Already qualified in the round of 16, do the Lyonnais have the means to go to the end of the Europa League?

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At Parc OL,

Three matches without any shock able to transcend the supporters, in any case condemned to struggle in the middle of traffic jams on the periphery in view of a horrible programming for each meeting, on Thursday at 6:45 p.m. Here is the tempting program that awaited OL this fall for their reunion with a European Cup group stage. It seemed written, it was going to be laborious until the final reception of Glasgow Rangers on December 6, like a Ligue 1 where this Lyon team is able to offer points on a plateau in the last minutes against Clermont or ASSE. No, this dismal fatality was swept away in four days and as many victories.

Less flamboyant but extremely serious when it came time to finish the job, Thursday against Sparta Prague (3-0), OL is the only club already guaranteed to play the round of 16 of the Europa League (without a jump-off against a team transferred from C1 therefore), on March 10 and 17, with a return match in his stadium. Here is why the band at Peter Bosz, who will have the luxury of sending Bradley Barcola (decisive passer on Thursday) and the entire U19 team on the last two days of this group A, can now dream of becoming the first French club to go to the end of the test.

OL’s European DNA allowed it to fly over its group

Since the dawn of time, OL has been the only club, behind PSG, which over time allows French football to save the furniture at the level of the UEFA index. This European culture, illustrated by its recent semifinals in the Europa League (2017) and the Champions League (2020), can be summed up in an impressive stat given by Opta: the Lyonnais managed to get out of the group sentence 15 times out of their 17 last European participations. Who says better ?

In this Europa League, they both knew how to resist from the outset the great pressure of Rangers at Ibrox Park (0-2) and a catastrophic start in Prague (From 2-0 to 3-4). Best attack in the competition with 12 goals scored (an average of 3 per match), with a much more reassuring defense than in Ligue 1, since it conceded all of its goals (3) in this first leg against the Sparta, OL flew over this first phase as a boss, and can devote themselves solely to the championship for four months.

Peter Bosz, between winning culture and paying choices

As much the new Lyon coach has sometimes been able to persist in surprising choices in Ligue 1 (type Kadewere in the quack in Nice), as the management of his group has been flawless so far in the Europa League. It is in this competition that he was able to make a sometimes refreshing turn-over, especially on this last game on Thursday, with six executives preserved on the bench for more than an hour.

Lucas Paqueta finds himself sanctioned for a delay in the talk before facing Sparta Prague in the first leg? He comes into play and makes the difference at the end of the match by scoring the winning goal. Just back from injury, Islam Slimani started for the first time in a month and a half on his return? He signed his first double on Thursday since his arrival at OL. So many favorable signs revealing a (very) positive dynamic in C3 between Peter Bosz and his group, just as it had been the case for him in 2017, in this superb Europa League campaign concluded in the final (0-2 against Manchester United).

Karl Toko Ekambi, above OM and AS Monaco

Karl Toko Ekambi is to the Europa League what Oleg Salenko was to the World Cup, or Jean-Michel Lesage to Ligue 2. Namely a player with many limits otherwise, but in total success in a test, to the image of its stratospheric goal in Glasgow. Already performing in C3 with Villarreal (3 goals and 5 assists in 7 games) in 2018-2019, the Cameroonian international is outright the top scorer this season, with 6 goals and 2 assists over the four group matches. You have to combine your last 13 Ligue 1 games with OL to compile such a statistical record in the league. It’s simple, KTE is for the moment more prolific in the event than OM, AS Monaco, Real Sociedad or Lazio Rome.

Bends in harmony with this team

Two years ago, it was in the knockout stages of the Champions League that OL managed to qualify, at the cost of a draw against RB Leipzig (2-2). But the atmosphere was then deleterious between the players and the north turn, against a backdrop of heavy conflict between Marcelo and the Bad Gones. The qualifying had hardly been celebrated. Thursday, even if it was only Sparta Prague opposite, the 33,934 Lyon supporters showed great fervor to ignite the last half hour of play, as against Brondby (3-0) a month earlier.

With each time in the wake of a real communion, against a background of “Ahou” and “Qui ne saute pas n’est pas lyonnais”, between all the players and the north turn, who does not hesitate to stay singing long songs. minutes after each game. Even in the heyday of Lacazette-Fekir-Umtiti-Tolisso, there was no such osmosis between managers, coach, players and supporters.

A painting necessarily open in spring

Obviously, we see you coming, it is not on November 5 that we can venture to predict who will win a competition (except with PSG in Ligue 1). The idea is simply to see that the Lyon club so far assumes the ambitions unveiled in August by its president. “Our number one objective will be to get the Europa League, then confided Jean-Michel Aulas in The team. Even if it’s pretentious, you have to play it to win it. It’s the year or never to impose us, given our workforce. “

OK, three of the last five winners have been donated Champions League big chunks (Manchester United, Atlético de Madrid and Chelsea). But the not so distant precedents of Seville (2014, 2015, 2016, 2020), and especially Villarreal last season, should help OL to be completely uninhibited. Only Naples had a better UEFA index than the Lyon club in the initial field of this Europa League. And even among the current 3rd group of C1 (certainly Atlético de Madrid and Atalanta, but also Wolfsburg, Bruges, Zenith, Benfica, Sporting and Sheriff Tiraspol), there is not necessarily enough to be terrified, if?


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