A Paquetá and it starts again / Ligue 1 / J10 / Lyon-Monaco (2-0) / SOFOOT.com
24 hours ago, Lucas Paquetá was back home in Lyon after playing with Brazil on another continent on the night of Thursday to Friday. This Saturday evening, the Brazilian midfielder left the Rhone bench shortly after the hour mark, thus changing the face of OL and the face of the match against Monaco. The confirmation of a package addiction as exciting as it is dangerous.
This Saturday evening against Monaco, the 50,585 spectators at Groupama Stadium were only waiting for one chosen: to see their Brazilian prodigy enter his garden. If they waited until the 66e minute, they were not disappointed thereafter. As very often with Lucas Paquetá. Ovationed by the Bad Gones when he came into play in place of Rayan Cherki, the number 10 Lyon, who now has a song in his name, did not drag to splash with all his talent a meeting until then too muddled . From his first ball catches, the Brazilian made Caio Henrique see all the colors on the Monegasque left side, and his caresses electrified the Lyon stands, but also his partners, who seemed galvanized by the mere presence of the midfielder. of land on the meadow.
Lucas Paquetá Friday: on the field in selection in Brazil Lucas Paquetá on Saturday: on the field in club in Lyon #OLASM pic.twitter.com/pekQdIFvWP
– Canal Football Club (@CanalFootClub) October 16, 2021
It is also on one of his many inspirations that the light came from the side of OL, since the Brazilian was at the origin of the penalty obtained by Léo Dubois less than ten minutes after coming into play. If Toko Ekambi gave him priority to open the scoring, Lucas Paquetá did not care and continued his caviar evening by delivering an outside delight for Emerson on a quickly played corner. The Italian just had to serve Jason Denayer for the knockout pawn, but most of the work was done by the former Milanese, who brought the Rock defense to their knees in one pass. Royal.
48 hours flat
In 25 minutes on the meadow, Lucas Paquetá once again demonstrated that he was the X factor of this version of OL Peter Bosz, even if his statistics line did not budge after his evening performance (four goals and two assists decisive in all competitions in club this season). “I took a big risk, confessed Peter Bosz at a press conference after the meeting. Normally, it was not possible that he could play. He had played 42 hours earlier, for an hour, with Brazil, before taking a plane. I shouldn’t let him in. He wanted to be titular. This afternoon, at the hotel, we walked, and we told him to stay in his room to sleep. I took a big risk, but it ended well. ” A feeling shared by his teammates, starting with the captain Jérôme Boateng, who spoke on OL TV after the Lyon success: “Paquetá is a fantastic player, he played for Brazil yesterday and today he was huge for us. He is not only a huge player in France, but in the world. He starts with Brazil, he brings a lot to our team, it’s really great for the supporters to see a player like him. ”
The Brazilian has visibly agreed with his coach, yet reluctant to summon him for this shock of the 10e day, and it was possible to understand that the Dutch technician cared about the health of his conductor. But Paquetá likes to play, wants to play and insisted a lot on being part of the squad against Monaco, while he was still in Brazil less than 48 hours ago to play a game against Uruguay on the night of Thursday to Friday. . A challenge that is both crazy and unconscious, especially given the conditions (9000 kilometers, six hours of jet lag and ten hours of flight). Arrived in Lyon on Friday evening around 8 p.m., the midfielder was immediately taken care of by a physiotherapist in order to be ready for the next day. While the Lyonnais once again responded this Saturday, he also confirmed a dependence of Paquetá in recent weeks. If seeing him play football is a real feast for the eyes and for our Ligue 1, it also represents a danger for OL and its player.
The calendar being daunting, with matches that follow one another every three days in club and in selection, the risk of injury obviously remains high. It is not Peter Bosz who will say the opposite. Knowing the boy’s debauchery of energy during each of his outings, the former Ajax coach will have to make the right choices at the right times, while the Gones offensive sector grimaces, with the possible exception of Karl Toko Ekambi, still valuable against Monaco, pending the arrival of the maestro on the lawn. Still deprived of Moussa Dembélé and Islam Slimani, the Lyon coach only has to cross his fingers for his magician to slip through the cracks. But tonight, there is no question of worrying, it would be too stupid not to take advantage of the Brazilian playing master. The latter is in the form of his life, but he has earned the right to recharge the batteries for a few days, until next Thursday and a game against Sparta Prague to be precise. We salivate in advance.
By Analie Simon