The numbers are booming.
Partners since early October, Tino Kadewere, Karl Toko-Ekambi and Memphis Depay
have scored 33 goals in Ligue 1 between them (9, 11 and 13 respectively).
After fumbling around last season, Rudi Garcia has found his men and his system this season.
Because in addition to goals, the "KTM" delivers assists (3, 5 and 6).
In Europe this season, apart from Bayern Munich, no club is claiming to have three strikers with such statistics.
OL have lost only one of their last 20 games in the presence of this trio.
“I did not expect to see Kadewere and Toko-Ekambi as efficient, admits Fleury Di Nallo, the top scorer in OL history.
But there, frankly, with the three in front, it turns more than well.
They succeeded in making Moussa Dembélé forget ”.
Dembélé, essential and indispensable last season, left in relative anonymity this winter, on loan to Atlético Madrid.
He hardly started any more matches.
Because of the KTM.
Who flies over everything.
"There is a very good atmosphere between them"
“Memphis, the more responsibilities he has, the better he feels.
This year, it is up to him to be the leader of the team, analyzes Gérald Baticle, the Rhone assistant coach, in particular in charge of the forwards.
And then you have Karl and Tino.
In a collective, you need attackers participating in defensive tasks, especially in the corridors.
But when you do it too much, then you don't always have enough energy to attack well.
Tino and Karl want to defend, they are able to sacrifice themselves for the team, but they don't totally sacrifice themselves.
They are so athletically strong.
They are fast but they are also enduring, resistant, able to repeat efforts at high intensity.
Despite all their defensive efforts, they are still lucid in front of the goal, in the finishing zone.
"
Everyone has their role.
The Kadewere and Toko-Ekambi rockets in the corridors, the unpredictable and indispensable Memphis in the axis.
“There is a great atmosphere between them, on and off the pitch,” continues Baticle.
They help each other.
Memphis is also in tune with the defensive fold.
It was not necessarily his forte, but he puts himself at the level of his offensive partners.
They do it, he does it with them ”.
For now, there is no rivalry between the three.
“The risk, when it works well, is to want to beat a personal best, to be the leader in the number of goals, of assists, to be more individualistic and more selfish, notes Baticle.
But these are three smart guys, they understood that they will increase their stats thanks to the others ”.
How far can this trident of benefactors take OL?
Until the title?
Lyon has been chasing after it since 2008.
