Imagine taking your mark at the start of the Olympic 100 meters final, just allowing yourself a half-second to glance down the line at your competitors, and you see Bolt grinning at you. The Bolt taking the shape of Lyon Féminin was the proposition facing Paris Saint-Germain for much of their professional history. It is easy to think of the main rivalries in the French league, with Lyon and Saint-Etienne playing each other. The Le Classique Féminin is between OL and Paris Saint-Germain. The trophy cabinet in Paris is almost always empty because the two best teams in Division 1 Féminine end up at the same place. Lyon have only been denied the title once since their ascent to the top of the table in 2006-2007. It was only Les Parisiennes fourth piece of silverware in their 51-year history and took place next to two Coupe de France trophies and a Division 2 title, which was won two decades prior. There will be replays of all the games of the Euro this summer.
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In 2004, when Lyon became part of Jean-Michel Aulas' outfit, they were able to grow in stature in France and Europe thanks to the investment of Qatar Sports. Lyon had the head start. Aulas' ideas around professionalisation and treating the women's selection of OL with the same respect afforded the men's side kept most teams out of the picture.
Lyon have a lot of the blueprints for women's pro teams across Europe, not just France.
Lyon have been able to attract some of the best players in the world because of their training facilities and professional salaries. The reasons for their success have been simple, and summed up with one word: investment. At Lyon it has been about getting the right culture for success, and using a ruthless mentality that keeps players giving 100% regardless of score or opposition. Lyon are often denied the respect of their ability from those outside of France because of their success.
As Lyon have led the way, Paris Saint-Germain have chased after, growing their own team and firmly establishing themselves as the second-best in France, but their victories over Lyon have been few and far between. The pressure of fighting for the top spot is one of the factors that has not been good for Paris Saint-Germain. Les Parisennes have come undone against OL when they have faced off, or they have stumbled against a lower ranked team.
Some of the better players at Paris Saint-Germain have chosen to play in Lyon, where the grass is more silverware-laden, making it harder to chase down the pack leaders. Katarzyna Kiedrzynek, a former goalkeeper for Paris Saint-Germain, turned down the offer from Lyon because she was disgusted by how many of her teammates had disrespected the Parisian club by making the switch.
Despite the France women's national team having players from both clubs, there is a clear animosity between the two sides, with Lyon players happy to stoke any rivalry and needle the side they so frequently better. There have been unconfirmed reports of unrest in the French squad across the OL-PSG divide, and any manager of Les Bleues would have to be careful when setting up a stable environment for this summer.
Getting over the mental hurdle of beating Lyon, as they did twice last season, is a huge step forward for the club. The capital club continues to struggle with the longer term or bigger picture, something no one could accuse Lyon of being guilty of, as three of their players are leaving for Lyon at the end of the 2021-22 campaign.
There is an argument that neither team has been at their best this year, but as Lyon demonstrated in their win over Barcelona, they have at least all those wrinkles out. There have been some trial and error in getting used to their new coaches. Both teams have had to deal with a lot of player turnover and need time to find new rhythms with each other.
Les Parisiennes had to deal with the aftermath of the Kheira Hamraoui attack and the potential ructions that have caused, not least with reports of a training ground altercation just before the two met in Lyon. There was a lot of interest in the initial story coming out just before the two squared off for the first time in the league this season. At the start of this week, reports began to emerge about inappropriate behavior from the coach of Paris Saint-Germain, as Lyon were still basking in their eighth European title.
Not to take away from the seriousness of the allegations, but once again, Paris Saint-Germain seems to be tearing itself apart from the inside on the eve of another meeting with Lyon. With just two games left to play in the league this season and fresh memories of two losses to Lyon in their mind, the task of stopping OL is a Herculean one. The two clubs have met every season with one winner. An unlikely win for Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday would likely give Lyon a break from their pursuit of a 15th French title.
The title at the home of their biggest rivals would be the cherry on top of their domestic sundae, a little extra payback for dumping them out of the Coupe de France.
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