After a nightmarish start to the season in 2023, Olympique Lyonnais promoted Pierre Sage at the end of November to take over after the layoff of Fabio Grosso. The 44-year-old technician was then in charge of the OL training center when he took on the rescue mission of a team in a relegation position.
The native of Jura strived to create stability in the squad and to rediscover the importance of training. “I tried to create my own references with the way of training, simplicity in the relationship, values that unite rather than those that alienate”he said yesterday in “After Foot” on RMC.
To ensure that passing is a central element of our training, and touching the ball is a central element, that pleasure is omnipresent, to ensure that players want to train with the idea of prepare matches to win them. That we can play better, get results and that brings us to a virtuous circle.
But it was necessary to re-mobilize the locker room executives to trigger this virtuous circle. “It was important that these players were the first to be made aware. At the end of the first session, I called Maxence Caqueret and Alexandre Lacazette and I told them: “Guy, we can’t train like that, it’s impossible”. »
“There was no intensity, no rigor”
With seven defeats and only one victory upon his arrival, the Lyon squad was demobilized. “There was nothing (in training)there was no intensity, no rigor in getting things donehe remembers. Simply a rather negative emotion which quickly takes up space rather than endurance to perform well over time. »
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Red lantern until mid-December, Lyon recorded thirteen victories for two defeats from February onwards. Consistency which allowed OL to end the season with qualification for the Europa League after spending 17 days in a relegation position.
