Touré: Lyon better than Chelsea

Tuesday 1 November, 2005

Olympiakos midfielder Yaya Touré has claimed that Lyon’s collective strength makes them a better side than Real Madrid and Chelsea.

Touré, the younger brother of Arsenal defender Kolo, could do little to stop his team lose 2-1 and 4-1 to the French side in Champions’ League Group F, and is tipping them to go a long way in the competition.

“Lyon are really a strong side,” said the Ivory Coast international. “At Real Madrid, if you take Ronaldo out they are not the same team.

“With Lyon, I have the impression that you could take four or five players out without altering the general level. They have great strength.

“We have spoken about it among ourselves and it’s almost something that’s never been seen before. I don’t even know if Chelsea could beat them,” added the leggy midfielder.

Lyon booked their place in the last 16 with two matches to spare thanks to their convincing 4-1 win in Athens on Tuesday night.