After Lyon’s draw against Nice (1-1), Laurent Blanc mentioned the winter transfer window. The Lyon coach hopes for recruits to revive a team still struggling in the game.
White at a press conference
Asked about the winter transfer window last Wednesday at a press conference, Laurent Blanc brushed off the subject out of hand. I didn’t think about it for a second , said the coach of Olympique Lyonnais. Really ?
Two days later, the Cvenol held a completely different speech after the draw miraculously snatched Friday by his team against Nice (1-1), thanks to a generous penalty at the end of the match. For the OL coach, the shortcomings are clear – in defense and midfield in particular – and reinforcements would make it possible to approach the second part of the season with more certainty. This is the message he sent yesterday.
White wants experience
I think we need to strengthen the group but we will do the season with 90% of this workforce, that’s the reality, said the technician after the meeting. You should bring some experience. We played five games with me, three of which were away. We took seven points. It’s not extraordinary. But we are progressing.
Has Lyon really progressed? Since his arrival, Blanc has posted a first record of 2 wins, 2 losses and a draw. It’s not flamboyant, especially since there were setbacks in the two biggest games against Marseille (0-1) and Rennes (2-3), but his predecessor Peter Bosz started on a series of 4 defeats and a draw. In terms of results, it’s a little better. On the other hand, the Gones still do not convince in the game.
Lyon still does not seduce
Against Nice, OL displayed the face of a team in lack of benchmarks on a collective level, with significant technical waste and players below their level. In defense, the central hinge Diomand-Lukeba lacked serenity. In the middle, Houssem Aouar was not effective in his transmissions and in the impact, Maxence Caqueret was moved in the duel and lost a lot of balls. In front, Tet and Karl Toko Ekambi dyed too quickly. So much for the main disappointments. But their teammates weren’t much brighter, and the whole team seemed to lose energy and creativity after the first quarter of an hour.
In the end, it’s as if not much has changed since Bosz’s departure. Without this penalty obtained at the very end of the match, for an unobvious foul by Jean-Clair Todibo on Alexandre Lacazette, the Lyonnais would have left Groupama Stadium with a logical defeat. It would have been the third in five meetings for Blanc. And the balance sheet of the former coach of the Blues would have been a little less defensible. The latter therefore has his work cut out between now and December 28, when the championship resumes for OL.
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