OL are in 13th place in Ligue 1, their best ranking since the start of the season. After three consecutive victories in all competitions, Lyon wants to confirm against OGC Nice on Friday evening.
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Everything is not perfect, far from it. No one at Olympique Lyonnais, from managers to players to supporters, is boasting about the current 13th place in Ligue 1, far from the ambitions of qualifying for the European Cup at the start of the season. But OL breathe easier before welcoming OGC Nice to Groupama Stadium, Friday February 16, after having floundered in the bottom of the rankings during the first months of the season (20 weeks in total).
So much better than Lyon achieved against Montpellier last Sunday (2-1) what it had not yet managed to do in 24 days this season: win a match after conceding the first goal. Mediocre for 90 minutes, the Lyonnais won the type of matches they had been losing until then, those which had pushed them into the relegation zone. A sign which reflects a form of improvement within the Rhone club in recent weeks.
“What has really changed is the mentality of the team. (…) Morale is better. Everyone is laughing, having fun, the atmosphere is better“, testified defender Duje Caleta-Car at a press conference on Wednesday. With victories, inevitably, life is sweeter and the virtuous circle can begin. “It’s easier when you see the ranking and you’re no longer relegated.”, continues the Croatian. Unanimously, the Lyon players point to the arrival of Pierre Sage on the bench at the beginning of December as a trigger.
A peaceful environment
Replacing the substitute – Sage is the third Lyon coach this season after Laurent Blanc and Fabio Grosso – the 44-year-old technician was first supposed to act on an interim basis before being confirmed until the end of the season. “The coach managed to achieve what he wanted. He took the time to explain his tactics and the project he wanted to bring to us.“, described Maxence Caqueret after the match against Montpellier on Sunday. “He speaks quite positively towards us, it’s nice to feel loved and to see that we have qualities“, launched Alexandre Lacazette in December.
Cuddle therapy, it is well known, can do good for players lacking confidence. But it doesn’t solve everything. To get back into this nightmare season, OL made several errors in the recruitment of its players during the winter transfer window. Arriving in 2023, Jeffinho, Skelly Alvero and Diego Moreira have already left. Lyon has also worked hard to welcome seven new players.
Among them, the experienced Nemanja Matic, who could be valuable in midfield in the coming months, or the promising Malick Fofana and Gift Orban. “The choice of people was good. They arrived with humility, openness and joy. Our new recruits were well received by the locker room. There was a good marriage“, described Pierre Sage on Wednesday, who is now spoiled for choice when thinking about his team compositions.
Against Lille, in the round of 16 of the Coupe de France (2-1), the coach allowed himself to spin and that did not prevent his team from winning. Pierre Sage will now have to get the best out of this better-built squad, with a group of players who are flourishing more, in an environment around the club which has calmed down. The bickering at the start of the season between Jean-Michel Aulas and John Textor, the former owner of the club and his successor, is indeed ancient history.
“We must keep our feet on the ground”
“There was an extremely important recruitment which was made during the transfer window. Congratulations to John Textor for having done what was necessary for OL to recover. We have exceptional players (…) I am confident“, rejoiced Aulas on BFM Lyon on Wednesday, as if to bury the hatchet. Words that were inconceivable just a few months ago. The sacred union has been declared and this will be useful on Friday for OL to defeat Nice, the runner-up to PSG.
The Aiglons are very difficult to maneuver even if they remain with a draw in Brest (0-0) and a defeat against AS Monaco (2-3). Despite the absences of Corentin Tolisso and Jack O’Brien, the Lyonnais want to be ambitious. “We showed the good spirit of the team. But it’s only three games, we have to keep our feet on the ground. Stay focused and humble“, warned Duje Caleta-Car.
At the end of January, the words of John Textor in The Team – “OL is not a club that is going downhill.” – alarmed the Lyon supporters. The latter then criticized the American owner for not realizing the seriousness of the situation. Since then, the latter has taken out the check book and Pierre Sage has managed to restart the machine. The coach hopes that this does not stall against Nice, at a time when Lyon has the opportunity to come back to the level of Strasbourg (10th) in the event of a victory.