Olympique Lyon: Is a French Goliath Falling?
Olympique Lyon is the only club to win Ligue 1 seven consecutive times, putting together this unprecedented run from 2001 to 2008.
The French club has built a rich history in Ligue 1 since the 2000s, but the success over the last two decades is in danger of crashing to a halt.
Lyon currently sit in 17th place and are winless through the first eight games of the season. There are 18 teams in the newly modified Ligue 1 table, the two teams that finish in 17th and 18th position will be automatically relegated. The alarm bells are ringing for a team who reached the Champions League semi-finals as recently as 2020.
Is it too early to categorize Les Gones as possible relegation candidates?
Manager Fabio Grosso believes the club are in the midst of a relegation battle.
“For now, we can’t compete for the top places so of course, we can only fight to stay up,” Grosso said immediately after the disappointing 3-3 draw at home to fellow relegation candidates Lorient.
Grosso’s comments came on October 9th, three weeks into his tenure as manager of Lyon. He was hired on September 16th to replace Laurent Blanc due to the club’s poor start to the season.
For Lyon a string of poor results is not unfamiliar, but the threat of relegation is atypical; the last time Lyon played in Ligue 2 was in 1988/89.
Looking backwards as a means to move forward, could help a club reflect on its progress or shortcomings. Perhaps, the best origin to begin examining the current campaign is to start with the preseason.
Lyon played five friendlies including matches against Crystal Palace and Manchester United. They won only one of these encounters and entered the season on the back of a four match losing streak. A poor preseason is not a final determinant for the future, but in some cases it can provide an eerie foreshadowing.
Players, tactics, and fan support are usually mentioned as major factors for a successful season. A squad deemed to have sufficient depth is also crucial. A squad that is deemed thin can breed trepidation. Squad depth gives assurances that in case of injuries there are players of quality ready to play.
In the summer transfer window, Lyon had some notable departures from the club. Bradley Barcola, 20, joined Paris Saint- Germain in a €45 million deal. Castello Lukeba, 20, joined RB Leipzig for €34 million. Romain Faivre, 25, joined Premier League club Bournemouth in a deal for €15 million. Each of these three players made over 25 appearances for the club in the previous campaign, signaling their importance to the squad.
Houssem Aouar and Moussa Dembele both departed the club on free transfers to Serie A side Roma and Saudi Pro League’s Al-Ettifaq, respectively. Both played pivotal roles at the club throughout their tenures.
From a tactical perspective, Lyon’s players have had difficulties all over the pitch. There have been issues when the team is in possession, highlighted by their inability to build-up play from the back. During instances where the team is pressed by opponents, there are occasions where they have made sloppy errors playing out from the back. Take a look at the first goal Lyon conceded in a 4-1 defeat against Montpellier on August 19th, their second league match of the season.
Montpellier’s first win of the season = 4-1 v Lyon
Arnaud Nordin capitalised on a blunder to open the scoring before a Mousa Al-Tamari’s brace made it 3-0, Lacazette cut deficit but Nigerian striker Akor Adams, who scored twice vs Le Havre, sealed the win.pic.twitter.com/eqT4KJQn8q
— Oluwashina Okeleji (@oluwashina) August 21, 2023
By September 3rd, criticism from the fans reached an elevated level.
Before the match, a banner was unveiled that commented on a conflict between current Lyon owner John Textor and his predecessor Jean-Michel Aulas. Textor, an American businessman, took the role in December 2022 after purchasing a majority stake in the club, and soon accused his predecessor of hiding financial concerns from the DNCG, France’s football financial regulatory body, before the closing of the sale. Aulas claims he did not and has announced his intent to sue for defamation. The fans produced a message that urged the current owner and the predecessor to focus on their primary concern, results on the pitch.
Lyon’s “Bad Gones” ultras unveiled the following banner before kick-off vs PSG, commenting on the feud between John Textor & outgoing majority owner Jean-Michel Aulas.
“It’s high time that football becomes the priority at Olympique Lyonnais.” pic.twitter.com/BHk9XUX5Iu
— Get French Football News (@GFFN) September 3, 2023
Lyon suffered a 4-1 defeat to PSG and fans also directed criticism towards the players. After the match, Lyon ultras castigated players and spoke to them through megaphones when players came to greet them after the match. There was a critical and shocking element from the comments. It serves as a stark reminder of the lengths that fans in European football are connected to the club. Fans re-emphasized a message of having respect for the badge to the players.
“There were people who wore the Lyon shirt before you who gave everything for it. Don’t defile or smear it.”
https://twitter.com/Sporf/status/1698631960661238008
Lyon will be seeking to pick up their first win on Sunday; if not, concerns will continue to grow that the club face a real battle for survival.
