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midknight · 03 Dec 2007, 06:24 PM

I know that the match is more than a week from now, but I couldn't find anywhere else to put this.

Guys. I'm not sure when I became a Lyon fan. I know that in 04, I wasn't all that cut up to see them go out to Chelsea. As a matter of fact, I was more concerned with cheering that Deschamps Monaco team right up to the final.
I had felt a slight twinge seeing Coupet's face after bowing out on penalties to what for me was a clearly inferior PSV team. But I didn't know what it was like to feel gutted for a club game until Inzaghi poked in that damn billiard ball after it came off both posts. I guess for Roma, I was a lot more numb; by then, but that sense of "the entire competition is over when Lyon goes out" only developped in 05-06

And that was while dominating much bigger teams in the group stage, finishing first out of the group etc.

Now Lyon has a date with destiny. Its win or go home (well, no one really wants the UEFA cup at this stage). No more calculations, no away goals, no penalties. Its win, on hostile territory, or play the rest of the season counting the space between yourself and Nancy. At least, thats how I see it.

After a catastrophic start, Lyon seems to be growing from strength to strength. What if this was the season that Pinocchio became a real boy and announced itself as a real contender, with the mental strength necessary to bounce back, to hold off, to outmuscle, outwit and out grit its adversaries.

What if the worst season in the Champions league group stage is the one where OL goes the farthest? What if this is the match that it takes - an absolute win away to a team known for its ability to bunker and outhustle, outmuscle and generally make your life a living hell when it has no obligation to play for anything other than 0-0.
What if it takes the knowledge that an OL at 60% of its capacity (missing Coupet, Cris, Fred, Toulalan playing blooming Loic Remy against Barcelona in a crucial match!, with a handicapped Juninho, a stubbornly inadapted coach, having been drained of its great midfield players for 3 successive seasons) having collected 2 3-0 beatdowns in a row, is not not only still in with a shout on the last day of the competition, but has its destiny in its own hands, in what was considered one of the tougher groups to begin with?
What if it takes the knowledge that when the knockout rounds restart, Juninho will be back to his best, (seeing that he is on la pente ascendante) the long term injuries will be back, and the league will almost be a formality and thus less of a distraction, for them to do well.
What if this match is the match that decides if Lyon, against all odds, will finally become a Grand d'Europe ?

What if this is the match that finally allows l'OL as a group and as individuals, to BELIEVE?

03 Dec 2007, 06:24 PM	#1
midknight BigSoccer Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Paris	Rangers - OL 12/12 The bigger game I know that the match is more than a week from now, but I couldn't find anywhere else to put this. Guys. I'm not sure when I became a Lyon fan. I know that in 04, I wasn't all that cut up to see them go out to Chelsea. As a matter of fact, I was more concerned with cheering that Deschamps Monaco team right up to the final. I had felt a slight twinge seeing Coupet's face after bowing out on penalties to what for me was a clearly inferior PSV team. But I didn't know what it was like to feel gutted for a club game until Inzaghi poked in that damn billiard ball after it came off both posts. I guess for Roma, I was a lot more numb; by then, but that sense of "the entire competition is over when Lyon goes out" only developped in 05-06 And that was while dominating much bigger teams in the group stage, finishing first out of the group etc. Now Lyon has a date with destiny. Its win or go home (well, no one really wants the UEFA cup at this stage). No more calculations, no away goals, no penalties. Its win, on hostile territory, or play the rest of the season counting the space between yourself and Nancy. At least, thats how I see it. After a catastrophic start, Lyon seems to be growing from strength to strength. What if this was the season that Pinocchio became a real boy and announced itself as a real contender, with the mental strength necessary to bounce back, to hold off, to outmuscle, outwit and out grit its adversaries. What if the worst season in the Champions league group stage is the one where OL goes the farthest? What if this is the match that it takes - an absolute win away to a team known for its ability to bunker and outhustle, outmuscle and generally make your life a living hell when it has no obligation to play for anything other than 0-0. What if it takes the knowledge that an OL at 60% of its capacity (missing Coupet, Cris, Fred, Toulalan playing blooming Loic Remy against Barcelona in a crucial match!, with a handicapped Juninho, a stubbornly inadapted coach, having been drained of its great midfield players for 3 successive seasons) having collected 2 3-0 beatdowns in a row, is not not only still in with a shout on the last day of the competition, but has its destiny in its own hands, in what was considered one of the tougher groups to begin with? What if it takes the knowledge that when the knockout rounds restart, Juninho will be back to his best, (seeing that he is on la pente ascendante) the long term injuries will be back, and the league will almost be a formality and thus less of a distraction, for them to do well. What if this match is the match that decides if Lyon, against all odds, will finally become a Grand d'Europe ? What if this is the match that finally allows l'OL as a group and as individuals, to BELIEVE?
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