OL's current good run has brought smiles to all levels of the club. Within the group, good humor is essential, thanks in particular to the contribution of Pierre Sage's deputies, whose missions are well defined.
Dog and cat. For all these years, we have known the relationship that Alexandre can have Lacazette and Corentin Tolisso. Returning to the club in the summer of 2022, the two Lyonnais will not let go of each other for better or worse. After two seasons of eating their black bread, the two ghosts finally reap what they had come back for.OL : play every three days and bring the club back to the European Cup. With a midfielder back at his best and a captain who is gradually regaining his sense of goal, there is reason to hope for bright days between Rhône and Saône. Inseparable, Tolisso and Lacazette nonetheless remain competitors, a bit of a bad loser at times, who also ensure good humor.
The famous “Lyonnais gang” has been talked about for all these years, but you only had to see Tuesday's training to also understand what they can bring to a group. Leadership, demands, but also relaxed moments. By their passage to Arsenal and at Bayern Munichthey managed to combine all these ingredients so that today the OL squad can live better. The victories and the good dynamic of the results necessarily favor this impression, but for a year, the work of Pierre Sage's staff has helped to see an amorphous group under Laurent Blanc and Fabio Grosso rediscover the pleasure of playing. This is felt on the pitch, whether at GOLTC or at Parc OL. For a year, Pierre Sage has logically taken the light of these positive effects implanted little by little in the consciousness of his players.
Stay within the framework, while allowing yourself to go out
However, the men in the shadows whom he chose last January had a primordial role in this renewal, even if they will certainly say all the opposites. However, watching the training, it is obvious. There is a real requirement and a real closeness between the staff and the players. The coach certainly keeps a distance due to his role, but he notably concedes “Special exchanges with Lacazette, we speak freely. I count a lot on him not to make the law or joy reign in the locker room, but to make fairness reign.” The famous 50-50 pleasure – requirement. And if the captain does not respond to his task, he can count on Jamal He killed to do it. In Pierre Sage's extended staff, the former GOAL FC coach took on the role of first assistant with the aim of transcribing the directives of the number 1 with his qualities and his faults.
Among the latter, a fairly warm character which makes the bench a little more volcanic with Rémy Vercoutre at his side. But it would be reductive to limit it to that. This demand towards others and himself is accompanied by a real paternal side. We often see him interacting with the players, but also handling this proximity which makes the sessions less institutional. Always the little phrase that will put a smile on your face or, on the contrary, inspire you to surpass yourself. Even if it means having little darlings, as Alexandre suggested Lacazette. “I told you that the purple bibs were going to win. There was Tolisso so it was written in advance.”
The contribution of new players has also borne fruit
Cat and dog, we told you, enough to make the assistant coach and other members of the staff, like Damien, smile Of the Saint and Alexander Honorary. With the arrival of players like Clinton Mata or Moussa No matter whatthe OL locker room has recruited players with a recognized mentality. The Senegalese defender notably took younger people like Malick under his wings Breathing or Enzo A leech. This brought fresh blood inside the group and day-old introverts like Ainsley Maitland-Niles let go much more to feel fulfilled personally and professionally. Even Nemanja Matic who could be considered cold, does not hesitate to take jabs in a humorous tone.
-In a locker room where English takes up more and more space, there are obviously some affinities that are more important than others. But the staff has tried to make these “clans” a collective entity and it has borne fruit in recent weeks. By recruiting en masse during the summer, Pierre Sage has expanded a staff that would be almost as large as the group of players. Some criticize this abundance and yet, by making this choice, the Lyon coach wanted to individualize the sessions and progression as much as possible, while maintaining control.
The impact of video clearly established
To put as much pressure as possible on a point when the winds are contrary, this remains the primary mission of Of the Saint since his arrival, just like bridging the gap with the reserve and the young people. The inside filmed by OLPlay in recent weeks had highlighted the work of the deputy with Georges Mikautadze and the psychological dimension that an attacker could work on in times of scarcity. Long-term work which is bearing fruit today with the success of the Georgian. Same observation for Rayan Cherki whose new regularity owes nothing to chance. The leader has increasingly turned to video to better understand the game, particularly defensively.
These examples of success logically make the staff proud, who must remain alert despite everything. When everything was going wrong, he had to find the levers to create the trigger. From now on, he must act on the guardrails so as not to fall into overconfidence. Knowing the character of some, the OL group is in good hands.
