Should Olympique Lyonnais part ways with Pierre Sage?

With very good momentum at the end of 2024, Olympique Lyonnais had managed to climb to the top of the Ligue 1 rankings, even teasing AS Monaco and Olympique de Marseille to become a serious competitor in the podium. Qualified in the Europa League, OL also caused a sensation by being in 4th place in the general classification of the league phase, with prestigious successes against Frankfurt, in particular (3-2). But since then, Les Gones have gone through a bad patch with a defeat on the PSG pitch (3-1), an elimination in the Coupe de France, against Bourgoin-Jallieu (N3), a defeat against Brest (2-1), then a draw against Toulouse (0-0) in the Championship. And obviously, Pierre Sage has been contested for several matches. As we revealed this Monday, first contacts were made with Paulo Fonseca, the Portuguese coach who was recently released from AC Milan. OL is interested in his services. And since these rumors, opinions differ on what John Textor and his management should do. So, should Pierre Sage leave Olympique Lyonnais?

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Oui

Many thanks, and goodbye? Having become interim coach to replace Fabio Grosso and in a period when OL were in absolute slump, Pierre Sage was the hero of an entire Lyon people by succeeding in remobilizing a locker room in a lamentable state mentally and sportingly. Thanks to a tactical approach and quality management, OL managed to make a historic comeback and went from being a candidate for relegation to qualifying for a European Cup, in addition to a first Coupe de France final. since 2012. But since his confirmation in this position, OL has shown initial shortcomings. In addition to the tactical choices which caused the first two defeats at the start of the season, the defeat against OM sounds like a big mistake at the start of the season. And the first doubts against Pierre Sage began to emerge. However, Pierre Sage managed to turn things around during the season… until this second period of crisis, with more glaring problems.

We can first mention the poor management of the Lacazette-Mikautadze competition, difficult to analyze and which sounds like a failure to make a strong choice for the Lyon coach. The management during the match also leaves something to be desired in the latest results, like the defeat conceded in Brest. But also and above all a lack of control during matches, with the impression that each match could swing in one direction or the other at any moment. The elimination in the Coupe de France, against Bourgoin-Jallieu (N3) also sounds like a second big mistake, after this scenario worthy of a successful series against OM (2-3). The last result against Montpellier (0-0) also puts Pierre Sage in the hot seat. And even if he is far from being the only one at fault, evidenced by a lack of investment by some and a particular context with the DNCG sanctions, parting ways with the 45-year-old manager could wake up Les Gones in view of the end seasonal. This would allow him to leave through the front door and receive a standing ovation after leading a 2023-24 season that will go down in the club's history.

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Non

In the opposite direction, we can legitimately consider that the Lyon leaders would be doing a lot of stupidity by separating so quickly from Pierre Sage. Last season, the 45-year-old coach showed that he was the man for the job by turning things around and showing both managerial and tactical qualities to obtain qualification for the Europa League that had been unexpected for the majority of the season. Having a group which therefore shares a strong bond with him, Pierre Sage has demonstrated that he is capable of getting out of a zone of turbulence on many occasions. At the start of the season, Les Gones were also in great difficulty. Finally, after some tactical readjustments from Sage, the OL machine got back into gear and Lyon was one of the best teams in France at the end of the first part of the season. It wasn't that long ago that Rayan Cherki's teammates were able to put on an XXL performance against Eintracht Frankfurt, Bundesliga champions this season. This team has not disappeared.

Furthermore, with a dismissal of Pierre Sage, what would be the message sent to the players? In a Lyon context that has been so fluid for several months, Pierre Sage was able to embody a stability which was beneficial for OL supporters, the confidence of the players, but also the ideas of play displayed by the Lyonnais during the last few months. If Pierre Sage were to be fired, John Textor's image could also be damaged. Benefiting from a growing popularity rating between Rhône and Saône, the Lyon president could fall into the caricature of the American businessman who makes hasty decisions at the slightest sporting mishap. Sixth in Ligue 1, three points behind Lille, third, and fourth in the Europa League, Les Gones are really not in a catastrophic sporting situation, at the time of writing. Finally, if Pierre Sage is dismissed, who would replace the Rhone coach? Although the name of Paulo Fonseca seems tempting, there is no guarantee of sporting added value under the Portuguese aegis. In short, OL would not dispel the questions that accompany it with the departure of Pierre Sage…