Yeah I don't watch a lot of Lyon games but when I do.... crap I have that commercial stuck in my head. Any way, it was a good game and I don't think Lyon played as bad as the Postdam game. They was quite excellent really. It just wasn't their night. Must be a wierd feeling for those players after never losing before...
Rapinoe was never going to play yesterday. She was on the bench as you know, but OL allowed her to attend the USWNT camp and because of that she did not return to France until Thursday. All of the other players had been preparing for this match for two weeks, and Rapinoe attended no more than one, or possibly two trainings.
Well, u can say a lot of things about Rapinoe but she is dangerous ever second she is on the pitch. Down a goal I would have thrown her out there at the end and tried to catch lightning in a bottle.
very minute she's on the pitch and concentrated i think you mean. lair's last sub was laetitia tonazzi, which was a much more realistic option. though from the way pinoe had played her last few times out, it would have been a great thing to have her on the team these past two weeks and be able to start her.
Since you are are French poster, can you explain the importance of the match? I understand PSG haven't beaten Lyons before but from their celebration I got the impression this was like a championship or something. Mathematically, haven't OL already won the league?
in the standings it keeps PSG alone in 2nd place and is a big step to their qualifying for the CL next year. OL hasn't mathematically won the title, but since they have a H2H advantage over PSG plus a 3 pt lead, they must fail to win TWO of their remaining matches, and they only play one team they are not almost certain to beat by many goals. morally though it's huge. OL has been hard pressed before a few times in the past few years, but all those games they seemed to have bad luck, or officiating, or something else weird that didn't really take away from the fact they were far superior to their opponent on the day. last night they not only lost, but have no excuses. it was a close-run thing, but no crazy fluke.
Thanks, I can see being happy about the CL and the moral victory. I saw the match yesterday and at the end I was quite befuddled because I was not sure what was going on
Did Rapinoe ask for relief from the end of the U.S. camp? The game was huge. Strange Horan missed the U-20 semi and final and Rapinoe misses the game to do drills in camp with 28 players.
i think megan is getting homesick. there was a blog post relayed on lieri's tumblr that makes that pretty clear. i planted a pot of tulips for her last fall and they're sprouting now. i should take them to her right away to try to cheer her up, but unfortunately i have to be i paris most of the week.
oh, well. i think she had fun while she was here, but if you ask me she didn't take the whole thing seriously enough.
She's apparently leaving for the States tomorrow.. Maybe someone at Lyon would be willing to forward it to her? But really, would they survive a trip from France to the PNW?
streng verboten to bring anything like that into the country. bugs y know! here's the official olweb article: http://www.olweb.fr/fr/article/pinoe-quitte-lol-64492.html
Thanks, can we per chance see a photo of the tulips? Maybe send a photo to Rapinoe instead? It will be a shame if she doesn't see them
best to wait until they bloom! do you know anything about gardening? or maybe you forgot it's january? i'll take a photo tomorrow... and another in april!
A little more insight from L'Equipe (a la Google Translate): Gray clouds begin to accumulate over Olympique Lyonnais. Two days after the defeat against PSG at the Stade Gerland (0-1 ), the American offensive Megan Rapinoe middle abruptly slammed the door on Monday. In a message posted on OLTV , chain club, Olympic champion justified her return to the United States. "It's too hard for me, it's sad but I think it's better for my life. I would like to say thank you to the club, the fans, girls . I am very happy to be coming here for a year, " she said in French before continuing in English and to specify that it wanted to bring her family and " be present for the national team " she attended since 2006 (76 selections) ." Lair shouted at her over, yelled at as a kid. He had no respect for her. " According to a source close to the Lyon team, from " Pinoe " is due to conflicting relationship she had with Patrice Lair, coach sevenfold champion of France . " Lair does not like stars and Rapinoe is a huge star in the United States. He shouted at her, yelled at the kid as a. He had no respect for her. "According to the same source , Megan Rapinoe was "not happy at Lyon ." Arrival in the Rhône in January 2013 , the young Californian 28 years has never really shone under the shirt OL scoring only five goals in 14 league games . Early in the season , when she was returned to the United States to perform a summer freelancing Seattle, Lair felt she had not " demonstrated his talent with OL ."To believe this close to the OL , evil is deeper: the message of Patrice Lair , coach described as (too) intransigent not happen . Eliminated prematurely from the Champions League knockout from the German by Potsdam (0-1 , 1-2) , jostled by Paris Championship , the Lyonnaise who had done a wonderful tripled D1- Cup - France Champions League in 2012, experiencing a brutal return to earth : " the spring between girls and Patrice Lair is broken ." With three points ahead of PSG , Lyon is still leading the Championship and remains well above sportingly other formations D1. The now ex- teammates Megan Rapinoe are well placed to be once again the sacred champions France at the end of the season. However, it is quite possible that Patrice Lair does not continue the adventure further with the club Jean- Michel Aulas . The reaction Patrice Lair "There is no problem with Megan Rapinoe , we kissed this afternoon she came to see me , I thanked her , that's fine. I think it 's bullshit that some people resent me . I'm disappointed , it makes me a good player less. (...) We must stop implying that the spring is broken with the players because it is not true . I think it is unhealthy and petty thing to say. " http://www.lequipe.fr/Football/Actualites/Rapinoe-poussee-vers-la-sortie/433873
Might want to shorten that quote. i know it is a translation, but it is still against the ToS. That being said, if there really was an issue with Lair, why would she return to Lyon? That doesn't really make sense.
I agree, that L'Equipe article is ridiculous. Yes, they have had some problems because Rapinoe appears to have a tendency to not take everything as seriously as she is expected to, and playing her own game instead of following the coach's instructions (which, in case anyone is forgetting, is not a problem that she has only had with Patrice Lair, but also with Pia Sundhage for example), but she and the club were quite obviously on good enough terms to extend her contract. If it had really been an issue, she would not have returned. I would instead say that being eliminated from CL is what made her leave. Without that there was, for her, no incentive to stay and that must have made her miss home that much more.
Which if everyone is frank was I think the mean reason she was signed anyway. I highly doubt Lyon needed extra man power to win the domestic league.