Maxime Lopez’s revival at Paris FC under Liam Rosenior | OneFootball

Maxime Lopez, 28, the former OM midfielder, has re-emerged for Paris FC, his work on the training ground mirrored by back-to-back Ligue 1 starts and wins under Liam Rosenior.

He helped deliver wins over Nice, 3-0, and Marseille, 3-2, his first starts since 26 April's 0-1 loss at Lille. According to L'Équipe, a pre-training Uno ritual reflects a buoyant camp, with Lopez among the loudest voices.

Last season turned messy, particularly after February, when he and then coach Stéphane Gilli agreed he would relinquish the armband. Antoine Kombouaré later left him out entirely for two matches, then on the bench for the next two. Lopez has since said the jolt woke him up and that he ended the campaign better.

Pre-season discussions with Rosenior and sporting director Marco Neppe were blunt, status meant nothing and selection would follow daily ambition. Rosenior judges players on training, engagement and attitude rather than last season, and says Lopez has been exceptional in sessions, which helps explain his current form.

Inside the club he is viewed as more positive, attentive to instructions and more accepting when he does not start. Competition in midfield with Rudy Matondo, Patrick Zabi, Pierre Lees-Melou and Adama Camara is fierce, yet it appears to galvanise him. Hamari Traoré has praised his mindset and intensity in training.

His elder brother Julien, then at the club, recalls how the shock of being dropped tested Lopez, but also how he showed resilience and character.

Source: L'Équipe

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