one-two is the most obvious thing on earth.

•Based (foolishly, I realize) on his six-plus minutes against Créteil, Quansah’s brain works like Bamogo’s should. He’s bubbling with pace and ability, but what was most impressive in those few minutes was his intelligence — he took people on when he was in a position to beat them, but otherwise played simple, and tried to create for other people. That kid has potential to be really, really good.

•The ferocity with which Mouloungui fights to get the ball back when he loses it is amazing — if Bamogo did that, he’d instantly be twice as useful. It would be awesome, though, if Mouloungui would do something other than just drive to the endline when he gets the ball out wide on the left. I get that he’s really, really left-footed, and that he can often either get a cross in or win a corner, but cutting inside every once in a while would make things a lot harder on defenders, and even if he can’t get a shot off, a few times a game he’ll have a chance to thread the ball through to Modeste, or Rémy or Bamogo.

* * *

Looking ahead to Nantes, despite his assurances earlier this week that he’d be ready to go on Sunday, Rémy is actually only 50-50 to play right now, pending further tests today. Traore is out for sure, but Cyril #2 should back, and Coulibaly is training again, so he could make the squad, as well. In other good news for Nice, Ivan Klasnic will miss Sunday’s match through suspension — it’s always nice not to have to face him.

And, even further ahead, Ospina’s been recalled to the Colombian national team — he’s one of only two keepers (the other is the current first-choice) in a very, very young team that’s been called up for Wednesday’s friendly against Nigeria. As usual, I’m having a terrible time finding information about their call-ups, but there’s a good chance he could be facing Apam, should they both make appearances.

Also, in matches not going to be played in Colombia, Ben Saada’s in the Tunisia side for their upcoming friendly against Ghana.

Report the First

Alright, so, the Lorient game. Ugh. Fantastic to play like that and get three points, but still — ugh. The goal was a stroke of luck, a failed clearance that ended up at Chouf’s feet with the keeper down, and which he rolled in to the near corner of the net as he was falling down. In reality, Nice rarely looked threatening (and seemed to be in more of a 4-5-1 than the 4-4-2 it looked on paper, so deep was Bamogo playing), and the few chances they created were squandered badly by Mouloungui. If this is life without Rémy, I don’t want to think about what will happen if he ever picks up a long-term injury. (Happily, he said on 100% Aiglons this week that he’ll be back for Sunday, so hopefully we can stick our heads in the sand about the possible striking problems a bit longer.)

In addition to the lack of threats going forward, I lost count of the giveaways even before half time — the match was just sloppy, and was played with a strange lack of urgency. Probably because of the slow pace things seemed to perk up a bit when Modeste went on late in the match — he may be artless, but he’s fast and wants to prove himself, so he doesn’t give up on anything and was involved with Nice’s most threatening moves of the second half.

In good news, though, the defense as a group were awfully good. Apam, in particular, was head and shoulders above everyone around him — every time there was a sloppy giveaway and Lorient were putting together an attack, he was there to clean up the mess, be it with a perfectly timed tackle or a smart interception. He really looked like a man among boys at times, it was a truly impressive performance. Cyril #1, also, was impressive, apart from the few times he caught the sloppy disease. He won everything that came his way in the air, and his distribution, for the most part, was quite good. (And that’s not just my biased heart talking — he made L’Equipe’s team of the week and everything.)

Additionally, Letizi was solid. He didn’t have much to do, but made a massive save early with his leg when he’d already committed in the other direction — it was the sort of save that looks lucky but, when you see the replay, is absolutely intentional, and just good goal keeping. Yeah, the old man’s still got.

* * *

Report the Second (such as it is)

I’ve not seen yesterday’s match and probably won’t be able to find it, so I can only rely on cheerful forum posts that indicate the 3-0 victory was deserved and well-played. So woo hoo! And well done to the team for not taking Créteil lightly.

Ben Saada scored his first goal for Nice (from the penalty spot) and reportedly had a really good match, Bamogo was threatening, Ospina made a couple big saves, Modeste scored, and Quansah played in his first professional match. Were it not for the injury suffered by Cyril #2 (coming right after he played a solid game against Lorient), there’d be nothing but smiles at Nice HQ this morning.

So Nice move on to the last eight, and will face Le Havre in the new year; the draw to determine the host will be held next week.

After the first 30 minutes or so of Saturday’s match, you’d never, ever have been able to convince me that Nice would get a point. Not a million years. As everyone who gave voice to the obvious after the match (Antonetti and Cyril #1 among them) said, they gave Bordeaux waaaaay too much respect, and almost paid for it with a home loss. Happily, though, Nice managed to realize they weren’t playing Barca and gradually woke up — I was watching on a dreadful stream, but even I could tell they put together some nice passing moves in the first half, and were nowhere near as inferior as they’d appeared early-on in the match.

The best part of the whole match for me was injury time. It wasn’t even a little bit pretty, and was highlighted (lowlighted?) by a profound lack of organization, a couple bad decisions, and a near-disaster from Ospina when he took a bad touch and gave the ball away to Gourcuff, but Nice were fighting like crazy, and you could see that, to a man, they believed they could get that second goal back. I don’t know if it was the fantastic support, or the massive stroke of luck in Mouloungui’s offside goal being allowed to stand, or what, but the belief was really, really great to see.

And, while the PK was wrongly given (ala that Lyon PK you may recall), Mouloungui was clever in looking for it when he played the ball into the defender’s body — I’m a huge Ben Saada supporter, but Mouloungui changed the game when he came on, just by being in the right place(s) at the right time(s).*

As Rool (who was old-man awesome) said after the match, it’s hard not to think of this result as balancing out what happened against Lyon. More importantly, though, it shown the team that they really can come back against almost anything. Getting a point after being down 0-2 with five minutes left probably won’t happen again for a long time, but the self-believe from Saturday will hopefully be around for a long while.

Now if they could just STOP GIVING UP PKs, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, we might be in pretty good shape.

Also, regarding the baby keeper: He looked bad on the first goal (I still can’t figure out why it took him so long to get across, he had to have been unsighted) and with that hairy touch in extra time, but other than that he was impressive. Made a crazy, reaction save with his legs shortly after the first goal, and got off his line really well when he needed to, in order to close down a couple breaks. Ospina’s pair of encouraging performances aside, though, Football365 reported Saturday that Letizi will be back in goal on Wednesday, where he’ll stay until the winter break. We’ll see if that actually holds true or not.

And, finally, Apam’s extension has been confirmed by people who aren’t his agent. At best, it means he’s getting paid better and will be around forever. More realistically, it means he’s getting paid better, and has graciously put Nice in a position to get more for him when the inevitable sale comes.

*It’s worth pointing out the class with which Blanc has taken those two poor refereeing decisions at the end of the match. As Antonetti could tell him, that’s not easy to do when you’re in the right — full credit to Blanc.

Gardiens: Letizi, Ospina
Défenseurs: Apam, Diakité, Gace, Hognon, Jeunechamp, Kanté, Rool
Milieux: Coulibaly, Echouafni, Faé, Hellebuyck, Traoré
Attaquants: Bamogo, Ben Saada, Modeste, Mouloungui, Rémy

Absents: Cid (17 stitches in his head), Adu, Asamoah, Barul, Moreau, Moussilou, Ozokwo (choix de l’entraîneur)

* * *

So, word on the street — by which I mean the big French football papers — is that, after spending the week thinking hard and carefully examining all his keepers, Antonetti’s decided to go with Ospina tomorrow against Bordeaux. Awesome.

The kid performed impressively under immense pressure last weekend, and gave the eagerly optimistic among us no reason to throw out our hopes that the club my just have found a worthy successor to Lloris. Plus, ability aside, Opsina has a great attitude, his French is improving, and he’s reportedly hugely popular with his teammates (something which, amazingly, started before he spoke any French at all); he’s got all the easy stuff covered and, if Antonetti is ready to go with him again, it’s safe to assume the footballing part is there, too. (Even if Ospina does play, though, the gaffer wants us to know that it doesn’t mean he’s first choice for good quite yet. So, you know, no counting chickens yet and all that.)

* * *

Other news from this week:

•Needless to say, since there’s a match going on, the strike isn’t happening. That’s nice.

•Diakité and (of course) Cyril #1 are both at their card limits and will miss the midweek match at Caen. Additionally, the club have been fined €1000 for scofflaw supporters who used fireworks at Monaco. (That amount, by the way, is 100 times, give or take, what Spanish clubs get fined for throwing things on the pitch. At least Ligue 1 makes clubs suffer a little for fan behavior.)

•Derek Asamoah, who has been with the reserves since the start of the season, has had his contract terminated by mutual agreement. It actually happened last week, but (from what I’ve seen, anyway), the news just came out this week.

•Meanwhile, Apam’s agent is telling the press that his client’s contract has been extended for one more year, tying Apam to the club until 2013. Nice, however, have not confirmed this yet, so I have no idea if this is Apam’s agent just stirring, or what’s going on.

•And, finally, Raymond Domenech assistant Alain Boghossian will be at the Ray tomorrow, eying up players for the NT (Like, perhaps, The Next Zizou — For Real This Time!). No pressure, Rémy. Just breathe.