LYON-BARCELONA
Sonny Anderson: "Arthur has been a disappointment"
Former Lyon and Barcelona player, Sonny Anderson, says he is disappointed with the level Arthur is playing at and says Barça are favourites for the Champions League.
Sonny Anderson, the former Barcelona and Lyon striker, spoke to Catalunya Radio ahead of the Champions League last 16 game between his two old clubs. The Brazilian surprised many with his appraisals of Coutinho and Arthur.
"Barcelona as a group are much stronger than last year," he said. "But I don't like the level that Arthur is at. I thought that Arthur and Coutinho were going to do more. Arthur has to do more. He knows it. He can do what Iniesta did at Barcelona and it's not a criticism, it's a disappointment. He is good but he can do more."
On Coutinho, Anderson was similarly critical. "He isn't having the kind of season he had at Liverpool. He is playing with the brakes on and it's not free football."
Messi sets his mind to the Champions League
On that note, however, Anderson says Barcelona are favourites to win the competition. "Messi said at the start of the season that he wanted to win the Champions League and that's difficult to stop. Barcelona are more well-rounded than previous years. I think that the most difficult knockout game is the one against Lyon. If they go through, they'll win it," he said.
"If Depay plays team football, he is dangerous but sometimes he plays alone. He does tricks and plays for the fans, not for the team," continued Anderson. "When he does the simply things, it's better for Lyon. Mendy is really good too. Technically, he is really good and he'll play very far forward. The only thing that he's missing is the tactical work."
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| Classification | PTS | WM | TM | LM |
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| Upcoming matches |
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