“I know in what circumstances I arrive and I accept it. “Laurent Blanc and his staff have their work cut out for them but, as the new OL coach sums it up, “that’s why we’re here”.
Bring the team back up to physical level
“Do they physically work? In November 2021, when the first criticisms were already flying against Peter Bosz, a close friend of the club was alarmed in our columns. The shortcomings displayed by the Lyonnais in the repetition of efforts and the low intensity in the meetings have since only reinforced the questioning. The day of rest granted weekly in the middle of the week by the Dutch coach was singled out, as was the physical preparation exclusively with the ball put in place by Terry Peters, also thanked.
VIDEO. “Olympique Lyonnais has not forgotten me”: Laurent Blanc becomes OL coach
To put OL back on their feet athletically, Laurent Blanc will rely on his deputy, Philippe Lambert, who had worked with Blanc in the France team (2010-2012), at PSG (2013-2016) and at Al-Rayan, after a short stint at RC Lens (2017-2019). In particular, he will have to finally succeed in fully reviving the club’s other world champion, Corentin Tolisso, as fragile since his return to OL as he has been in recent years at Bayern Munich.
Laurent Blanc has already warned his troops: “The players will be surprised because there will be a lot of work between now and the break. It takes a very high level of athletic preparation to set up the game I want in this team. In the coming days, the Lyonnais should thus regularly tackle two daily sessions. As of this Monday morning, the intensity of the first session clashed.
Make managers face up to their responsibilities
“Experienced players will be the ones who will determine the future of OL. Laurent Blanc placed his executives face to face with their responsibilities from his first public speech. Alexandre Lacazette, whose appearance on television on Friday evening contributed to the departure of Peter Bosz, will have to seize leadership for good in a divided locker room to retain the captain’s armband. Otherwise, the responsibility could fall to the only temperamental boy in the workforce, Anthony Lopes, especially since Laurent Blanc is not the kind of coach who does not like to give the captaincy to a goalkeeper. In February 2012, it was he who had entrusted that of the Blues to Hugo Lloris.
The new OL coach could also revive Houssem Aouar, zero minutes on the clock since the first day: “I always accept good players and I think he is a very good player. “Laurent Blanc sums up the difficult equation: “With the players, we will go there gently and firmly”. Because the President is aware that “the heads are not freed” and that “the most complicated thing is when it affects the mind. In the next few hours, the new Gones technician will embark on a series of individual interviews. “I need to discuss with them, to know their feelings”, he agrees.
Give OL a defensive base
As with his two previous dismissals at Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen, Peter Bosz is “dead” with his ideas. Or rather with its bindings. Like that of making Thiago Mendes the cornerstone of his defense. Everyone wondered at the start of the season about the relevance of this strategy and everyone was right. The Brazilian has been directly involved in at least five goals conceded since the start of the championship.
Laurent Blanc has obviously not yet taken a position on the subject. But the President, who knows the position a little bit, has every chance of modifying the central hinge of OL. Waiting for a defensive rookie in the transfer window? White procrastinates: “It only starts on January 1. (…) I can look you in the eye and tell you: I did not ask for any guarantee for the transfer window. »
Allow OL to return to Europe
France’s second budget, Lyon has not played a Champions League match since its semi-final against Bayern Munich (0-3) in the Final 8 in August 2020. The objective assigned to Laurent Blanc is clear, according to the terms of the press release: “Find the European Cup next season. »
To achieve this, Laurent Blanc has sent the message many times: “Let’s not be afraid of words, the urgency is to take points. It will take time but for now it’s a race against time. I’m not going to be the guy who wants the beautiful game above all else. »