At OL Park,
On April 5, after an insipid draw (0-0) in Angers, the chief trolls could have a field day about OL. After having racked up 13 wins in a row from mid-December to mid-February, would Paulo Fonseca’s gang (then 6th in Ligue 1) achieve the feat of going even stronger, with 15 games without a win to end the season, (obviously) without a trophy and even without European qualification?
Three weeks later, this half-nightmare, half-burlesque scenario is no longer relevant at all. After a sluggish success against Lorient (2-0), then a small exploit on the pitch of PSG (1-2), the Lyonnais were able to confirm this Saturday their return to the forefront in front of Auxerre (3-2). Provisionally only 3rd in the standings (+3 over Lille), OL have not mastered everything, far from it, but they were able to put pressure on their four most dangerous pursuers, Lille, Rennes, Marseille and Monaco, who all play later in the weekend.
Tolisso still essential in “supersub”
“In football, there are moments that boost confidence and others that take away confidence. There, we finish this match with a strange feeling,” summarized Lyon coach Paulo Fonseca this Saturday. He is aware that the second Burgundian goal from Bryan Okoh (3-2, 87th) made his group doubt during the seven minutes of additional time, even if he believes that he “deserved” a greater gap.
Against AJA, the hamstring injury to Orel Mangala, who returned at the best moment of the season as a strong man in the Lyon midfielder, is a reminder of the extent to which the renewal of this team remains fragile. However, Corentin Tolisso still proved decisive in “guide supersub », as against Lorient, with a goal (2-1, 66th) and an assist for Roman Yaremchuk (3-1, 71st). “It’s extremely pleasing, we wanted to validate the result of the Parc des Princes,” he says. We absolutely had to win and hold on to this result in the end, we did it. »
Tolisso avoids dissecting calendars
This sequence pushes his teammate Moussa Niakhaté to observe, all smiles: “We are a dynamic team, between our 13 victories in a row, our 9 matches without winning, and here these 3 successes in a row”. A roller coaster which will then see OL welcome Rennes (5th), travel to Toulouse (12th), before an epilogue at home against RC Lens (2nd). So, are the Lyonnais the type to dissect all the calendars of the contenders for this third place synonymous with direct qualification for the Champions League, which OL have not tasted since their epic semi-final in 2020? Listening to Corentin Tolisso, we understand that this is a real issue.
« I try not to do it too much because a lot of things are going on in my head. If the scenario is not the way we want… I just want us to win our matches, concentrate on that, and then I can take my phone and calmly look at the situation for our opponents. There, we will be able to watch the other matches of the weekend more peacefully, we did the job. »
“The Champions League is both near and far”
In this fierce final sprint, “the team which has the strongest nerves and which will have the most confidence in itself” will manage to finish on the podium, according to Moussa Niakhaté, pillar of this OL despite a terrible personal sequence in the two Cups last month. Corentin Tolisso wants to avoid a return to C1, which “would be a great accomplishment” seven years later, from turning into an obsession with his training club: “The Champions League is both near and far. A lot can still happen in three games. We must first manage to qualify for the Europa League (via 5th or even 6th place), that’s the main objective.”
Our file on OL
Within shooting distance of Losc, who would come back in front of them on Sunday in the event of a victory by at least two goals on the ground of Paris FC, OL in any case sees the weekend schedule as an opportunity, which allowed them to get the ball rolling from 3 p.m. this Saturday. “It’s definitely easier to play before the others,” says “Captain Tolisso”. We often play on Sunday evening this season, and there is more pressure when you know that your direct competitor has won. In these cases, you have to win, you have no room for error. Now, it’s up to the others to win if they want to catch up with us…” Then OL will have to be strong on May 3 (8:45 p.m.), challenging in prime time the Stade Rennais, potentially with the costume of the podium chaser.
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