Special envoy to Lisbon
His arrival in Lyon smacked of the casting error. A few weeks after being bazaar by the Marseille rival, Rudi Garcia arrived at Groupama Stadium with a love rating close to zero. We could even speak of disenchantment, with whistles that often accompanied the announcement of his name. We thought he was rinsed, at least exhausted after the fishtail end of his Marseille adventure. Moreover, his debut at the head of OL was hardly brilliant. And we even thought that the former coach of Lille and Roma would only make a quick passage. The label of "loser" in major matches, moreover not usurped, had also followed from Marseille to Lyon. And yet ...
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Without flinching, the 56-year-old technician took his illness patiently, worked, and benefited from the inspirations of Juninho in terms of recruitment to compensate for the injuries of several executives. He then had to wait, like everyone else, during the coronavirus break. And here he is now at the head of a Lyon team crowned with the status of semi-finalist of the Champions League, sorry.
The architect of this unexpected journey is Rudi Garcia
Of course, it's the players who are on the pitch. But the architect of this unexpected course is Rudi Garcia. He was first able to give back a taste for work to a group that sometimes let itself go. He then revived some players, like the former outcast Marcelo. He placed others in new positions, such as Maxwell Cornet. And he does not forget to launch others, like Maxence Caqueret. All without hesitating to put some executives from yesterday on the bench, for the good of the group or for the tactical needs of a particular match, like Moussa Dembélé. In short, a coach who pulls on the right strings because he wins. It did not go far against PSG in the end of the League Cup, but it was on the other hand against Juventus and again against Manchester City, three European leaders cut to win the Champions League.
“The score is still 3-1 against one of the favorite teams for the C1, that means we had a very good game, he savored after the victory against the Skyblues. We were good in all areas, we won the tactical battle, the battle of communication too. We were united, we encouraged each other. We have talent in this team, and we saw a really high level state of mind, a rather incredible collective spirit. Everyone got high to help the team and the partner. ” So of course, OL are not the dream of the game. Although, the Gones were more enterprising against City than against Paris and Juve. But to see the scenes of liesses in the streets of Lyon, it is not very serious.
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And if they haven't already done so, the Lyon fans would be well inspired to give back to César what is his and to give credit to the coach of their favorite team. Because he deserves it ... In any case, the main party swears not to derive personal satisfaction. “I'm not in there. My happiness is by proxy, he swears. These are moments of collective emotion that are strong. I do this job to live these moments. They are rare in the career. Tonight, it's wonderful, we are in the semi-final, but that doesn't give us anything, neither title, nor European qualification.
Another feat against Bayern?
It is still not nothing. And it could be even better… “Even if we are not the best placed of the four teams in the last four, our chances against Bayern, we will have to be able to seize them. But it's a bit early to talk about it ... The watchword is recovery. The match comes quickly (Wednesday at 9 p.m.). But it's also about savoring, realizing what we have done, even if I don't think we are necessarily achieving yet ... "And when everyone realizes what OL have accomplished, we must not forget to braid the laurels of Coach Garcia.
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