Is Anthony Lopes a dangerous keeper or not? In the first minute of the Ligue 1 match this Sunday in Angers (0-1), Anthony Lopes, the Portuguese international goalkeeper from Lyon, came out energetically to meet Romain Thomas. An action reminiscent of the previous ones against Marseille Alvaro Gonzalez on October 4, Rennais Adrien Hunou on March 29, 2019 or even Parisian Kylian Mbappé on January 21, 2018. A fairly long series that began on February 7, 2014 against Bastiais Modou Sougou.
This Monday evening, on RMC, the two men were able to explain themselves in a sometimes tense exchange. Especially when the Lyon goalkeeper ensures that the action has been checked by video assistance. This had the gift of annoying Romain Thomas: “The VAR was not checked. It’s scandalous, you have to have a little common sense. You don’t want to talk, you’re showing bad faith. If today I stay in my bed, full bodied, I do not mind that you had problems before, but your outings, they hurt the opponent. “
“I just play the ball”
For his part, Anthony Lopez said he had no intention of hurting: “I’m just playing the ball. If I could hurt Romain Thomas, it was not my intention. “Visibly affected by this recurring debate around his outings, the person continues:” It touches me. It is not pleasant to hear. I was already being watched because the debates are not today. I’m having a good match against Angers, I don’t take a goal. And all we remember is this action. “
What does the football community think? Alain Casanova, the former OM goalkeeper and former Toulouse coach, is clear: “I don’t consider Anthony Lopes as a goalkeeper who wants to hurt opponents. Now, to be a great goalie you need a minimum of aggression. “
The world champion, Lionel Charbonnier, thinks on the contrary that the Lyon goalkeeper must do work on him: “He’s a great goalkeeper but he would benefit from channeling his energy. When we go out like that, we lose momentum. If I were to be his coach, I would ask him to pay attention to this aspect. By force, he will not escape the crime of ugly mouth. “
Actions difficult to arbitrate
On Sunday’s action, the former Auxerre goalkeeper is convinced: “The referee was right not to whistle because it was the Angevin who made the mistake first. When the ball is in the air he has to stop, and we can clearly see him looking towards Lopes. On the other hand, at the end of the action, the referee can give a yellow or even a red to the Lyon goalkeeper for dangerous play. One thing is certain, arbitrating this type of action is not easy even with the support of video assistance, the famous VAR.
“Look at the action on Mbappé, for me, it is the Parisian who is at fault,” resumes Charbonnier. He knows very well that he will not have the ball but he goes for it anyway. At this speed, it is not forgiving. One day it can hurt a lot. This is what has already happened to Anthony Lopes, victim of a double fracture of the vertebrae in 2013 after a match at Guingamp. “It’s part of the job,” recalls the person concerned. At the time, I hadn’t complained. If today, a goalkeeper can no longer jump in his six meters. It will be complicated… ”
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