Player Focus: Bafetimbi Gomis (Lyon)

As Lille take on Toulouse this weekend looking to extend their lead in the race for third place two teams will meet at the Stade de la Route de Lorient looking to keep up the pace in the battle for European places.

Lyon travel to Brittany, which as we already know from the article 'Brittany Fears: Where the Ligue 1 Title Could be Won & Lost', is a very difficult place to go when you are looking for points. Rennes have only tasted defeat twice at home and will be looking to dust off their recent poor record and gain ground on the teams trying to qualify for both the Champions and Europa League.

Les Gones have won four games in a row since the absolutely dreadful performance against Cypriot side APOEL, and after questions were asked about Remi Garde's first season in charge the club are now on the verge of two cup finals and they are only four points off Lille in third place. The Stade Gerland is a happier place once again this season, though one player recently who hasn't been given enough credit is the dreadlocked forward that is Bafetimbi Gomis.

With all eyes on fellow striker Lisandro Lopez it has been the former Saint-Etienne forward stepping up and scoring the important goals. Winners against his former side and Sochaux sandwiched the penalty against Paris in the Parc des Princes that saw Lyon qualify for the Coupe de France semi-finals.

In the Derby du Rhône Lyon were struggling to find a way past an inspired performance from 'keeper Stephane Ruffier. Gomis came on with 20 minutes to go, replacing Alexandre Lacazette, and only 11 quick minutes later had the ball in the net with his only shot on goal. Beautifully curling the ball into the top corner with his right foot, even on his best day Ruffier wasn't saving that effort. Running off to the side he celebrated with a superb tribute to Barcelona defender Eric Abidal.

Scoring with his only shot of the game certainly improves his conversion rate of 16% having scored 12 league goals from 74 shots, and he currently leads Lyon in terms of shots per game, averaging 2.7. What makes Gomis special isn't just his goals, but the style in which he scores them. Whether it's from long range like against Saint-Etienne or the lovely turn and finish against Dijon, Gomis is anything but a big target man.

Cut to this weekend and Lyon are 1-0 up against Sochaux. You'd think with players like Kim Kallstrom and Anthony Reveillere in the team, the temptation would be to launch the ball high for "Baby Drogba" and look for any knockdowns. Unlike his namesake Gomis is fairly poor in the air, only winning 18 out of 40 aerial battles this season (45%). Obviously his teammates know this and as Reveillere broke forward at the weekend he played a lovely ball in behind the Sochaux defence and Gomis was there to exquisitely dink the ball over the experienced Teddy Richert, putting his team 2-0 up with, as the cliché goes, "a great touch for a big man."

He may not be dominant in the air but he shows with his feet that he is very capable. His passing accuracy is better than fellow striker Lisandro at 80.3% and he also has two assists this season leading to a WhoScored.com rating of 6.82, though if his current form continues that number will surely increase before the season ends.

Although he is 26 there are still indications of improvement. Finishing the last two seasons with 10 goals and four and three assists respectively, this season will undoubtedly be his most productive.

Behind Olivier Giroud, Gomis is the second highest French goalscorer in Ligue 1. It remains to be seen as to the possibility that if Gomis were to finish the season strongly, whether Blanc could have a tough decision to make for his Euro 2012 squad.

For a repeat of Gomis’ current situation you can rewind four years with the then Saint-Etienne forward making a late surge to earn a spot for Raymond Domenech’s Euro 2008 squad. 16 league goals had put him firmly in the conversation for potential Les Bleus strikers, and then two goals in 26 minutes against Ecuador in a pre-tournament friendly saw Gomis edge out David Trezeguet. His double strike meant he was the first man since Zinedine Zidane to score two on his international debut. It was a no brainer.

During Euro 2008 Gomis spent 48 minutes on the pitch, and in three poor France performances Gomis did very little and perhaps his chance at international success had gone. Now four years later, in similar form, will Laurent Blanc take the same chance and bring Gomis back to the international stage? Four years older, four years wiser… don’t call it a comeback.