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Olympique Lyonnais Behind the Scenes (Episode 1)

Blah blah standard disclaimers apply; don't harass me for shit or it drops down the priority list out of sheer spite; if you stalk a player your ass should be banned from a stadium xoxo; @OL Comms Dept I do love a good PSL; y'all know the speech by now.

I know I'm being a little slow in kicking things out but I do want to explain what my typical day looks like: get up at 5am, go to the gym, take Damo out for a walk, get home, feed Damo, shower, leave by 730 am, feed Apollo; get to work; hit my billable hours; take care of Apollo; get home; make dinner. Literally I am out of my apartment for 13 hours. By the time I am done feeding Damo his dinner and making my dinner, it's almost 930 - 10pm. I need sleep to function. I also really like my job and want to keep it, and thus cannot be chronically online as I have actual bills to pay since my parents don't pay for everything and I have, like, proper adult responsibilities. Anyway, it's just to explain that yes sometimes there is a delay in me kicking things out, but I do get to things eventually. Just don't be a dick if something is out with your fave and I haven't gotten around to translating in it. xoxo

This is how you do a proper documentary. Walk me through it. Tell me what you were thinking but tell me why you were thinking it as well. I don't care about your favorite movie or your social media content. Let's pour ourselves a glass of wine and just, like, talk.

If you want to know this team, you have to know what it looks like when their eyes change. To know this team is to understand them. This is how you get to that.

OLYMPIQUE LYONNAIS BEHIND THE SCENES - EPISODE 1

Eugenie Le Sommer: Hi.

Melchie Dumornay: Hello.

Griedge M'Bock: Hello.

Le Sommer: This year on OLPlay -

M'Bock: - we are telling you about our season.

Dumornay: And it starts right now.

[Footage of Lyon celebrating winning trophies]

[Shot of training ground]

M'Bock: I was there since the very beginning. But little by little, after the World Cup, the international players came back.

[previous footage of players coming back from after the World Cup]

Dumornay: Err, the return from the World Cup was hard for me because we had the goal of going as far as possible in the World Cup. And it was good as well to come back to the group as soon as possible to process what happened in the World Cup, and forget it all. Get back to work. So it was hard but also good for me to join the group.

Le Sommer: Well this year, this season is a bit different because we came back later from the World Cup. Each one came back at a different time. We didn't all start preseason at the same time. So we had to go with the flow.

[Shot of Kadidiatou Diani]

Le Sommer: For the recruits, it's simple. They're there. We act as though they have always been there. We try to make them feel at ease from the beginning. We obviously have an ulterior motive. We have to get to know them [shot of players in practice - that's what Le Sommer meant by "getting to know"], get them involved. Because it's always harder for a new player to approach players who have been there for a while. But it's a really natural process, ever since I've been at Lyon I've always found it easy to integrate the new players and I think they feel at ease pretty quickly.

Dumornay: The players sent me supportive messages, they said welcome home. I found that really touching. The players put me in the best condition possible in the group. It was a really good thing and I appreciate it enormously.

M'Bock: Obviously if there are players who are more at ease, then I will bully them a little bit more. Otherwise I will take more care of them. It depends on the person and the relationship you have with them.

[Shot of the players arrive in Divonne]

Le Sommer: The first important moment of the season when we're all together is the preseason camp, which we did in Divonne this year.

Dumornay: Everyone was there, the whole group. So for sure we were all able to work together, which helped with the team's chemistry overall. It was a really interesting preseason camp, the weather was nice, the sun was shining. So me personally, I was really excited to work with the whole group.

Le Sommer: We're going to say that our sights were set on the Trophee des Championnes. It was the first objective for the season. It was a major objective because it's against PSG. So the week in Divonne really served as preparation for that game.

[Training shots]

[Shot of Sara Dabritz]

M'Bock: It's true that Sara [Dabritz] had to leave preseason camp at one point. We were all really sad for her, because - because she is someone who is part of the team, who - who brings us a lot, and we also know what kind of person she is. She's a really kind person. We were all really touched by what happened to her. And we tried to show her on the field that we were with her and that we were thinking about her.

[Shot of the players arriving at Troyes (where the Trophee des Championnes will be played)]

Le Sommer: First game of the season, it's against PSG. I didn't think I was going to start because we had worked the whole week on a certain formation, and I was playing the role of someone coming in to that formation. But Ada [Hegerberg] got injured the eve of the game, so that's when I realized I could potentially be a starter. So I prepared like I always do, as if I was going to play, and I knew I would start when we had the pregame meeting.

Dumornay: [I was] very excited before the game. I was very eager to play against Paris [Saint-Germain] but also to play my first official game with the team and to try and do something special in the game.

[Game footage]

Le Sommer: We didn't have the start to the game that we wanted because we wanted to attack immediately and put them in difficulty. I think their formation threw us off a little bit at the beginning, even if we knew they would be playing with a backline of three defenders. We didn't adapt quick enough.

Dumornay: The first ten minutes of the game were a little complicated. I had to make a few mistakes to find my bearings. [laughter] Once I was able to orient myself I was off.

[Game footage cont'd]

Le Sommer: It's all about tactics at the start. I saw the space that the defender had left, so I move into that space. I move out wide whereas normally I cut inside. After that, instinct kicked it and I crossed. I put myself in Melchie's [Dumornay] space and I told myself where I would like the cross, and she cut inside her defender pretty well, and we scored.

Dumornay: I wanted to get a foot on it but it wasn't really going to work, so instead I - I don't know, it was more instinctual, cross the header in front of goal. So it ended pretty well. Once I saw the ball had gone in, that I had scored, I felt all the energy I had to let out leave me. It was my first goal, it was also an important goal for the team because it allowed us to gain the advantage. So yeah, really happy and really proud as well.

[Game footage cont'd]

Le Sommer: [laughs] So my goal, I get why people could say it's a lucky goal. But when I saw Lindsey [Horan] getting the ball, I knew that she could take a shot and I was ready to close in on the keeper if she dropped the ball. And then she [Horan] shot in my direction, and I said to myself all I have to do is put it on target and I just angled my foot to try and put it on target. It catches the goalkeeper wrong footed. It was an instinctual goal but there was also a thought process behind it.

Le Sommer: You have to be able to anticipate a situation that never happens. The day it does happen, you need to be ready. That's something that goes with playing in that position [forward/striker].

[Game footage cont'd]

M'Bock: It's true that it was a special evening. You just think about playing, you just think about getting on the field, having fun, even if there was a time when I was thinking back on the rehab, the months of hard work, everything I had gone through to get back. When the coach calls you to come on, it's a really happy moment. And a lot of emotion, because you say to yourself it's finally over, it's all behind you. To be able to come on in a game like the Trophee des Championnes and win the title, the emotions are obviously heightened.

Le Sommer: It warms the heart, it's the kind of emotional moments that you don't experience every day. And Griedge is a player I've been playing with for a long time, someone I appreciate enormously. So I was really happy for her, that she was involved again in a competition, with the team. We saw her daily, we saw how hard she work even if it was sometimes difficult. It's often difficult when you're injured, especially when it's a longterm injury. So we also know what she went through and seeing her [on the field], it was a reward for all that. It was good for her.

[Game footage cont'd]

Dumornay: My first medal, my first trophy and also my first trophy as Player of the Match. So it was something special. I couldn't have dreamt it any better. But what made me even happier was to have won this trophy with the team and all the players. So that's already something that will stay with me forever, to have come in like that in my first game and to have had so much success. So that will really stay with me.

[Game footage cont'd - Renard delaying the celebration until she received Sara Dabritz's jersey]

Le Sommer: We're a team. It's a real team, not just an expression. What we did for Sara [Dabritz], it's because she was going through a difficult personal situation. We're there for each other. When we say there's a lot of solidarity in the team, it's not empty words. It's really genuine. We want everyone to feel good on the team and that everyone is as happy as possible. So we know that when you're going through difficult times, even a little gesture like that will make you feel better.

M'Bock: It's true those gestures are really touching. Having experienced it personally, I was on the hospital bed right before my operation. When they did it for me, I almost had tears in my eyes. I was really emotional and said to myself, "they're still thinking about me." That does so much good. It's good to feel like people are thinking about you, and that they will be with you no matter what.

Le Sommer: Once the Trophee des Championnes was over, we went straight into the league. So first day of the league, it was against Le Havre. The game started pretty well for us, we played a good game. I scored the first goal. The goalkeeper coach, Simon, told me to be there for the rebounds. So that's all the balls which are [badly] cleared either by the goalkeeper or from the defenders. He told me to be ready in that position. And I just needed the ball to come to me. I didn't question myself, I just took a shot, and, well, I scored.

[Game footage cont'd]

Le Sommer: All these volleys, those are moves I've always liked doing. It's a move I do pretty well. And when I have the opportunity, I try to take it, and it worked out pretty well. But yeah, it was a good goal.

[Game footage cont'd]

Liana Joseph: I think it's Sonia [Bompastor], she was talking to Remi [Pullara], they were like "call up Liana". I was like "nah" but then I got up. I ran a bit, warmed up, then was good to go. There was also Alice [Sombath], it was either her or me who was going to go on. Then he [Remi] told me to step up my warmups, and I was like "okay Liana, it's on." I was a bit stressed, but yeah. I stayed confident in myself. Then they called me over. Sonia was like "okay, just do like you do in practice." When they raised the - the thing so you can come on - I was like okay, you have to give everything now. I didn't want my family to have come for nothing. Coming on in front of them was a big honor for me. So I gave everything I had, but the first minutes were a bit complicated because I had to get oriented and yeah. It was a bit complicated.

[Game footage cont'd]

M'Bock: Honestly, the cross was Wendie [Renard], it was really good. It was almost a magical moment.

[Game footage cont'd]

M'Bock: After Le Havre, there was the international break. When you're called up to the National Team, obviously you're happy. You savor each moment, each day. Obviously for me it was my big return, so there was even more happiness and emotion, I think. But I also experienced that period where the [Lyon] team wasn't at full strength. It's true it's not easy. At Lyon we're lucky to have an enormous amount of international players, but that means when pretty much everyone is gone, there's barely anyone left [at Lyon] for the training sessions. So it's sometimes a little complicated to practice in terms of quality [of practice], even if the staff does their best for us. It's just like that, you have to continue to train. But it also allows us to practice things that we don't always have time to do when you're off on international duty or when - well yeah, when you're away on international duty. There's good and less good.

Le Sommer: The context is a bit particular this year because we're playing PSG twice in three weeks. So when we come back from the international break there isn't a lot of time to prepare [for PSG]. We only had two training sessions, only one of which had all the players because there were some who were [playing] on the other side of the world. So when we get them back, you have to quickly get back in the Lyon state of mind. But that's also how football is, so you don't have a choice, that's just how it is. And we're playing at the Parc des Princes on Sunday night, so that's going to be good for the game in that sense. It's the match of the weekend.

[Game footage cont'd]

Le Sommer: It's one of the games where there was a lot of back and forth, no team dominated. That's not always the case against PSG. Each team had chances. We started the game pretty well. We were able to create some chances, we were pressing pretty high. They were able to put us in difficulty on the counters, but we continued to push and I was the one who scored the goal in the first half on a free kick from Selma [Bacha], she crossed it to Dama[ris] who headed it back to me and I took it on the volley. It ended up in the back of the net.

[Game footage cont'd]

M'Bock: She [Le Sommer] rolled back the years. Honestly, what she is doing is impressive. On the one hand it doesn't surprise me because I know Eugenie [Le Sommer], I know her quality, and I know what she is capable of. To see her perform like this, it makes me really happy. It can only be beneficial for the team as well.

Le Sommer: Chris[tiane Endler] had a big game as well. I think the win is because of her as well. She had some great saves. I think the goalkeepers on both teams had a great game. That being said, Chris isn't able to showcase her abilities that often because we don't usually concede that many chances. But it was still a game against PSG, her former club. So she had a really, really great game and that was good.

[Game footage cont'd]

M'Bock: So there you have it, we finish the month with three games, three wins. It was a productive month you can say.

Dumornay: As I said, I couldn't have hoped for any better. I spent my birthday here, I won a trophy here, I met people that I've always wanted to meet.

M'Bock: In terms of the style of play, there's still a lot we need to improve on. We know that. We know there are things we need to improve, but it's going in the right direction. We'll have a bit more time to work on things. So we're going to make the most of the time we have to continue improving as a team. There's a lot of clashes coming up, especially with the derby [againt ASSE], the UWCL draw, and everything after that. So we're eager to get to it, and we're going to prepare like we should to be ready.

Dumornay: Eager to see what's next. We're going to continue as I said with this consistency to work and conquer what's in front of us.

#all good love stories start in the rain #melchie dumornay #eugenie le sommer #griedge mbock #liana joseph #god i need a glass of wine now #and by glass i do mean bottle #monsters recognize monsters

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Olympique Lyonnais - Paris Saint-Germain UWCL OLPlay Postgame Interviews

The lengths I will go to to avoid translating an OLPLay Night Systems interview, you have no idea.

Blah blah standard disclaimers apply; @OL Comms Dept please enable my Starbucks addiction or chip in for my AC bill; banning stans from stadiums would make this sport so much better; y'all know the speech by now.

Sidenote: my bone to pick with this journalist is he doesn't really know women's football. He did an OL Night Systems interview last season where he basically said Lyon Fem should field all French [academy] players (racist); speaks super condescendingly to the female players (sexist); and seemed much more interesting in the men's academy game which was being broadcast right after the UWCL postgame show. Timothee Piron and Coralie Ducher tried to save the interviews, but between him and the fucking academy director posing as a journalist, it didn't go well.

OLYMPIQUE LYONNAIS OLPLAY POSTGAME INTERVIEWS

AMEL MAJRI OLPLAY POSTGAME INTERVIEW

Journalist: Diani, 80th minute. Dumornay, 84th minute. I'd like to present to you Mrs. 86th minute, Mrs. 3-2 win, it's Mrs. Amel Majri. Good evening, Amel.

Majri: Good evening.

Journalist: You're going to have to pull out the exact numbers. 300?

Timothee: Your next game will be your 300th game with Olympique Lyonnais. [this almost guarantees she starts against EAG on Wednesday]. That will be an important game. But this one, the one we just experienced, it's important too.

Journalist: Talk us through it. In those 300 games - and I am sure you will talk about the end of this one as well, you were in the heart of Groupama Stadium. You've experienced comebacks, upsets like I am sure.

Majri: Yes, we -

Journalist: Which one stands out for you, before we talk about tonight's.

Majri: The one in the [2018] UWCL Final.

Journalist: [sounding surprised] It was already the UWCL. Okay. [How could he not know it??] Tell us what was said in the locker room. What was said on the substitutes bench up to the 80th minute when PSG was showing they were a good team. What happened after? But before the comeback, what was going through your head? Because we couldn't understand it, even with Timothee Piron and Coralie Ducher explaining it.

Majri: At halftime, we knew that we had done some good things in the first half. We respected what we had worked on all week. Unfortunately the only thing that was missing was the finishing. We weren't rewarded [with a goal]. In the second half it was the same, we weren't scoring, unfortunately we were down 2-0. But what was good is that we kept playing our game. We tried to play and disrupt PSG. We didn't freak out either, we believed. And then when we got control of the ball we started to put our chances away.

Journalist: So the first goal, it's the 80th minute. It's that goal from Kadi[diatou] Diani. You who was on the field, what were you looking at? Did you think you could come back like the men's team?

Majri: Yes. Also we - we saw the ball go in, we could also hear the fans cheering, they were really pushing us. We believed. We knew we had it in us to get those second and third goals because we have so much experience in this competition. And yeah, it's a UWCL game. When you keep going all game, you get results like tonight.

Journalist: And then you see Melchie Dumornay, 84th minute. She sends a missile. it was a magnificent shot. You wouldn't have been able to stop it. You, Amel, did you say to yourself, "it's the 84th minute, there's six minutes remaining plus added time"?

Majri: Yeah, I was fresh. I found myself central, I could see Melchie and I asked for the ball. I didn't know if she was tracking behind me, I feigned and then shot across goal.

Journalist: You shot on your favorite foot, your left foot. The control, the shot, all with the left foot.

Majri: We worked on it. We worked on it with Camille [Abily] all week in training. Shoot across goal without forcing it. It paid off tonight.

Timothee: If you watch the replays, you shot right at the post. It couldn't have gone in any better.

Majri: Yeah, I had a good look. I was happy.

Timothee: How did you feel when you saw it go in? Did you say to yourself - we had a PSG who was completely dominating, and then you had that comeback. How did you experience that?

Majri: It's the beauty - it's what makes football beautiful, honestly. Scenarios like that, they're the type of scenarios you dream about. When it happens to you you're super happy. But you have to keep yourself grounded and say it's only the first leg, if we want the second leg to be as good, we have to win it. We learnt a lot during this game, it was an emotional rollercoaster. We have to learn from it even if we won.

Journalist: Coralie [Ducher] was telling us earlier with her experience -

Coralie: It's a bit outdated.

Journalist: Outdated, I was just going to say it's been a while. It's just because Amel [Majri] went through it 30 minutes ago. Psychologically, do games like this leave an impression on champions like yourself, even if they're going to be ready for you next Sunday at Parc des Princes? Psychologically speaking, are you and Sonia [Bompastor] going to say "okay, we messed up in the first hour, we maybe weren't at our best. But now we have an unexpected opportunity, we completed the comeback." Is it something you will work on psychologically?

Majri: Yeah, of course, we need to be able to use it. But I also think that - maybe not for an hour - but I honestly think we had a good first half [debatable..] We know what note we have to end on and what to work on. It gave them confidence to score, then they scored a second. We struggled for maybe 20, 30 minutes. But I think, as you said, those sort of games come down to experience and we were able to show we won eight UWCLs for a reason.

Journalist: Coralie, one last question before we release Amel.

Coralie: What are you expected for the second leg? Because they are going to want revenge.

Majri: They're also going to want to go out and win this game. Therefore I think they're going to play a bit more freely and find spaces for themselves. Here they were relying a lot on Chawinga and their attacking strengths. But we're also going there to win, to put away our chances and hopefully win the title at the end.

Coralie: Timothee and I really thought that Geyoro was a force in the midfield. Did you feel that as well? Personally I thought that when you came on, it brought another rhythm. Do you feel as though you brought something different when you came on, with maybe playing a little more on the left side and widening the field? Or - it's true that Geyoro was really a force. She's the driving force in the PSG midfield.

Majri: Yes, but - yes, it's true she was a force. Beyond that, I really like cutting inside. So I was up against her a lot. But no, no - it's something I like to do, drifting inside. But it's true that Geyoro, yeah ...

Coraline: And the goal was very much like Ada [Hegerberg], you crossed in front of goal.

Majri: [laughs] Yeah, shoutout to Ada.

Journalist: I see on the jersey "We Play Strong". That suits the team well.

Majri: It suits us.

Journalist: In any case, the Majri family will be eager to congratulate you, and even the youngest boys - or rather youngest girls - will see that famous goal and that incredible atmosphere with 38,000 fans. Amel, thank you for joining us.

Majri: Thank you.

MELCHIE DUMORNAY OLPLAY POSTGAME INTERVIEW

[This interview is done by my arch nemesis aka the fucking academy director who poses as a journalist]

"Journalist": Melchie, what an amazing scenario. And that goal, those goals, and the final win.

Dumornay: It was incredible this evening. We went through an emotional rollercoaster tonight. The game was very difficult for us, so we showed a lot of character and never gave up to get the win in the end.

"Journalist": We felt in the first half that you were getting a lot of ball but with your back to the play. And as soon - when we were able to get the ball in front of you, you lit up the midfield.

Dumornay: Obviously it's something we have worked on all week to put ourselves in the right situations to hurt our opponent. So I was able to help the team that way, so I'm really happy. And we'll continue so we can be even better in the upcoming games.

"Journalist": Say something about the public, who really lifted you.

Dumornay: They're incredible. They gave us that adrenaline rush which pushed us to get that win. And they were really behind us. So all we could do is make them proud and not disappoint them when we were playing at home against our rivals. The team opposite was very scrappy, it's always difficult. So it's a lot of duels. And I think we deserved the win because we were able to get it despite the difficulties.

"Journalist": We know you've been waiting for these UWCL games, which were often delayed for you because of [your] injuries. You're not disappointed tonight.

Dumornay: I'm not disappointed because we won, but I think we can do even better. We conceded two goals so I think we need to work on that for the second leg, to avoid those sorts of situations. And now that we have the advantage, the game today is over but we need to learn from this game to be better for the next one, because it will decisive for going to the final.

"Journalist": Thank you, Melchie.

Dumornay: Thank you.

DAMARIS OLPLAY POSTGAME INTERVIEW

[interview still done by my arch nemesis. As Taylor Swift once said, "I hate it here"]

"Journalist": Dama[ris], it's still an incredible scenario tonight. It started badly and at the 80th minute, everything fell into place.

Damaris: Yeah, I think that's Lyon. I think we did a really good first half but we just lacked efficiency in front of goal. And then they scored two goals, it was hard for us but that's Lyon as well. We have the experience. We did it for us, we did it for the fans. It was really important today for us to show up and for the injured players as well, I think we made a magnificent effort for everyone. Now we need to prepare for next week.

"Journalist": There was a turning point in the game, the save by Christiane Endler which avoided that third goal.

Damaris: Yeah. Christiane Endler, we've said it so many times, it's nothing new. I think she changed the game as well. After her save we picked up the reins and we created a lot of chances, and that's how we scored. We have the best goalkeeper here. I'm happy because she's always behind me and that always keeps me calm.

"Journalist": It was also a big battle in the midfield. It's also an important role in your defensive position today.

Damaris: Yeah, it's always like that against a team like PSG. It's a lot of one vs ones, a lot of duels. But that's football today, UWCL semifinals are going to have a lot of tackles. We need to win all the duels. That's how we were more efficient in the second half and how we won.

"Journalist": What are you expecting in the return leg?

Damaris: I don't know after this. We have a week to recover and see how we can prepare the best that we can.

"Journalist": Thank you, Dama[ris].

Damaris: Thank you.

SONIA BOMPASTOR OLPLAY POSTGAME INTERVIEW

Journalist: Sonia [Bompastor] is with us. Sonia, thank you very much. Amel [Majri] came and spoke with us 25 minutes ago. It's already great publicity for your players. There are a lot of smiles. First of all we were talking about [emotional] rollercoasters. Where are you at right now? Top, bottom, middle?

Bompastor: It's true that in football we like experiencing those kind of emotions. It's a completely insane scenario, even more so when you're at home with the crowd behind you. We really experienced such high emotions. So we're still savoring it.

Journalist: There was perhaps a little less savoring before the 80th minute. Somewhat related, you got scolded by the referee. What happened there?

Bompastor: No, I was gonna say that I find it difficult to stay calm on the sidelines. I'm deeply invested in the game.

Journalist: You have legitimate reasons not to stay calm. Up until the 80th minute, it had been going badly from the start. How would you narrate the end of the night? 80th minute, 84th minute, 86th minute. Did you watch the men's game or something?

Bompastor: [laughs awkwardly] Yes, yes, it's true, we used it for inspiration. In any case, the Lyon fans have been spoiled because between the men's team and the women's teams, there are absolutely crazy scenes. Mostly in our favor. But yeah, actually, since the start of the game, at halftime, I always believed that it was possible, even when we were down 1-0, we were quickly down 2-0 at the start of the second half but I knew that if we scored one goal, we would be able to get something out of it. So those were my words at halftime, very positive to give even more confidence to my players. And we have such a quality team with a lot of talent up top. So I'm not surprised that we were able to score those goals, even if opposite us there is a very good team, that doesn't make it easy.

Timothee: Sometimes we talk about experience and it's a little bit abstract. Is that not what experience actually is? Knowing that no matter the state you are in now, by getting a goal back you can go and get a result. Is there not a bit "know-how" in how to handle big games? Because honestly what happened tonight, it's pretty crazy. Is that not what experience is?

Bompastor: Yeah, obviously it helps. The more games you experience with different scenarios, the more you are able mentally to stay grounded when it is going well and not give up when it is more dire. I think that when we were down 2-0 there was Christiane Endler who made a decisive save which allowed us to stay just a little bit in the game. Then right after we scored that first goal. And yeah, I think that after having scored that first goal, tonight what really helped us was the crowd's support. We could really hear them, and they pushed us to score those two other goals which allowed us to win tonight.

Coralie: I brought up the mental aspect a lot. I think the teams tonight, especially Lyon because Paris [Saint-Germain] kind of did the positive, that [mental aspect] played a lot. Did you have some key players, I'm thinking of Amel Majri coming on who did a lot of good, they calmed the team down?

Bompastor: Yeah. In any case I like how the substitutes did when they came on. They brought energy at a time when the team needed it. Often when you are a coach, you anticipate different scenarios, so you're like "we're going to make this change to bring such and such thing". Tonight the energy of the players but especially Amel [Majri]'s finishing, for example, those brought a lot of positive things. I'm happy for them personally because it's never easy when you don't start a game. You're always a little bit frustrated, you're a competitor, you want playing time and to participate in those types of games. They knew how to be very positive for the group, they were able to be decisive as soon as they came on. And that allowed us to walk away with a positive result. It's a cumulation of things. I think the team is very strong mentally. It's a team that never gives up. Maybe tonight there would have been reasons to do so, and that's why experience is so necessary at this level.

Journalist: This Saturday, there was a good article on Pierre Sage [men's coach] in the publication L'Equipe [Bompastor laughs in disbelief off-camera] The Lyon men's coach insists a lot on this team and his substitutes. We can see it with Cherki, others. Could you tell us a little bit, without giving up any secrets, what work you do with the girls [note: he could have said players but said "girls"] who aren't necessarily regular starters at the start?

Bompastor: Well you know, I was going to tell you that for the coach and for the staff, those are the most important players. Because at the end of the day the ones who are playing are happy, they're in a good dynamic. But the consideration and the importance in the communication and relations you have with the players who sometimes have less playing time, that's what makes the difference. Because at a certain point they feel they're taken into consideration, they feel they're involved in the plans. And even if it's difficult in the heat of the moment, you have to acknowledge it as a human being. So when the coach comes over to you and says "I know it's hard for you, I know you want to play but you are going to play your role in a different way." Tonight for example for Amel, I think she is as happy tonight as she would have been had she started.

Journalist: Yes, that's what she showed us earlier. Coralie, another question before we let Sonia go. Sonia, what is going to be the schedule? I was going to say in the next hours. This game, are you going to rewatch it before tomorrow morning?

Bompastor: Usually I like to give myself 24 hours to come back down and see it better in hindsight. But sometimes I rewatch it on the go. It's always better to rewatch the game when there was a positive result, that's for sure. But we experienced a lot of emotions and we will need to really compartmentalize them and stay level-headed. You can count on us because we know it's going to be difficult next week.

Journalist: I also brought up video in my question. Are you going to show the players in the next hours how you concede those two goals? Are you going to specifically work on this game? Paris Saint-Germain showed some really good things that they will want to replicate Sunday at 4pm at the Parc des Princes.

Bompastor: Yeah, of course. That's the role of the staff, to analyze the game, go over the tactics, go over what Paris did on their side, go over what we did on ours, what caused us problems, what did we do well. We'll do analysis with the team and with individual players. There will be video sessions pretty much every day so the message is extremely clear for the players and for the team.

Journalist: Another question from Timothee, because in 4 minutes we're going to watch the men's reserve team.

Timothee: It's pretty crazy the different stages a team will go through. For maybe 20 minutes Lyon was being put through the wringer. In a flash that changes. After the first [Lyon] goal people were like "Paris is going to collapse". It's crazy how a team can just come together or like Paris did just collapse in an instant. It's complicated to analyze, really.

Bompastor: Yeah, well, you have to analyze it through the lens of the mental aspect is fundamental at this level. With regards to that, as you said, in those moments where it's difficult, you're down 2-0, you can't give up. You need to have the strength to be resilient and stand up to it. And when it's going well not to be too euphoric. And that's the experience from the players as well which helps enormously. It's the work of the staff, the coach, to compartmentalize all those emotions. But you only experience those types of emotions in football. That's why we like it and why we're fans.

#all good love stories start in the rain #amel majri #melchie dumornay #damaris #sonia bompastor

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