Familiarity breeds content for Giresse

FC Girondins de Bordeaux great Alain Giresse believes the current crop have much in common with the side he captained to the European Champion Clubs' Cup semi-finals 25 years ago.

Trailing 3-1 in their UEFA Champions League quarter-final against Olympique Lyonnais, Bordeaux have it all to do in Wednesday's second leg on home soil. However, the 57-year-old Giresse – whose 158 goals in 519 games from 1970 to 1988 make him the club's top scorer – fancies Laurent Blanc's French champions to prevail.

"All the successful Bordeaux teams tend to look alike," he told UEFA.com. "There's a certain solidity in this team and some talented players. They have a very calm game. You could say they lack flair – people said similar of my side – but they play as a unit, they are efficient. That's the Bordeaux trademark."

Such a no-nonsense style is, for Giresse, something unique to the Gironde region of south-west France. "Everything is calm, everything is more muted," explained the ex-French international midfielder. "That doesn't mean Girondins don't care about football – quite the opposite – but their way of expressing it is different. The club can prepare calmly, there's no negative energy."

It is a spirit characterised by coach Blanc, and the former Les Bleus sweeper certainly has Giresse's approval despite never having played for Bordeaux. "The environment in Bordeaux really suits him, and he fits in perfectly," he said. "The combination of the two means Laurent Blanc can coach his way and work his way."

Giresse helped Bordeaux win French titles in 1984, 1985 and 1987, playing alongside the likes of Jean Tigana and Raymond Domenech during the glory years of Les Marine et Blanc. Yet it is precisely because of his history with "the club of my heart" that he would never dare coach at the Stade Chaban-Delmas. "As a coach, you run into problems, and I wouldn't want anything to sully the great memories I had as a player," he said.

The diminutive playmaker's 1984/85 side – the only Bordeaux team to reach the last four of Europe's top competition – have set an ominous precedent for Blanc's men, yet Giresse will be behind them as they attempt to match his achievements. "You cannot spend as much time as I did here and forget about it," he said.