On Sunday, Pierre Sage wanted to rotate both to rest some and to revive others. However, the attitudes observed in the first half of OL are far from those wishing to shake up the established order.
This is what we call a proper robbery. Sunday, theOL perhaps showed one of its worst faces at the start of the season and yet, there was competition in this ranking. However, with only one successful shot on target in 96 minutes spent on the pitch, the Lyonnais had the good idea to score two goals. A great performance which made it possible to sign a first away victory in 2024-2025, even though Pierre Sage was not expecting “not much more from this match” and was “surprised” to see his team leave with the three points from Toulouse.
This shows how resigned the Lyon coach was late Sunday afternoon after his players’ performance. He tried to find some extenuating circumstances for them, but he, who is usually rather docile with his flock, did not fail to criticize the face shown in Haute-Garonne. “We won’t always be good, but if we manage to win matches from time to time by not being good, we’ll take it.” On Sunday, Pierre Sage was above all satisfied with the accounting success more than anything else. Because OL really needed these three points.
Sage: “Attitudes that came out of my eyes during the break”
However, this rise to 11th place after the sixth day seems almost secondary when debriefing the content provided by the Lyon team in Toulouse. All we had to do was see Duje Caleta-Car’s mistake in the 4th minute to understand that it would be a long afternoon for OL. In his first string of three matches in a week, Sage had “took the questionable decision to make all these changes at kick-off”. There were only three (Perri, Mata, Caleta-Car) to start against Olympiakos last Thursday. The others were either confined to the sidelines or to the stands in recent times. However, in his desire to involve as many players as possible and to give others pause, the Rhone coach had seen fit to make all these changes in Toulouse.
The points obligation changed nothing in Glasgow’s outlook this Thursday. We cannot say that the risk-taking was a complete success. If we can conceive that the automatisms are not there – “the rotations surely had an effect on the playing habits, on the team’s production” – Attitudes don’t lie. And it is above all this point that the native of Lons-le-Saunier castigated during his post-match media outings. “Beyond the technical errors, it’s more the reaction to the loss that bothered me. The reaction when the colleague loses, the players stop and complain a little. It’s not good. I I said at halftime.”
An order more established than ever?
He took care not to mention anyone, but when focusing on Wilfried Zaha’s performance and his exit in the 53rd minute, Pierre Sage clearly showed that the Ivorian was part of this group. He was not the only one, but unlike his teammates, he was perhaps the one who showed his frustration and lack of desire the most during the first forty-five minutes. We could add Georges Mikautadze, Saïd Benrahma or even Maxence Caqueret but above all it is an eleven who did not adopt the right attitude on Sunday at kick-off.
At a time when rumors were reporting disappointment among some at playing less, or that daily attitudes left something to be desired, the Sunday performance will in no way allow these “replacements” to catch up on the regulars. We repeat it and Pierre Sage hammered it home again on Sunday, not being good because of a lack of rhythm, it happens to everyone. But not making the effort to lose the ball is not part of a collective ambition. So yes, the changes made in the second half did not necessarily bring a real plus to the game and yet Sage “Liked the change in attitude between the two halves. We managed to increase our level of involvement.”
Sage finally experienced the Sunday he hoped for
With a hellish schedule in the coming months, Pierre Sage is not going to condemn anyone after this victory in Toulouse. He needs his whole group to chase several hares at once, but by not playing, the resting starters almost scored points without wanting to. Like it or not, an eleven already seems to emerge and the chance given on Sunday was not taken by those looking for playing time. “The players who played this match and who want to enter the eleven more regularly will have to be able to fit into the logic that drives us.”
The message sent by the OL coach is clear and a reaction is expected in the coming weeks. For his part, Pierre Sage achieved what he had in mind before kick-off in Toulouse: blowing the field, giving others playing time, while securing a victory. It wasn’t a pretty thing to have, but the essentials were secured.
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