Pierre Sage, OL coach, comforts Malick Fofana and Georgres Mikautadze (Photo by FRED TANNEAU / AFP)
Entering the second international break with seven points taken out of a possible twelve, OL are not completely healed. However, the Lyonnais managed to gain continuity in their performances. Everything but a coincidence for Pierre Sage.
Four victories in four matches in all competitions, ten points out of fifteen taken. After a completely failed introduction, theOL seems to have found the right fuel when leaving summer for fall. The change of season coincides with the renewal of Lyon. When the question of a new difficult season arose after the setbacks at Rennes and against MonacoPierre’s players Sage raised their heads. Everything is not perfect and OL are only eighth after seven days. But, being only four points from the podium, the situation is much less alarming. “Against Strasbourg, we didn’t have a great match overall. But this turnaround is the result of the energy that the team produced. Since then, we have had a string of good matches even though we had an international break to manage. The group responded well.“
Players now more peaceful?
How to explain such a change of face? A rise in physical power? Rock Sage finds a completely different explanation. Not tactical with the change to 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1, but above all psychological. “I don’t think it’s a physical problem, but more psychological in the locker room. Oddly, our revival coincides with the end of the transfer window.” The technician did not hide it after the victory against Strasbourgthe last day of the transfer market: the transfer window had played a harmful role within the Lyon group with players announced as potentially all leaving. The climate is now calmer. Anything but a coincidence in the results?
