Unrecognizable against Montpellier, OL intend to recover in Brest. And thus stop a series of matches during which the game played was not up to par.
When presenting himself to the press last Saturday, Pierre Sage had a primarily negative speech. A fan who did not see the match against Montpellier might have thought that OL had lost their return match in 2025. However, the Lyonnais took the three points but in a rather indigestible way (1-0 ). A csc three minutes from the end and above all an overall performance very far from resembling that of a team fighting for the Champions League.
However, even if it is bad,OL managed to ensure the essentials and win small, as was the case at Toulouse. An important change when the Lyon team was incapable of not losing in these kinds of circumstances a few months ago. However, Sage cannot be satisfied with this, any more than the players, who had some pretty harsh words after this short success. For what ? Because this match against Montpellier is ultimately not an isolated case but a continuation of the end of 2024.
A non-match in Paris, complacency afterwards
We can always find an excuse by saying that it is a replay match, against a Montpellier team, last in Ligue 1. However, this speech had already been made before the break with this match against Feignies Aulnoye in the French Cup. The conditions are certainly different, but the observation remains the same. In these two meetings that were more than within reach, OL showed their sufficiency. As if simple talent was going to make the difference. This was the case in the Cup, less so in Ligue 1, but attitudes did not live up to Lyon's ambition. In 180 minutes, certain individual services could be highlighted but the cases are so numerous that it would take too long.
In the ambition to return to the summits, we need the humility of the sacrifices to be made. Alexander Lacazette did not fail to emphasize this, recalling that Montpellier “remains a Ligue 1 team and it was not going to be an easy match”. Finally, everyone recited their part in their corner and shattered the collective that had taken shape in recent weeks. Enough to recall the non-match against PSG where the lack of coordination in pressing had clearly endangered OL.
Individual attitudes to the detriment of the collective
In these three meetings, the Lyonnais ultimately never managed to reverse the trend in the game. In the Cup, the difference in level certainly made things easier, but the reactions of pride never really jumped to the eyes. Since the start of the season, the Rhone team has this annoying habit of playing every other half but at least had this trigger. Over the last three matches, this was not the case despite shouting from Pierre Sage at the break. This is also a point that upsets our consultant Nicolas Puydebois. “We've heard him refocus things during the break for several years, being quite virulent towards his players. Often, there has been a reaction, but in recent matches, that's less the case. Is that that this lever of motivation and coaching still works? Perhaps we will have to reinvent ourselves”.
Lulled by the great series between mid-September and mid-December, Corentin's teammates Tolisso Did they think they had already arrived? There may well have been overconfidence in the last two outings. It was without sporting consequences, but it remains “a warning” even without fees. And OL will have to react quickly. “There is no question that we will review our ambitions, so we will get back to work. Over the last 10-15 matches, playing well was our social security, insists Sage. If we want to mix with the teams of the Top 4, we have to be more efficient. We can't just win on one play. We have to have more control.”
OL must find the basics of autumn
Having made a good move in the ranking while being bad, he can consider himself lucky that this recovery is ultimately positive. However, the slider will have to go up a notch, starting Saturday in Brest. The Bretons are far from being as valiant as last season, but they remain a team that produces play. OL cannot therefore afford to make careless or complacent mistakes. In order to raise his head, Pierre Sage has only one leitmotif: finding salvation through play. “Faced with a well-organized opponent, we left aside our basics, which are intentions, the desire to recover the ball when we don't have it, to run… The transmissions were far too slow to destabilize them. These elements, combined with the quality of the squad, should allow us to redevelop football.”
It is by reading this type of statement that we see that OL has changed in size and ambition over the last year. This can only be good news, but it also brings responsibilities. That of adopting a professional attitude on each outing. In the trough of the wave in terms of the game more than the accounting result, OL knows that its room for maneuver is limited and will quickly have to recover in a month of January where the matches follow one another.
