Revons Plus Grand
Chapter 24:
Call Me
As it turned out, Red Star lost 1-0 to Amiens. Combined with Paris's women losing 2-0 to Marseille, there was talk that Patrice Lair would be replaced as manager due to being unable to keep up with Lyon. "Do you think Patrice Lair needs to be replaced?" asked Georgette Lemare to Sadako Shimohara as they watched the PSG men get to work against Lyon in front of a vocal, passionate crowd at Le Parc des Princes.
"Well, I wouldn't be surprised if there is a change in the overall picture for the ladies because losing to Marseille isn't acceptable," she replied. "I think this is the club's third loss in league play this season and fourth overall this year. I would imagine the pressure is on, giving that the ladies continue to underachieve as bridesmaids."
"From what I was told, Marseille's women's team are newcomers to women's football and this is a massive win for them. I think PSG would be wise to replace their manager but let's leave that to Mr. Nasser. What do you think?"
"Obviously, Lyon's manager is staying there, so we'll see what he does, but our teams aren't doing well this weekend. The women are in poor shape heading into their Champions' League match with Bayern. I can see them getting eliminated in this round. If Mr. Patrice gets sacked after this, it is purely understandable and expected."
"Heeeeey! Heeeeeey!" Iroha Isshiki said, waving from behind in the general admission crowd. Sadako and Georgette turned around and waved before returning to watching the players continue showcasing their ability. Eventually, goals from Adrien Rabiot and Julian Draxler would give Paris Saint-Germain a 2-1 win over Olympique Lyonnais. This was the schedule for the following week, which was relatively light due to the International Break.
Monday, March 20th 2017
No training session
Tuesday, March 21st 2017
No training session
Wednesday, March 22nd 2017
Training session closed to media
Thursday, March 23rd 2017
Training session closed to media
Friday, March 24th 2017
Training session closed to media
Saturday, March 25th 2017
No training session
Sunday, March 26th 2017
No training session
"An ordeal, you think?" asked Sadako to Jose, who was yawning. Both of them finished their shifts and were leaving the change rooms to head on a shuttle to the Novotel for their last night there before catering to the Spring Break tour party for their farewell breakfast.
"It doesn't feel satisfying because the finishing is comparable to that of a decent team in Major League Soccer," said Georgette. "The finishing is off and the skill isn't up to par."
"Think so?"
"I mean, Marco can only do so much and I felt that Paris should have made it 3-1 or 4-1. It looked like a half-hearted effort. The people who came down here to watch them deserved better than this. But, as long as they got the win, that's what matters, right?"
"I don't think we can catch up to Monaco, but at least we can remind them of who holds all the cards on the first over in Lyon. If Monaco win that game, I am certain that this will be their year. Those guys are awful at losing games."
"On the other hand," said Georgette, "if Lyon and Manchester City can beat them, we can beat them too. It all comes down to finishing and positioning. Monaco is winnable, but the margin of error is minimal. To me, this is the ideal cup final: a battle of the top two teams in the first division."
"There you are!" exclaimed Iroha, heading over to them.
"You came to fall in with us?" asked Jose.
"That was a great game. I just knew that this was going to be the final scoreline. 2-1. That seems to be a meme in and of itself, you think?"
"Well, Paris defeated Lyon in Lyon by that score, and Lyon lost to Roma in Roma by that score," Sadako noted. "I think that's telling, to be fair. That's pretty consistent."
"But, whatever. The women smashed Albi 5-0 and your ladies lost, eheh!" Iroha giggled with a wink.
"Well, our women don't have Alex Morgan on the team, for starters. She is pretty much your Kylian Mbappe," Georgette said as the three of them got on the shuttle that took them to the Novotel. "The catalyst that will go the extra mile to deliver production and positive results. Plus, Lyon's lone loss is still against us, and we already lost three games in league play this year, so you can count us out of this, barring an act of Jeanne d'Arc."
"We're more focused on the affairs of the boys," said Sadako. "We only help the girls when requested."
"Other than that, I think I enjoyed my time here," said Iroha. "So I want to personally thank you for showing me around and giving me some memories to remember. I'll forever appreciate your for that."
"Are you going to take the train to head back to campus?" asked Jose.
"Unlike most of the people who are flying home, I am indeed taking the train back to Lyon," she replied. "I have to continue studying my major while at Lyon 2. But I have to say this."
"What is it?" they both asked.
"Don't sleep on Olympique Lyonnais. Our boys want to be back in the Champions League next year, so we won't make it easy for your the next time our teams meet!"
They all had a laugh as the coach made its way through traffic to arrive at the Novotel, where the three of them had their last hotel night stay and a farewell breakfast. Georgette and Sadako took a group photo with Iroha before she boarded the TGV to Lyon. This week would be reserved primarily to assisting the ladies, as the men were on international break, but this was the training schedule for the women.
Monday 20 March 2017
Training closed to public and media
Tuesday 21 March 2017
Training closed to public and media
Wednesday 22 March 2017 - Städtisches Stadion (Munich)
18:15 CET: Press Conference with coach Patrice Lair and 1 player
19:00 CET: Training open to the media for first 15 minutes
Thursday 23 March 2017 - Städtisches Stadion (Munich)
19:00 CET: Bayern Munich - Paris Saint-Germain
UEFA Women's Champions League – Quarter-final 1st Leg
Friday 24 March 2017
Rest day
Saturday 25 March 2017
Training closed to public and media
Sunday 26 March 2017 - Stade Georges Lefèvre (Saint-Germain-en-Laye)
15:00 CET: Paris Saint-Germain - ASJ Soyaux
Division 1 – Week 17
Thus, the two girls would alternate assisting the women's team and the men's team. Next Sunday, the girls would have the week off. The women lost to Bayern 1-0 but they would rebound with a 2-0 win over Soyaux on the 26th. France defeated Luxembourg 3-1 in the qualifiers but Spain shut them out in a friendly, 2-0.
"That wasn't going to be easy," Gundula Rall said, eating steak frites with Edytha Rossman following training on the other side. "Bayern gave them a fight and got the goal they needed."
"And any goal they get at the Parc is massive because PSG have to win by at least two," Edytha remarked. "I wasn't too keen on the list that PSG's women's team had. I think some changes have to be made to the coaching staffs on both sides."
"The loss to Marseille was not a fluke," Waltrud Krupinski noted, sipping a chablis. "I can boldly proclaim that Paris's picked the wrong time to play like Saint-Etienne rather than Paris."
"Oy, ASSE are still alive in the women's Coupe de France," Naoe Kanno snarked. "They're QSG's next opponent and they could beat Qatar Saint-Germain based on their shitty form."
"Nice effort by your Red Star team against my guys from Amiens," said Nikka Katajainen to Nao.
"Oy, Nipa, will you cut that out, and did you just adopt that stupid country club last week?"
"No, just two seconds ago."
"!? That's even worse!"
"And, they did rebound against Soyaux. They don't face ASSE until the 16th."
"Fine, fine, I will lay it easy on them just a bit. Sheesh. Still though..."
This was the training schedule for the men and women the following week.
Men's Team
Monday 27 March 2017
Training Closed to public and media
Tuesday 28 March 2017
Training Closed to public and media
Wednesday 29 March 2017
Training Closed to public and media
Thursday 30 March 2017
Training Closed to public and media
Friday 31 March 2017 - Parc OL
16:00: Press Conference with Unai Emery and one player
17:00: Paris Saint-Germain training open to the media for the first 15 minutes
Saturday 1 April 2017 - Parc OL
21h00 : AS Monaco - Paris Saint-Germain
Coupe de la Ligue - Finale
Sunday 2 April 2017
Rest day
Women's Team
Monday 27 March 2017
Training closed to public and media
Tuesday 28 March 2017 - Parc des Princes
17:15: FC Bayern Munich press conference with coach and 1 player
18:00: FC Bayern Munich training - open to the media for the first 15 minutes
19:15: Paris Saint-Germain press conference with coach and 1 player
20:00: Paris Saint-Germain training - open to the media for the first 15 minutes
Wednesday 29 March 2017 - Parc des Princes
20:00: Paris Saint-Germain - FC Bayern Munich
UEFA Women's Champions League - Quarter-final 2nd Leg
Thursday 30 March 2017
Rest day
Friday 31 March 2017
Training closed to public and media
Saturday 1 April 2017
Training closed to public and media
Sunday 2 April 2017 - Stade Georges Lefèvre (Saint-Germain-en-Laye)
15:00 CET: Paris Saint-Germain - EA Guingamp
Division 1 - Wwk.18
Sadako and Georgette were assigned to help the women during the weekend after they helped the ladies see off Bayern Munich 4-0 in the second leg to advance to the next round of the UEFA Women's Champions League. After seeing off training, they returned home at their apartment in Boulogne to watch the Coupe de La Ligue final, full of lights, Daft Punk and Justin Timberlake music, thousands of Monegasques reveling and the Parisian ultras holding sway to the strains of the competition's theme song.
"It's not rocket science," said Georgette, as she watched the men prepare to take their frustrations out on Monaco, their bete noire of record decades on. "It's all a matter of having the right mindset and actually applying the fundamentals of sport to win."
"Rocket science you say? Too long, didn't read, Jose?"
"Football is a game of chess on the pitch. Remember the supplies we prepared for earlier in the week before they headed to Lyon?"
"The food, right?"
An eye closed. She placed a finger to her lips. "We infused a little something to remind them that any team is beatable if they got us to make them believe in themselves and stop playing like headless poultry." Third minute came. "This won't be perfect but this will do. Watch this."
Paris proceeded to weather down Monaco after a 1-1 draw through 44 minutes. An Edinson Cavani brace to go with goals from Julian Draxler and Angel Di Maria culminated in a 4-1 win for Paris, and the most brutal April Fools joke ever laid on Monaco supporters at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais.
"What did I just watch! Well," Sadako concluded, "you're right, that wasn't perfect but you sure pulled a dirty joke on Monaco! Right in time for April Fish, I think that's what you called it."
A giggle. "The ladies will need our assistance tomorrow," Jose said, yawning. "Let's get some sleep."
The shower turned on as the two of them washed up, the cat tracker resting. "They seem to like our company very much. It helped them against Bayern, you think?"
"Guingamp will be toast if we keep going at it and preparing the good stuff. It's all about mastery at this point, take what you can get. That and more. If you know what I mean."
"Let me ask you a question, bae. What must the Commander be feeling?"
"I have no idea."
"And the Countess and Edytha. They must be feeling filthy."
They got into some regular pajamas and tucked themselves into bed, both of the them with the cat snuggling next to Georgette. "Again, I have no idea."
No foreplay this time. As the two of them dozed off, they didn't realize that on the other side, Gundula Rall was shedding crocodile tears next to a can of beer and was being hilariously comforted by a similarly sobering Edytha Rossman after seeing Germany get shut out of the Women's Champions League by the footballing flash of Division 1 Feminine's finest.
END CHAPTER 24