Pierre Sage’s staff is currently incomplete after two recent departures. OL, however, found what they were looking for with Jorge Maciel, who arrived with some specificities.
Bruno Genesio signed for Lille this offseason, to take over from Paulo Fonseca who left for AC Milan. This game of musical chairs had a consequence for Olympique Lyonnais, since two assistants of Pierre Sage joined their former colleague in the North. They are Jérémy Bréchet and Antonin Da Fonseca. A double blow for OL, who were banking on stability but will have to make changes. John Textor promised his coach that he would have a full staff when he resumed, and that is on course to be the case.
A defense specialist arrives, OL needs him
This Friday, Le Progrès confirms that Jorge Maciel will sign in Lyon as Pierre Sage’s deputy. A usual role for the Portuguese, who experienced this with Galtier, Gourvennec or Fonseca in Lille and even had a recent period as number 1 coach in Valenciennes. His signing is certainly also a wish of Pierre Sage, who will benefit from Maciel’s skills in an area that he masters well, tactical periodization. This system notably advocates training sessions closer to what is found in matches, particularly in terms of intensity and situations, in order to develop playing models.
The other specialty of the future OL assistant is defensive work, which is close to his heart and is one of his spearheads. This will not be a refusal for the Lyonnais, who have often had spectacular matches with a leaky defense. With the possible changes at this level, a new implementation aims to quickly stabilize this crucial sector so as not to put yourself in the red early in the season.
A physical trainer to replace Da Fonseca must also arrive in the coming days, and the name of Rui Sà Lemos is mentioned, he who held these functions in Portugal before leaving for Saudi Arabia recently.
