A García before the Bayern cyclone

Rudi García (France, 56 years old), the authoritarian coach of Olympique de Lyon, occupies in these semi-finals of the Champions the place that most pleases the coaches of his lineage. This Wednesday, at the José Alvalade stadium (9:00 p.m., Movistar Champions League), García and the guerrilla that seconded him will face the voracious Bayern in search of another feat that is also announced Homeric after the humiliating thrashing that the German champion inflicted on the Barcelona (8-2). On tiptoe and with no more faith than his own and that which he instilled in his players, his team has already realized Cristiano Ronaldo's Juventus in the round of 16 and Pep Guardiola's Manchester City in the quarterfinals. "We have not only won the battle of tactics, also that of communication," he snapped after eliminating City.

García shook his players with the favoritism of City and the pomp of its stars. The resource is a classic of your script as a group manager. Payet, who played under him for Marseille, Lyon's irreconcilable enemy, confessed before the last league match: “A few months ago, when we played against Lyon, he made a pre-match talk about the Lyon boys ... I wouldn't want to to talk about us like that ”.

The demolition of two of the great sports and economic superpowers of the competition has been buried under the glare generated by the offensive proposals of the three German coaches. Julian Nagelsmann, Thomas Tuchel and Hansi Flick, his rival tonight, have taken the spotlight in these semifinals. García handles himself with ease under the parameters of the alleged inferiority of Lyon. His dark, narrow ties, strong chin, and parted hairstyle give him the look of the refined gallant of 1960s French cinema. However, behind the appearances of this son of postwar Spanish immigration, the tough character of the French north survives. “He has a very strong character, he gives a lot of competitive capacity and a fighting spirit to the group. Squeeze the player. He prefers players made to youngsters because they work by themselves on the field, ”says a former García collaborator.

That submission of the schools to which he has directed usually describes good beginnings and bitter endings of cycles. It happened to him in Lille, to which he made champion in 2011 with Eden Hazard as first sword; in Rome, where he signed the best start to the club's championship and in Serie A with ten consecutive victories; and at Marseille, which gradually fell apart after losing the 2018 Europa League final against Atlético (3-0). In that duel, held in the stadium of his current club, García taught a tactical trick in the first play that speaks of a coach more devoted to practicality than aesthetics and purism. He ordered the kickoff, as if it were rugby, to be a long kick off the pitch. The objective was to mount the advanced pressure and force an error from Atlético in the throw-in.

At Lyon, where he arrived in October as a substitute for Brazilian Sylvinho, García has implemented a 3-5-2 that has given him more results in this Champions League, where he aspires to give the club its first European Cup, than in the French domestic tournament. Final seventh place in Ligue 1 generated strong disappointment from the fans and harsh criticism in the French press. The exploits against Juve and City have revitalized García's figure. "Beating Lyon will not be easy, they are a team that defends well and runs a lot," warned Bayern coach Hans Flick. His team will have to beat a structure in which midfielder Bruno Guimaraes, dynamic midfielder Aouar and fine Depay set the pace.