The Women Lead the Way

By: Inara | November 29th, 2007

Lyon have been waiting for a European title for a long time. Except it turns out that the ladies just might beat the men in bringing home that coveted prize. Though this year was the debut of OL Ladies in Europe, they’re three games away from clinching France’s first ever UEFA Women’s Cup.

Last week, Lyon traveled to London to face the current title incumbents Arsenal. The first quarterfinal leg ended 0-0 despite the 5000 Lyon fans who turned up at the Gerland to watch. The second leg at Boreham Wood was expected to be in Arsenal’s favor but ended 2-3 to Lyon.

The squad that achieved European qualification for this season.

That was a HUGE achievement – knocking out Arsenal on their own turf. That showed not only the quality of Lyon’s team but the fact that they belong on the big stage.

Up next are the semifinals (29/30 March and 5/6 April), which will pit OL against Umeå IK, one of the most well recognized women’s clubs in the world. Regular European finalists (they won the cup twice), Umeå is also home to Xi Xiaoxu, Chinese super talent, and Marta, currently the best female player in the world. She is so good that the LA Galaxy is thinking of bringing her to the US and making her the first woman to play professionally in a men’s league (according to Wikipedia, which is never wrong).

Once again Lyon are the underdogs, but I’m not too worried about it. Whatever the result, Lyon will put up a big fight. OL’s squad makes up nearly 80% of Les Bleues (the women’s NT), so the squad is experienced down to their bones. It also helps that two of Marta’s teammates, Katia and Simone Gomes Jatoba, play for Lyon.

When Lyon entered the tournament as first seeds this August, no one predicted that the club would go far. They came up through their first qualifying group pretty easily, but the second round pitted them against two of last year’s semifinalists – Kolbotn and Brøndby. Yet Lyon topped their group. And now that they’ve knocked out Arsenal, victory over Umeå isn’t that far fetched to dream about.

To help make this dream a reality, Jean-Michel Aulas has decided to bring in a more experienced goalkeeper as cover for Veronique Pons, who is out with a longterm injury. Emmeline Mainguy has been filling in admirably, but I don’t know how well she could stand up to the likes of Marta.

Lyon’s capture of Nordby was nothing short of ambitious.

The goalkeeper of choice is Bente Nordby, the most successful female goalkeeper of all time. She’s won titles that Lyon haven’t even dreamed of. Nordby is a three time champion of Norway (1993, 2002, 2003), a World Cup winner in 1995, a silver medalist in the Atlanta Olympics in 1996, and a gold medalist in the Sydney Olympics in 2000.

Nordby is 33 years old, but she’s like Sylvain Wiltord in that she still trains like a 15 year old. Lyon wanted her not only for her skill but also for her experience – she’ll be a good teacher for the younger players in the squad. Additionally, Lyon have hinted at other defensive signings this January.

Domestic results:

Lyon celebrated their European victory by hammering Toulouse 10-0. They are now six points clear of nearest challengers Juvisy, have won all eight of their matches, and have conceded only one goal domestically.

Current D1 standings:

1 – LYON, 32 pts, +38
2 – JUVISY, 26 pts, +19
3 – MONTPELLIER, 25 pts, +17
4 – St ETIENNE, 22 pts, 2
5 – VENDENHEIM, 21 pts, -7
6 – SOYAUX, 18 pts, 1
7 – PSG, 16 pts, -6
8 – LA ROCHE 15 pts, -5
9 – EVREUX, 15 pts, -11
10 – TOULOUSE 15 pts, -17
11 – HENIN BEAUMONT, 14 pts, -18
12 – ST BRIEUC, 13 pts, -19

Lyon’s next match is away at Henin Beaumont, and I expect nothing less than a slaughter at the hands of Camille Abily & Co. Additionally, the reserve squad is sitting in first place in D3 (see rankings here).

I just want to end this post with an observation. The Arsenal coach made an interesting comment after his side’s loss when he said that Lyon was “a side that has been thrown together financially…” I didn’t pay much attention to it at the time, but when I thought about it later, I realized that he does have an interesting point.

The ladies receive a considerable amount of financial backing and support from OL, certainly a lot more than the other French clubs receive, and surprisingly, more than Arsenal Ladies. It’s not just in terms of salary, but in signings, bonuses, and job security.

It’s not just the money either. Lyon’s club resources are open to the women, not just the training facilities but even the stadium. OL Ladies played their second qualifying round and quarterfinal matches at the Gerland, which is pretty neat. When they traveled to Arsenal – on a private plane – the club’s team bus, which is used exclusively by the men, was waiting for them at London.

Sometimes during light days or international week, the women will do some training with the men (it’s always fun to watch Camille Abily and Gregory Coupet play head tennis together!). The club is also making efforts at improving the girls academy, which accounts for the good performance of young OL girls in the various youth divisions.

I know everyone outside of Lyon pretty much hates Jean-Michel Aulas, but my appreciation for him grew a lot this year after seeing him dedicate so much energy to the ladies team. There isn’t any profit in women’s football – he’s doing it for sheer love of the sport and the club. Aulas wants Lyon to be recognized not just for the achievement of their men but their women as well. ::hearts Jean-mimi::

Match photos – Arsenal vs. Lyon: