Jorge Maciel, assistant coach of Olympique Lyonnais, who is filling in on the bench during Paulo Fonseca’s suspension, spoke to Ligue1+ this Sunday after the 0-0 draw against Brest (Matchday 11 of Ligue 1). He took the opportunity to discuss the upcoming match against Paris Saint-Germain next Sunday for Matchday 12 of Ligue 1, and Lyon’s approach to the game: defense first?
Maciel: “The schedule isn’t fair for us.”
“Will Lyon park the bus or be very ambitious against PSG?
We’re always ambitious, it’s just a matter of how we prepare. We’re lucky to have a European Cup match on Thursday, so we’ll focus on Betis. We have a lot of matches coming up in quick succession with a schedule that isn’t fair for us, it has to be said.
We played against Paris FC, they had a bigger schedule. Now we’re playing Sunday, Thursday, and Sunday. Paris plays Saturday, Tuesday, and Sunday. We have to work with all these factors, see all the players available.
Maciel: “They struggle when they don’t have the ball.”
Besides, I think those who watch Lyon’s matches know that it’s rare to see them park the bus. We know that against a team like Paris, who control the ball, we’re going to struggle. Success will come from a complete performance, with possession. They struggle when they don’t have the ball. And then, defending well, like today. It would be better with 11 men (laughs). He “You have to be in control with the ball; it will be an important moment if you want to play with ambition.”
One might already regret this complaining tone, given that the schedule is often quite tight when you consider the whole picture. There are matches where you have less rest than your opponent, sometimes more. And European competitions add further difficulties in managing the schedule; this needs to be taken into account during the transfer window. Here, Maciel regrets having less rest than PSG before the Ligue 1 match. But Paris must, before that, manage with fewer days between this weekend and their European match. That’s just the way it is.
In any case, the Lyon coach seems rather promising in terms of ambition in the game, with a desire to have possession. But he already knows that his team will have to “suffer.” A point somewhat forgotten when some criticize the defensive approach of PSG’s opponents: it is very difficult to keep the ball against the Parisians’ suffocating press and their exhausting passing game. Lyon will look for the best possible solution and Paris will have no excuses to make.
