“I’ve always dreamed of having Laurent Blanc as OL coach.” President Jean-Michel Aulas started strong, Monday, October 10, during the press conference presenting the new coach of Olympique Lyonnais.
Appointed Sunday evening on the bench of Gones, Laurent Blanc appeared relieved by this new major challenge, six years after his dismissal from Paris-Saint-Germain. “This desire, this sport, I have it in my gut, so I was open to all proposals”, recognized the 1998 world champion. “As time passes, we forget you but I think OL haven’t forgotten me, so I’m happy to respond positively to their requests. Me and my staff will do everything to fulfill the objectives”.
But what goals? For the Cévennes, there is no question of talking about the transfer window, for which he had no “no guarantee”but rather short-term sports results: “Our goal is to take the most points from the last five matches [avant la Coupe du monde du 20 novembre au 18 décembre 2022]. The urgency is that we must be efficient but above all take points. Players are aware of this. We have to do our job as well as possible. We have a goal until November“.
Refusing the qualifier of “vengeful” Laurent Blanc assumed his “need to breathe” after his departure from PSG in 2016 and not having seized “more opportunities to return to football”. No resentment therefore towards Jean-Michel Aulas and Juninho, who had preferred Rudi Garcia, to succeed Sylvinho in October 2019.
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— Olympique Lyonnais (@OL) October 10, 2022
“Regarding OL, I’m lucky to be in a big French club, to do my job. So I’m very happy”, assured the former coach of the France team. “I’m surprised by the environment at the stadium, at the training centre. I think we can do a good job, we just have to ensure that, in the coming weeks, the team is up to the task. what is asked of him.It’s not going to happen overnight, but with exchanges, work, we can get there”. As for his philosophy of play, between possession and ambitious play, he claims it: “The vision of football that I have has not changed one iota.”
Alongside Vincent Ponsot and Bruno Cheyrou, who remained silent throughout the press conference, Jean-Michel Aulas had the final word by evoking Laurent Blanc’s title of champion of France, on the Bordeaux bench in 2009 . “The successor to OL after their seven consecutive titles was Bordeaux. So I dream of coming full circle.”