Toulouse: “We must not start talking about a crisis”… Lyon facing its demons, even three points off the podium?

At OL Park,

There was an air of crisis in the summer of 2023, Saturday evening at Parc OL. This seems to be the height since we are talking here about a 6th in Ligue 1, totally in the race for its crucial objective, qualification for the Champions League (3rd, Lille is only three points away), and even better positioned in the Europa League (4th) two days from the end. However, as after a slap suffered on September 3, 2023 against PSG (1-4), then synonymous with last place in the championship, the leaders of the Bad Gones requested an exchange with the Lyon players post-match.

Corentin Tolisso, Rayan Cherki, Georges Mikautadze, Moussa Niakhaté and Pierre Sage therefore presented themselves at the foot of the north turn in the wake of an insipid draw (0-0) against Toulouse (8th). It was not so much a question of this new hitch in L1 as of the pathetic and historic elimination in the Coupe de France, three days earlier at Bourgoin-Jallieu (National 3). “You played against florists, bakers and butchers,” said an ultra in front of the players, while the caricatured chant “Wet the jersey” resonated in the background.

“This defeat hurt us a lot, we made mistakes”

In a low profile, Corentin Tolisso confided his feelings about this scene, reminiscent of the well-publicized full-on beating that he had suffered in the same place with his partners a year and a half earlier. “I told the supporters that we had made a professional mistake on Wednesday and that we were aware of it,” confides the man who wore the captain's armband on Saturday, in the absence of the injured Alexandre Lacazette. This defeat hurt us a lot, we were the first to make mistakes. We are disappointed not to have been able to bounce back better compared to Wednesday but we responded, we showed a different state of mind. »

Yeah, in the freezing cold of Décines (- 2°C), OL barely warmed up their stands, with only three shots on target, a tiny 0.62 expected goals (1.37 for TFC), and a the only real opportunity for Belgian joker Malick Fofana, who fell on a nice reflex from Guillaume Restes (73rd). “Today the supporters are a little worried about the situation,” confirms Pierre Sage. We told them that we had suffered the same humiliation as them on Wednesday. But honestly, they were very courteous, there was no animosity. »

“To hear you, we are playing last place”

Apart from a banner from the north turn “It's up to you to wash away the weight of shame” and a few whistles, Parc OL remained behind its team all evening. However, it was enough to witness Clinton Mata's passage through the interview area to see that the defender had his nerves on edge after the current series of three defeats and one draw in the last six official matches. The simple initial question from a colleague (“what did he miss in this match to make the difference?”) made him get carried away on his own after 30 seconds.

« We must not start talking about a crisis since last year we were even worse. We were in a critical situation and we found the solution. I don't see a crisis or even a problem. We must remain positive, you journalists too. I have the impression that we are playing last place to hear you. We have to stop wanting to create something that doesn't exist. »

We saw the Angolan international much more lucid than on Saturday evening, as three other extracts show. “We had clear domination”? Not really, despite 62% ball possession, given the technical waste and the lack of collective/individual inspiration. “We are not here to make excuses but the terrain did not help us”? It wasn't the pitch at the Pierre-Rajon stadium in Bourgoin-Jallieu either, and that's unwelcome when you're trying to bounce back from disillusionment without “looking for excuses”.

“Aware that we are in a bad phase”

“We saw another Lyon compared to the Cup in terms of mentality, desire, fighting spirit. We saw a team that absolutely wanted to win this match”? Wow, like Moussa Niakhaté's almost burlesque own goal before the break (45th), the lifeless resumption of the second period or the last moments of the match without even approaching the surface of Guillaume Restes … The lack of speed and differences made with the ball, Saïd Benrahma in the lead, was glaring on Saturday, as was more generally the inoffensive dimension of a group which was on fire until the superb success (3-2) in the Europa League against Frankfurt on December 12.

“We are aware that we are in a bad phase, and we have to be mentally strong,” notes Corentin Tolisso. I think it's good to recognize it because it allows us to analyze things and, above all, to progress. What happened on Wednesday impacts everyone's mind. Today, our last passes, our last crosses, and our last strikes perhaps lacked conviction and precision. »

“We qualified for the Europa League for a minute”

And what is the role of the rich transfer window (in the sense of departures) in this bad period in Lyon, when we remember how the club suffered on this point last summer? “No, transfer window, not transfer window, we are professionals, we must stop hiding behind excuses,” says Clinton Mata once again. The extra-sporty thing shouldn't even bother us. » In fact, that really seems to be the case, as we no longer recognize this spectacular fall team.

Our file on OL

And even Pierre Sage, who could at this rate be increasingly challenged by John Textor, seems strangely satisfied with the content of this OL-Toulouse: “It was a very closed match, but playing with this state of mind and with these game intentions, we will be able to raise the bar by adding fluidity.” But the Lyon coach had the merit of recovering from his fall, at a press conference, when it was pointed out to him that OL had just wasted a “fourth place ball” for the second time in a row. Is his team therefore destined to miss the boat all the time when it comes to its European ambitions? “You know, last year, we qualified for the Europa League for a minute, and that was enough for us. » “Stone Wise” still rules ?