Fabio Grosso's first match in charge of Olympique Lyonnais ended in a 1-0 defeat to Stade Brestois 29, who went top, but he is refusing to panic.
Former Lyon left-back Grosso, a FIFA World Cup winner with Italy in 2006, replaced Laurent Blanc as OL head coach last Saturday, and was perhaps unlucky to run into Brest in his first Ligue 1 Uber Eats game as manager.
The Italian's most notable decision was to drop Rayan Cherki to the bench, but his tactics didn't work out. Brest had 27 shots to Lyon's six, making Steve Mounié's winner for Brest more than deserved.
Grosso says his Lyon are a work in progress.
"It wasn't a great match for us, we need to raise our level," he admitted. "We played against a team full of confidence. But I believe in them. You have to take responsibility, know you can do better. Not by saying it, but by doing it.
"We need to grow from these situations, and we'll work to do so. We know where we are, it's a difficult moment. It's not going to change in one, two or three weeks. It takes time. It'll be a very difficult journey."
Grosso's opposite number Éric Roy doesn't think les Pirates have been stealing their points.
"I don't know if it was our most best match, but it was a well-earned victory," he said. "This season's a new adventure, and we’re off to a good start. We really put our stamp on this match.
"I'm happy for the club, the fans, the players [that we're top]. But we must stay humble whilst remaining ambitious. Of course it's unexpected. But at the same time, as I tell the boys, over these six matches, if you look at how we played, we didn't steal anything from anyone."
