Anthony Lopes' secrets about his ordeal at OL

At the start of the week, FC Nantes announced the arrival of Anthony Lopes from OL. The 34-year-old goalkeeper, who went from number one to number 4 in just one summer in Lyon, hopes to get back on track in a team which is in 14th place in the championship, one point from the red zone. Already coveted by the Canaries this summer, Anthony Lopes ended up taking on this new challenge where he should find a starting role since Alban Lafont has been excluded from the first team for several matches. This Thursday, Anthony Lopes appeared at a press conference to discuss his complicated last 6 months at OL but also to discuss his new role in the second club of his long career.

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Six complicated months at OL

“I had touches very early this summer where I already spoke quite a bit with the coach. And then those hits started again in December. The choice was made, I gave my word and since I only have one, I am present. I said that I was ready to join the club already this summer and that depending on what happened during the year, if Nantes came back, I would accept. It's the first transfer of my career, it's a big change, but it had to happen. This happens at 34 years old. It's a first, but a great first. I was well received. The biggest news? I'm at the hotel (laughs). I'm discovering another city, it's enriching. Changing clubs feels weird, but I adapted”he initially said about his new challenge.

The former Portuguese international (14 caps) also spoke about his recent delicate period at OL. A very complicated period, but which obviously allowed him to find himself. “It was the most complicated 6 months of my career, I used it a lot. It allowed me to regenerate mentally and physically, to find things within myself. Get back on my feet. I arrive extremely fresh and ready to go to war. I am vengeful. It's simply the right word. I can't go back to the past, that's how it is. I am not here to do things that are beyond my function. I remain a player. I work a lot and I'm hard on myself. I love perfection and I try to achieve it as often as possible. My downgrade at OL, yes I digested it before coming here. From the moment my situation was sealed, I had to switch and get back into the swing of things. It was useful to me. Not playing at all after a string of 45-match seasons was new.”he explained before discussing the match against Lyon on January 26. “Play again against OL? I will talk about it briefly in a moment. For now, I am thinking of Lille on Saturday evening.

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Operation maintenance with Nantes!

And Anthony Lopes will not be too out of place in Nantes since he will find Olivier Blondel, member of the OL reserve staff, who is also joining Nantes to take over the position of goalkeeper coach. “At OL, I trained with the pros every day, except on match days. I had individualized training. I had no worries, everything was put in place with the staff. I knew that Blondel was joining FC Nantes 48 hours before my signing. I am very happy. I did a lot of training with him. He knows it well. We are here to give the best of ourselves. » Precisely, by signing for Nantes, Lopes knows that he will have to fight to secure the retention. A clear objective at the time of signing. And after a difficult season with OL last year, the Portuguese goalkeeper will have some advice to give.

“I experienced maintenance for 7-8 months last season. Last year, it was new, so switching to this area requires other ingredients. I will try to draw on this experience. We need a different approach to matches, based on things more appropriate to our game. We will have to be present in any situation. The club expects me to perform well on the pitch. That's what I want too. I have natural leadership so if I can bring experience, it will be with great pleasure. I come to play, play matches and help FC Nantes. My optional 6 month and 2 year contract? It will be conditional on maintenance. We focus on that first.” This is clear. If he still seems to need automatisms, Anthony Lopes could well experience his big debut this Saturday against LOSC. Response in a few days.