“General” Lacazette sounds the revolt in Lyon, clear winner of Toulouse

Thanks to their second success of the season and a hat-trick from their striker, Sunday against Toulouse (3-0), the Lyonnais returned to three points from the first non-relegation spot.

Lyon is not dead this evening. On the contrary, the Lyonnais proved on Sunday December 10 that they were still alive in this 2022-2023 Ligue 1. Of course, OL are still bottom of the standings after their success against Toulouse (3-0), but Les Gones are three points behind their evening opponent, the first non-relegation team. A second victory this season for Lyon, acquired largely thanks to captain Alexandre Lacazette, author of a hat-trick after two months of drought.

The one nicknamed “General” single-handedly turned the battle around with three cannon shots. The first: an opportunistic recovery at the far post from a corner, after a header from Jake O’Brien (30th). Four minutes later, still at the far post, Alexandre Lacazette took a shot from Corentin Tolisso which had just crashed into the post (34th). In the second half, he picked up a ball that was lying around in the area, still at point blank range (80th). The kind of gift that a scorer of his caliber doesn’t waste, even if the Gones captain was only a shadow of himself for several weeks.

An unbolted frame?

Returning to Lyon in the summer of 2022 after five seasons at Arsenal, the Guadeloupean carried his troops last season, with 27 goals in 35 league matches. An efficiency lost this year, which explains – in part – OL’s catastrophic start to the season, even if the converse also applies: difficult for a scorer to shine in a team as sick as Lyon is currently. Alexandre Lacazette’s three goals from the box against Toulouse owe nothing to Lyon’s collective play.

Still, the scorer, through instinct, put an end to a negative spiral, having not scored in five games. With three goals under his belt before facing Toulouse, Alexandre Lacazette began to be singled out before doubling his total in one evening. To the point that rumors concerning his future came back to his ears, while the Lyon press announced that the captain would be for sale this winter.

“I hear a lot of things, but I prefer not to say anything because it’s easy to talk, to start rumors so that everyone believes them”, had tempered the player after his team’s defeat in Lens. His disappointing performances, and his sometimes grumpy attitude on the pitch had nevertheless fueled this distrust, as had the choices of ex-Lyon coach Fabio Grosso. Pointing out the lack of physical resistance of his captain, the Italian (dismissed on November 30) notably placed him on the bench against Rennes, before taking him out at half-time against Lille.

Aubameyang’s support

Starting during the week against OM, but ghostly like the rest of the team, Alexandre Lacazette nevertheless received valuable support following his team’s defeat at the Vélodrome. His former teammate at Arsenal, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, had indeed rushed to his friend’s aid on Prime Video: “I imagine it’s not simple, I’ll go see him. At times like this, I know what it’s like, it’s really not easy. But I know he’s a good boy and has a strong mind.”

So, has the OM striker found the right words to revive the OL striker? Anyway, while Lyon supporters appealed to the Virgin Mary before the match, they know that they can count on their emblematic captain again in the fight for survival. Good news for OL lovers, as the club has declared sacred union, embodied by the appearance of Jean-Michel Aulas alongside the club’s new owner, John Textor, before the match. This bodes well for the Lyonnais, who will need all this strength to save themselves.