It had been a long time – since 2008 – since Olympique Lyonnais had topped the French league table at the end of the seventh matchday. Almost 20 years on, having beaten OGC Nice 2-1 on Sunday, the Rhône-based club have finally rediscovered the taste of the throne. A status more symbolic than otherwise, but one which nonetheless caps off a fine start to the season for Les Gones, whose Europa League campaign has also been flawless so far (two wins from two matches).
Yet things could have turned out very differently for OL, whose elimination in the Champions League play-offs against Fenerbahçe SK at the end of August could have left a lasting mark. But that has not been the case, and the squad now appears more united than ever.
One episode discussed by Lyon’s sporting director, Matthieu Louis-Jean, in an interview with France TV Sport. Whilst he makes no secret of the “enormous disappointment” at failing to qualify for the premier club competition – a tournament the club “really believed in” and for which they had “worked hard” – the Lyon official explains that they “had to regroup very quickly” and that the arrival of new players helped them to do so.
“Above all, it was our recruitment that was key to the team spirit, once again. We focused on the players’ compatibility, team spirit and mentality,” explains Louis-Jean, who was keen to praise the important work carried out by Paulo Fonseca, Les Rouge et Bleu manager.
“Paulo’s words have been crucial. He has enormous faith in this squad,” he continued. “I think he’s managed to convey that to them. This squad is mentally strong, as I’ve said before, and we were able to bounce back quite quickly, but once again, it’s really the team spirit of this squad that deserves to be highlighted.”