A few weeks ago, Lyon looked dead set to clinch their seventh consecutive title.

That was until they were held at Nice at the weekend and second-placed Bordeaux managed a 2-1 win at Marseille. Their lead is now just two points.

Lyon next play Nancy and then visit Auxerre, while Bordeaux host Sochaux and travel to Lens in their final game. Four points would be enough to seal the title for Lyon, as they have a much better goal difference.

But what’s striking is how the all-conquering Lyon seem to have lost their confidence a bit, with president Jean-Michel Aulas claiming the whole world is against his team. He’s been complaining because they play a French Cup semi-final against Sedan on Wednesday. Poor chap, his team will only have three days to get ready for the Nancy game. What’s the problem?

On the other hand, Bordeaux coach Laurent Blanc is staying really cool. After one of his youngsters, Pierre Ducasse, won the game with a stoppage time 25-metre strike at Marseille, he said the team which hold their nerve will ultimately prevail.

What do you think? Could we be set for an upset after all?

Julien Pretot, Paris

According to a poll on Facebook, strikers Nicolas Anelka and Karim Benzema are favourites to be in France’s 23-man squad for Euro 2008 in Switzerland and Austria.

95.8 per cent of the Facebook addicts who drew their own list think Anelka should be included, 95.7 believe Benzema also has to be in the squad for June’s tournament.

Thierry Henry only comes in third with 94.3 per cent.

OK, there’s not much of a difference but a few months ago the Barcelona striker would have easily topped the charts.

Since he left Arsenal, Henry has made excuses for his poor form: he’s too far from his daughter since his divorce and he has been asked to play on the left flank.

In Tuesday’s Champions League semi-final second leg with Manchester United, he came on as a substitute but made little impression as Barca bowed out.

What do you think of the Henry conundrum?

Julien Pretot, Paris

PHOTO: Barcelona’s Henry reacts during the Champions League semi-final second leg match against Manchester United at Old Trafford, April 29 REUTERS/Albert Gea

Olympique Lyon believe they are closing the gap but still have a lot of work to do if they are to compete on equal terms with the upper crust of European football.

The six-times French champions, playing in the Champions League last 16 for the fifth year in a row, were knocked out on Tuesday by Manchester United 2-1 on aggregate.

“We now have one thing to think about: qualifying for the next Champions League and showing again the gap with the top clubs has narrowed, because in Manchester, we showed we were not that far,” club president Jean-Michel Aulas told reporters after Tuesday’s 1-0 defeat at Old Trafford.

France winger Sidney Govou added: “We fell to a great team, with great names. Yes, we are disappointed because the gap is not that big between the two teams but it is a very difficult one to narrow and, in a way, we are still far behind.”

Do you think Lyon, with all their good young players, can challenge in Europe in the future?

There had been a lot of talk about Ivory Coast, Nigeria and Cameroon as the favourites for the African Nations Cup but Egypt, the defending champions, were under the radar until their 4-2 thrashing of Cameroon yesterday in Kumasi.

The Pharaohs have emerged as one of the tournament’s heavyweights — as Soccerphile notes, they’re clearly not going to give up their title without a fight — while Cameroon have lost a lot of credit.

It could have been worse for the Indomitable Lions, who were simply nowhere to be seen in the first half. It took 45 minutes for coach Otto Pfister to reshuffle his midfield and by then it was too late. Leaving the influential Achille Emana on the bench was a huge and costly mistake.

Cameroon were totally outplayed in midfield, leaving Hosni Abd Rabou free to roam untroubled. Mohamed Zidan also outshone Samuel Eto’o, with the Barcelona striker cut off from his usual ball providers.

OK, Eto’o had the personal satisfaction of scoring twice and now is one goal shy of Laurent Pokou’s Nations Cup record of 14. But who will care if Cameroon don’t make it to the knockout stage?

Luckily for them, their next games are against Zambia and Sudan, both comfortable looking assignments. But what do you think? Can Cameroon still make it through to the next phase? Or will they remain shell-shocked by Egypt’s brilliant display. Let us know in the comments below.

Julien Pretot is covering the African Nations Cup for Reuters. Check out our main soccer site for full coverage.

PHOTO: Samuel Eto’o attempts to control the ball during the match against Egypt, Kumasi, January 22, 2008. REUTERS/Bruno Domingos

SLIDESHOW: Click here for the pick of pics from the tournament so far.

I’ll be quick. England’s failure to qualify for the Euro finals is of course a surprise but does not come as exactly a shock.

It seems to me that the team lost a big part of its spine when Paul Scholes and Jamie Carragher retired from international football.

Let’s face it, Joleon Lescott cannot even be compared to Carra. And who’s been providing the decisive link between the midfield and the front line since Scholes called it quits?

Alright, neither John Terry nor Ashley Cole were there. Rio Ferdinand was also out of action (which may have been good news for England). But here comes the bit where McClaren cannot escape responsibility: why on earth would you field an inexperienced goalie behind a makeshift defence?

Julien Pretot is a Reuters sports correspondent based in Paris 

Here is a player who has netted 10 goals from 11 matches in the country of Catenaccio. Here is a player of whom World Cup winning coach Marcello Lippi recently said: “He does not score goals. He is the personification of goal.”

Yet, David Trezeguet does not enjoy the favour of France coach Raymond Domenech, to say the least.

‘Trezegol’, who has scored 146 goals from 237 Serie A and European matches with Juventus, 37 from 70 games with Les Bleus, is not even a second choice striker in his national team.

Everything is being built around Thierry Henry, who, let’s face it, also has a pretty good scoring record though not as impressive as his former Monaco team mate.

Why is this?

Olympique Lyon striker Karim Benzema, arguably the classiest French player since Zinedine Zidane, and Nicolas Anelka, who has improved a lot in recent years despite playing for strugglers Bolton Wanderers, are both preferred to Trezeguet. That’s understandable.

But before a must-win Euro qualifier against Lithuania last month, Domenech chose Monaco forward Frederic Piquionne ahead of Trezeguet, a proven match winner.

Olympique Marseille striker Djibril Cisse (though he does not strike that much) has also been preferred to Trezeguet.
 
OK, Henry netted twice against Lithuania and his class has helped France almost secure their place in next year’s Euro finals. However, Trezegol won Euro 2000 for France. Some will say he lost the World Cup final by missing his penalty kick, but having played only a handful of minutes throughout the tournament, his preparation could hardly have been worse.

Julien Pretot is a Reuters sports correspondent in Paris

PHOTO: David Trezeguet celebrates after scoringfor Juventus against Torino in their Italian Serie A at the Olympic stadium in Turin, September 30, 2007. REUTERS/Stefano Rellandini