It is time for Lyon’s fans, players and coach to put their differences to one side and present a united front against Juventus on Wednesday, writes Ligue1.com’s Matthew Spiro.
Lyon have been a model of consistency in the modern era, competing in Europe in each of the past 23 seasons. Ever since Florian Maurice and Ludovic Giuly put Marseille to the sword on the final day of the 1996-97 campaign – ensuring that OL finished eighth and qualified for the Intertoto Cup – the Rhône Valley club have participated in one UEFA tournament or another. On 18 occasions that has been the Champions League.
Danger
This phenomenal record is, however, in danger of coming to an end.
Following the 1-1 draw with Strasbourg – the latest in a long line of substandard home results – Rudi Garcia’s charges dropped into the bottom half of the table. Not since that 1996-97 campaign had they found themselves languishing so low after 25 games. Alarm bells are ringing at Groupama Stadium – and rightly so. The summer appointments of club legend Juninho Pernambucano as sporting director and Sylvinho as coach sparked a wave of excitement; this, it was hoped, represented the start of an exciting new dawn.
Big blows
Instead, however, Lyon’s season has been blighted by poor league results, injuries, disjointed displays and squabbles between the fans and the players.
In the first half of the campaign, defeats by Montpellier, Nantes, Saint-Etienne, PSG, Marseille and Lille were compounded by the club’s best player, Memphis Depay, and most exciting prospect, Jeff Reine-Adelaïde, both rupturing knee ligaments during yet another home reverse, against Rennes, in December.
Events off the pitch have provided little respite. When Sylvinho was sacked in October, the Brazilian was replaced by Garcia, a trainer the OL faithful had loved to hate during his time with bitter rivals Marseille. Despite club president Jean-Michel Aulas' frequently insisting that Garcia is the right man, many find it hard to warm to the ex-Lille boss.
Tension
Add into this toxic mix a spat between maligned centre-back Marcelo and one of Lyon’s most influential supporter groups, and the atmosphere has been tense. Indeed, when Garcia’s team came from behind to draw 2-2 with Leipzig and book their place in the Champions League last 16, celebrations were cut short by an astonishing fracas between the players and certain fans.
"We went from euphoria to a state of unexpected stress," Garcia told L’Equipe on Sunday. "There were even tears in the dressing room."
Opportunity
Yet despite all of this, Lyon have the opportunity to turn a troubled season into a memorable one. As well as the mouthwatering prospect of the Serie A leaders' coming to town this week, there is a Coupe de la Ligue BKT final against PSG to look forward to, plus a Coupe de France semi-final against the same opponent.
Pedigree, resumé
The cynics will say that this inconsistent Lyon side has no chance of either the champions of Italy or of France – and there is no question they face an almighty challenge on all three fronts. But we are talking about Lyon here. This club has genuine European pedigree, they possess quality in their ranks, and have proved in recent times they are capable of posing problems to the very best teams.
For Garcia, this is a chance to start afresh. He knows he needs to pull off something special to get the fans on side. Victory against Juventus, or lifting one of the domestic cups, would certainly help him to win over the hearts.
The cagey nature of last Friday’s important 2-0 win at FC Metz may not inspire a whole lot of confidence, but there are plenty of reasons to believe in Lyon’s chances against the Old Lady. Firstly, Garcia’s experience of coaching in Serie A – where he trained AS Roma between 2013 and 2016 – will help him prepare his side tactically.
Star power
And while Juventus boast established talent, including a certain Cristiano Ronaldo, OL have stars of the future in their ranks. It may be too soon for 16-year-old sensation Rayan Cherki, but Houssem Aouar and Moussa Dembélé are both ready to shine at the highest level.
Lyon have also bought well in January. Brazilian midfielder Bruno Guimaraes made a highly promising debut in Metz, while the speed and quality of Karl Toko Ekambi on flank could hurt the Italian giants.
All for one
Yes, Lyon have their problems. Injured players Youssouf Koné, Reine-Adelaïde and, above all, Depay will be badly missed. Last summer’s big signings Joachim Andersen and Thiago Mendes have not yet proved value for the €49m spent on them. But if everybody pulls in the same direction, if the fans are behind the team and the coach, then Lyon can spring a surprise and, ultimately, turn their season around.
As Garcia said this weekend: "You can’t get a big result if you have a divided team." Wednesday is time for Lyon to show a united front.