Holders during OL – ASSE (credit: David Hernandez)
On Saturday, the OL players fly to the United States. Sonia Bompastor, aware of the work still to be done, wants to take advantage of this internship to create real collective cohesion. With the arrival of two new players, the Fenottes have nevertheless bet on continuity.
Saturday morning, waking up may be complicated for many players of theOL. After almost a month of preparation since July 18, the Fenottes will take to their heels and spin not English but American style. For a week, the Lyonnaises will live at the time of Uncle Sam to play the ICWW with two matches on the program, the first against the chelsea by Kadeisha Buchanan. The appointment is therefore given on Saturday for a take-off at 5am. For this trip across the Atlantic, Sonia Bompastor does not hide his joy at being able to count on his entire workforce.
With the recovery of the French, Thursday afternoon, and that of Sara Dabritz this Friday morning, everyone is on deck again. With certainly fluctuating physical conditions but the most important thing is elsewhere for the Lyon coach. “It’s a long trip but it will be good to find the whole group in the United States. The conditions are good there so it’s a good thing. It will allow us to play high level matches but also to work on the cohesion and the dynamics of the group, Bompastor told our media and Le Progrès. We pick up the French today (Thursday) and Sara Däbritz tomorrow (Friday). Turn to the objective which is already the Trophy of the champions.
Young Bensalem and Marques scored points
Between now and August 28 in Dunkirk, theOL will therefore play two more preparation matches. The friendly derby against Saint Etienne Thursday showed that not everything was perfect despite Ada’s feedback Hegerberg or even Lindsey Horan. As often, this internship, which does not really look like it, will allow to refine all this work both on the ground and outside. With only Inès Jaurena and Sara Dabritz as recruits, the Lyon group ultimately changed little compared to that of the reconquest. Nevertheless, Sonia Bompastor does not want to leave this aspect aside. The successes of tomorrow are generally built today and this American tour will be an opportunity to create a real cocoon around the workforce.
“We tried to build our week in the United States around the two games which will be important. Beyond that, we will work on the framework and the rules of the group, continues the former captain of theOL. We are going to work on the basics of the game but at other times on the cohesion and the dynamics of the group. There are two new players and new staff so the goal is for everyone to know who does what to be effective.”
Fun but the desire “to win the trophy”
Unlike the boys, no paintball outings in the streets of Portland but “more playful activities that make it possible to create a group.” It will also be an opportunity for some young people to find their marks a little more alongside stars such as Ada. Hegerberg or Amandine Henry. If they were in number (8) since the beginning of the preparation, only two will have the privilege of flying to the United States. Having done “proof of maturity in the field”Celia Bensalem and Alice Brands won their ticket for this stay, proof that the staff also wants to trust these young shoots of the Academy.
Unlike a real internship, theOL will not put his suitcases in a base camp but in a hotel in the city center. Between celebrations in Seattle on August 14 at halftime of the game of theOL Reign, training sessions and video, the Fenottes program promises to be busy. They will still be able to count on the local of the stage, Lindsey Horan and its six seasons Thorns, to make them discover the secrets of the city. One more way to create collective cohesion. “We are going to make our little cocoon at the hotel but the idea is to get out of it as much as possible already with training and matches but also during certain moments that we have selected to work on cohesion.”
By taking the direction of the United States where the players will not be disoriented by the heat, Sonia Bompastor do not forget “the objective of winning this trophy” to kick off a season that should lead to the treble. But the Lyon coach knows all too well that group life may represent more than half of these successes. It is therefore all the stakes of this stay which will have nothing touristy about it.
