The danger is that the team that saw off Juventus and Manchester City before falling in brave fashion to eventual winners Bayern Munich will barely feature together again. Rudi Garcia's flexible and balanced 3-5-2 coupled with marvellous team spirit helped OL make the last four of the Champions League along with Paris Saint-Germain in what was a historic season for French football in the competition.

Juninho: "There will be departures"

The performances of the OL players on the continental scene didn't go unnoticed and sporting director Juninho admitted after the Bayern match that there will be player sales this summer. The Brazilian said: "There will be departures this summer, but I'm not worried. When you have players who have put in a very good competition like this, players like Moussa (Dembélé) and Houssem (Aouar), then it's logical. We'll need to show the same spirit in order to qualify for the Champions League."

Having finished last season seventh in Ligue 1 Uber Eats OL's run of consecutive European campaigns has ended at 23. Garcia is about to tackle his first full season in charge, with his reputation enhanced by the tactical scheming that worked so well in Europe. The former OM and LOSC boss doesn't know yet what squad he'll have to work with. As well as Dembélé and Aouar, captain Memphis Depay is another frequently linked in the press with a move. Garcia clearly hopes the nucleus of a talented squad will stay, saying after the Bayern defeat: "Juninho spoke too soon. We'll see what happens. It's not the time to talk about it."

Toko Ekambi, Caqueret to step up?

Two of the three big chances OL had against Bayern fell to Karl Toko Ekambi, signed on a permanent basis from Villarreal following a successful loan spell. Toko Ekambi could end up with greater attacking responsibility in 2020-2021 and has the credentials, having netted 17 times in Ligue 1 for Angers in 2017-2018.

Maxence Caqueret was the breakout star of OL's European heroics. The all-action 20-year-old midfielder is the latest gem to emerge from the OL Academy. After impressing against PSG in the Coupe de la Ligue final, Caqueret only made his Champions League debut at Juevntus and played so well that he became one of the first names on the teamsheet, featuring in an impressive midfield trio with Aouar and Bruno Guimaraes.

Tactical poser

The Champions League campaign also saw 33-year-old centre-half Marcelo at his best. With the pace of Jason Denayer and Fernando Marçal alongside him the Brazilian was imperious, especially against Juventus. Garcia must now decide whether to retain the 3-5-2 for the league season when - unlike in Europe - OL will be expected to dictate play and not operate mainly on the counter-attack.

Apart from a 2-1 home win against Nice in Round 14, OL failed to beat any of the clubs that finished above them last season, something that must be addressed this time round as the club attempt to build on European success. Goalkeeper Anthony Lopes said: "The squad can be really proud of our run and everything we managed to do. We'll try to keep hold of all that was good in order to have a great season. We need to show the same in Ligue 1, whether it's against big or small clubs and try to move forward together."