The stinging defeat at Angers (3-0) was the last straw that broke a Lyonnais vase already full.
Author of a catastrophic game punctuated by a goal against his camp, the central defender Marcelo was the first to pay the price of the reframing operated by the management.
According to the information of
the Team
and
RMC
, it is the casual attitude of the Brazilian in the locker room during the speech of his captain Léo Dubois that would have pushed the Lyon management to act.
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Ligue 1 fixtures and results
Laid off and sent to reserve (National 2), the fall is dizzying for the one who had recently extended until 2023 in addition to being captain on several occasions under the mandates of Genesio and Garcia.
Now, he is the symbol of an OL in search of a new identity and new strong men after a delicate start to the season (a draw, a defeat).
A much deeper evil
But this casualness and lack of involvement are not new for the team recently taken over by Peter Bosz. While the supporters rejoiced at the departure of Rudi Garcia and his privileges granted in the Lyon locker room at the end of the season, the arrival of the very dogmatic Dutch technician could bring more problems than solutions. Author of a mixed preparation (2 games won out of 6), the ex-coach of Ajax and Leverkusen was able to see the extent of the work that awaited him.
Very bitter at a press conference following the Angevin defeat, the technician did not fail to point out "
the lack of team spirit
" often forgotten to the detriment of certain individuals.
With this in mind, other players could be targeted by the tightening of screws of the new Bosz-Juninho tandem including Thiago Mendes, Houssem Aouar or the young Rayan Cherki (18).
Olympique Lyonnais are faced with a dilemma: keep their most talented elements of their squad with an uncertain state of mind or part with them while risking endangering Lyon's ambitions for the coming season.
A sluggish transfer window
One of the suitable solutions could go through the transfer window, but the latter is idling for several reasons. Deprived of the Champions League and its financial windfall, Lyon had to part with many elements this summer (Depay, Andersen, Jean Lucas, Melvin Bard) without really compensating for the arrivals (Da Silva, Henrique). While Jean-Michel Aulas had promised "
a substantial envelope
" during the presentation of the new coach, the recruits are still waiting while the potential reinforcements (Kurzawa, Shaquiri) are still uncertain.
Especially since the coach's priority targets (Onana, Azmoun) have not been recruited and further compromise the game plan that Bosz wishes to develop in Lyon this season.
The only reassuring prospect is the arrival of the European champion, Emerson Palmieri, from Chelsea.
For now, Lyon is still waiting to be able to sell before spending anything, a typical management method for OL under Jean-Michel Aulas but which could prove dangerous this year due to lack of time while the summer transfer window closes its doors in less than two weeks.
Get back on track quickly and well
Lyon is now at a crossroads. In recent years, OL have relied heavily on their renowned training center which has produced excellent players (Benzema, Lacazette, Tolisso, Umtiti ...), but the management seems to want to take a significantly different turn. While many young people (Maolida, Gouiri, Bard ...) are sold fairly quickly to other clubs, Lyon must also find another economic model since these young people can no longer convince internally. Between sales and the expected arrivals, the club seems to be caught between two waters as several players do not know whether or not they will be at OL in the days to come. With the potential departures of executives in recent seasons, Lyon can only hope to find the providential strong man to deliver theteam in working order, whether in its ranks or elsewhere.
While they face the surprising promoted Clermont (2nd) this Sunday at 1 p.m., the Lyonnais find themselves in the obligation to quickly have to react to avoid a new galley season where the absence of the Champions League would only be a lesser evil. .
