Exceptional guest of After Foot on RMC this Tuesday, Pierre Sage, the coach of Olympique Lyonnais, returned to the arrival of Lucas Perri, starter this season in the Lyon cages, and the sidelining of ‘Anthony Lopes, club history. He explained, frankly, that he did not decide on this change himself.
A coach does not always have the last word. But few people admit it. Guest in After Football on RMC this Tuesday, Pierre Sage confided that he had not really chosen Lucas Perri as number 1 for Olympique Lyonnais, nor chosen to relegate Anthony Lopes far down the hierarchy this season. The OL coach explains that the arrival of the Brazilian is a “club recruitment” and that he then only applied institutional directives.
“The choice of Perri is initially a club recruitment which arrives at a slightly strange timing (January 2024) but which corresponds to the Brazilian transfer window since they play over a calendar year”, rewinds the Lyon coach. “It creates a situation at a time which is not really suitable given the fact that the team at that time is not yet saved and needs 35 points.”
“From the moment it is institutional”
“The decision that was taken was to continue as is with Anthony Lopes until the end of the season, provided that the performances were those that he had before Christmas. Lucas joined the group little by little. small starting with the Coupe de France and today it has become a club decision to play Lucas and for Antho to be in another role.
Asked why, as a coach, it is not him who chooses his starters, Pierre Sage responds honestly: “Even my implementation is not my decision. It depends on many things. I am the one who plays the team but there are things which are imposed from a contractual point of view in particular. We had the case with Rayan Cherki at the start of the season, where he was not allowed to play that much. that he had not extended. From the moment it is institutional, as an employee of the institution I must respect these choices.”
Lopes with “few prospects”
However, the OL coach does not consider the fact that Anthony Lopes remained at the club as a problem in his management: “It’s a problem if he has a bad attitude. In any case he has the respect of his partners, of his club He shouts loudly that he loves his club, he ensures that others can work in good conditions, even if he has few prospects When he is there. session he gives his best so that the session goes as well as possible and if he goes out of this framework I will know how to remind him or his teammates will.”
He even says he understands the complex situation in which the long-time Olympique Lyon goalkeeper finds himself and defends him: “It’s difficult, he has a certain number of years at the club behind him and we must not he jeopardizes the image we have of him, because despite everything that is said, we have a good image of him and he must maintain it.
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