At Parc OL,

Week after week, Lyon fans are bringing out on social networks this sentence heavy with meaning of Jean-Michel Aulas, pronounced on September 20, when Peter Bosz lived his days on the bench of OL: "If we are 8th at the end of the season, I would have resigned before". The most teasing/ironic minds point out that the president of OL has escaped beautifully, since this famous eighth place seems delicate to go for, and that it may be necessary to settle for the tenth in June. The sad draw (0-0), conceded this Sunday against FC Lorient, reminds us how this Lyon group is unable to launch any momentum in Ligue 1, even since the arrival of Laurent Blanc in October.

Dropped even in the race for the Europa League Conference via the championship, OL (10th) now finds itself behind clubs with modest budgets such as Stade de Reims (8th) and Lorient (9th). Only a flawless run in the Coupe de France offers a real European perspective to the club. "It hurts a lot to see our current place," concedes Rémy Riou, who replaced Anthony Lopes (injured) in the Lyon goal against Lorient. "It's hard because we feel like we're not moving forward," Bradley Barcola told Canal +. We will try to keep our heads up. I don't know what to say... »

"You have to be mean in front of goal"

A sentiment shared by all Lyon supporters, who must not yet understand how Corentin Tolisso (51st), Bradley Barcola (55th) and Rayan Cherki (75th) could so much waste opportunities in solid gold this Sunday. "The content was very good but we lack a little more aggressiveness to finish the actions," says Rémy Riou. You have to be mean in front of goal. An observation shared from the outset by Laurent Blanc in a press conference: "It saddens me a little to see that there was no goal given the quality of both teams. Converting chances is one of the areas to work on because we don't have players who are killers in the box. Well, yes, we have some, but they were not present tonight. »

The singular is enough in truth, as Alexandre Lacazette is the only Lyon player to fly this season in front, with his efficiency and unparalleled regularity, with 18 goals and 5 assists in 26 games. Injured just like Anthony Lopes, Jeffinho, Malo Gusto and Thiago Mendes, the captain and true guide of this young OL has once again been sorely lacking. "When we have games like today where we create opportunities without realizing them, we immediately think of Alex, ruminated Laurent Blanc after the game. We will try to recover him as soon as possible, but let us trust Amin and Moussa who are capable of scoring goals. »

Amin Sarr ghostly against Lorient

No doubt, but the two players are very far from the account, starting with the young Swedish recruit of this winter transfer window. Amin Sarr went through the match like a ghost with only 13 balls touched in 73 minutes of play, against 15 in 23 minutes in his previous match in Ligue 1 at Angers (1-3), marked by his first goal. Unable to sign the slightest difference and create an opportunity in a match largely dominated by his team, the former striker of Heerenveen (11 goals in 35 appearances with the Dutch club), he knows a very delicate adaptation. As for Moussa Dembélé, he will leave OL free in three months after a rather terrible season, with so far 3 goals in 23 games and a bronca of the corners to punish his glaring lack of involvement. This lack of real reliable recourse at the forefront does not seem to dampen Laurent Blanc's optimism.

Honestly, I had a good afternoon, and I found our match successful. In the second half, we were much more playful, we passed the ball much faster. Above all, we tried a lot of things and we destabilized our opponent with dribbling, centers and movements in the penalty area. Even if when we see it again, we will wonder how we did not win it. But we are used to this style of match... »

"We have a great chance of finishing very strong"

A form of fatalism in the face of a supposedly chronic bad luck that can not make us forget an observation: this Lyon has only 2 wins in 11 games against the teams of the current Top 9 (against Lens and Lille at Parc OL, not without success). A typical record of a soft-bellied team stuck in 10th place, right? "If you think Lyon are in their place, you can say it," Lolo White said. I think we can go a little higher. That is to say, at a ranking as resounding as 8th as last year, or even 7th in 2020?

Rémy Riou goes further than his coach, while the Conference Europa League is seven points, with five teams to overcome in 12 days: "With what we showed tonight in the state of mind, we have a great chance of finishing very strong. We're not going to let go of the championship like that, quite the contrary. More lucid at the microphone than against Vito Mannone this Sunday, Bradley Barcola concludes: "We will do everything to win this France Cup". The only way to save a difficult season will indeed be through the semi-final, on April 5 at the Beaujoire. After all, Alexandre Lacazette still has a month to return to his peak form. And to offer his training club its first title in eleven years, plus a seventh place in Ligue 1 that would allow its president to (vaguely) save face, it would look like a miraculous epilogue.

  • Football
  • Sport
  • Olympique Lyonnais (OL)
  • Ligue 1
  • Laurent Blanc
  • Alexandre Lacazette
  • FC Lorient