in Lyon, the players stand together behind Pierre Sage

Weakened by the declarations of its president, the American John Textor, OL coach Pierre Sage still benefits from the support of his players before the team's trip to Nantes on Sunday (5:15 p.m.), four days after a draw on the Fenerbahçe pitch.

Since December 12, Olympique Lyonnais has only painfully won one match, it was against Montpellier (1-0) on January 4. In a good position to qualify directly for the round of 16 in the Europa League, the Lyonnais, currently in a bad situation in the championship, occupy 6th place. “As soon as we have one or two defeats and the game is going less well, straight away: it’s a crisis in Lyon”lamented after the match in Istanbul (0-0), the captain, Alexandre Lacazette, who came to support his coach.“Everything is not always true. We want to win, to play well. The coach trusts his entire group”insisted the 33-year-old center forward. “Seeing the attitude of the group, it showed that we are behind him. All the players were affected by what was said about Pierre Sage but we are all behind him.

We must also assume our responsibilities as players

Clinton Eyes

“We know that Pierre Sage is still the coach and we will give 200% for him. There are rumors about a change of coach. It has no impact on my Football.assured for his part, defender Clinton Mata. “I know that the team and I are giving 100% to get the results because we are all in the same boat. We must also assume our responsibilities as players”he admitted.

The unexpected support of a certain Mourinho

But the most significant support probably came from outside through the voice of José Mourinho, now coach of Fenerbahçe after having been that of Real Madrid, Porto, Chelsea and Manchester United. “Football now is the incredible number of clubs with owners and presidents who understand nothing about football”he tackled at the Canal+ microphone. “There are no more presidents who stay for twenty years or more like Mr. Aulas or like Mr. Pinto Da Costa (former president of FC Porto) who understood football well. This team (from Lyon) is a good team. And a good team is only a good team when the coach is good.estimated the «Special One».

An output that echoes Textor's statements. “I was crazy enough to appoint him, I will be crazy enough to fire him”he confided during a report in l'Equipe magazine in November. More recently, in an interview on RMC, he admitted that he “continue to be the right person right now”. “Everything is fine right now. Pierre Sage will stay as long as he wins. It’s sport.”he also said before it leaked to the press that the Lyon leader had contacted the Portuguese Paulo Fonseca. Former coach of Shakhtar Donetsk and Lille, Fonseca has just been sacked by AC Milan.

For his part, Pierre Sage displays a detachment from his situation while starting to get a little annoyed by the insistence on this subject rather than on the upcoming match. “I said what I had to say. We're not going to talk about it every time. We have a positive two-way professional relationship (with the players). We become one. I'm not surprised. I thank them”he simply replied Friday at a press conference. But the trip to Nantes and the reception of Ludogorets on Thursday still appear to be crucial deadlines for Lyon and Pierre Sage.

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