Olympique Lyonnais conceded a goalless draw against Le Havre this Sunday for the 5th day of Ligue 1 (0-0).
It was in an electric atmosphere that OL plunged back into the daily bread of Ligue 1 this Sunday evening. After a catastrophic start to the season which plunged it to the bottom of the rankings, the Rhone club, eighteenth and bottom at kick-off, no longer had a choice. A success against Le Havre was essential to stop this negative spiral and begin a series at the dawn of a new era embodied by Fabio Grosso.
While waiting for the Italian’s big premiere on the Lyon bench, it is a trio made up of Jean-François Vulliez, former director of Blanc’s deputy academy, and ex-players Sonny Anderson and Jérémie Brechet, who led the Gones for this meeting closing the 5th day of Ligue 1. A balance of power which had all the makings of a trap match, since the promoted Norman, uninhibited, displayed a lot of qualities since the curtain rose.
OL still convalescing
To overcome this obstacle, the Gones really needed the return of their guide Alexandre Lacazette. The captain made his comeback after serving his suspension matches. The scorer was supported by the classy Cherki and the explosive Nuamah at the forefront.
The tactical configuration of this match was expected: OL had the ball against a Le Havre team ready to explode on the counter as soon as they recovered. It was still necessary to make good use of it. The Lyonnais did not succeed, once again. Lacking realism in the two zones of truth, not very compact at the loss, the Gones did not put in the necessary ingredients to avoid another misstep. Cherki once again sent a few shivers through the Le Havre defense, as usual, but he lacked promptness in the last gesture (25th, 82nd). Nuamah, hard-hitting, was not happier with a big opportunity (54th).
Le Havre could have taken the opportunity to shower the Groupama Stadium and make the perfect shot, but they also missed the boat on their rapid attacks, like Grandsir, who missed the inevitable on a caviar from Casimir (68th ). The score has not changed. Lyon can’t do it. Fabio Grosso could see that he had his work cut out for him.
