Whisper it, but are Lyon back? If not to the scintillating level of their record run of titles, then are they at least a reasonable facsimile of the team that took Ligue 1 by storm in the second half of last season, going from relegation candidates to a sixth-placed finish?
In the early going, their summer transfer window looked to be full of missteps, with Saïd Benrahma, Georges Mikautadze and Moussa Niakhaté struggling for form, the trio having cost the thick end of €70m.
The left-back Abner, not exactly a snip from Real Betis, also looked at sea, and Rayan Cherki, having stayed with Les Gones despite interest from both Paris Saint-Germain and abroad, wasn’t included in the squad after initially refusing to sign a new contract. Add in an uncharacteristically wayward Alexandre Lacazette, the veteran no doubt tired from his exertions at the Olympics, and things looked grim, especially with European competition about to start and Monaco and Marseille flying.
What a difference a month makes, though. After dispatching a hapless Le Havre 4-0 away from home on Sunday, Lyon have now won five straight matches in all competitions. While the standard of opposition domestically hasn’t always been of the highest level, Europa League victories at home to Olympiakos and away to Rangers have been statements of intent, even with some nervy moments early in the match at Ibrox.
The genesis of this impeccable run was a galling home loss in which Marseille played 90 minutes with 10 men but still snatched a 3-2 win. From there, Mikautadze and Benrahma have largely been benched, the keys to the team handed to Malick Fofana and Cherki – the latter back in Pierre Sage’s good books after extending his contract to 2026.
The two youngsters have been in scintillating form during this stretch, Cherki racking up a goal and three assists with Fofana adding four goals and an assist. For Fofana, still just 19, it shows the measure of his talent, having usurped Benrahma, while it also shows Sage’s determination not to over-rely on veteran players, perhaps wary of how Lacazette’s slow start impacted his side’s ability to keep pace with the top four.
As for Cherki, the question is whether or not he can finally keep up a good run of form. In recent seasons, Ernest Nuamah and Bradley Barcola often kept him out of the team, with various managers unsure of his best position, likewise his dedication to improving his own level and to the club in general, the suggestion being that the interest of bigger sides may have turned his head. Now, though, with the faith of Sage and plenty of confidence, he has the trust of his teammates and looks ready to make good on his undoubted promise.
Fofana’s form earned him a first call-up for Belgium’s senior team and also helped Lacazette get off the mark, first in Europe with a brace against Rangers – Fofana provided his first – then again on Sunday in the league.
Speaking post-match, Lacazette was quick to laud Cherki, saying: “It feels great to finally score in Ligue 1. I knew it was coming, I had had my chances, I just lacked the finishing touch. Rayan had warned me that I would score my first goal this weekend, and thanks to him for this fabulous ball.”
Though they have recently impressed in a 4-3-3, Fofana and Cherki, as well as one of Nuamah and Benrahma, could also potentially operate – once Nemanja Matic returns from injury – in a hyper-attacking 4-2-3-1, with Cherki playing centrally as a playmaker. While deploying that formation for 90 minutes might leave Lyon open at the back, it allows Sage an ace in the hole should he need to respond after going behind, or to break down a defensive opponent’s low block.
Add in the improving form of Abner, who recently earned his first cap for Brazil, and things seem to be coalescing in a major way for Lyon, who ended the weekend just a point off fourth place.
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That’s not to say there aren’t still problems: Lucas Perri, the goalkeeper, has looked out of his depth far too often, even in this recent run of matches, while the struggling Mikautadze has too much talent to be cast aside completely. Niakhaté, meanwhile, despite playing well against Le Havre, has much work to do to justify what the club spent on him. But overall the signs are positive for Lyon making them, if not a title contender, at the very least more likely to be in the mix for a Champions League return.
Talking points
Having mentioned Montpellier circling the drain a few weeks ago, La Paillade now appear that much closer to disappearing down the plughole after a 5-0 loss to Marseille. Roberto De Zerbi’s side aren’t shy about flexing their attacking prowess, and the hosts did finish with 10 men, but even so, things are looking desperate as the club find themselves bottom of the table, below winless Angers. The match proved to be curtains for Michel Der Zakarian, who didn’t even have time to undertake his post-match media duties, with the club president Laurent Nicollin announcing the manager’s sacking live on air.
One team who have pulled slightly away from the relegation scrap are Auxerre, the only side Montpellier have beaten this season. Their win over Reims, who had got off to a strong start, was their second in three games, with Hamed Traorè once again the hero. The Ivorian winger has three goals in four matches and, after failing to settle at Bournemouth before joining Auxerre on loan, he looks as if he could be the difference between safety and relegation.
Finally, could the end be nigh for Julien Stéphan, again, at Rennes? The loss of Leo Østigård over the international break was a big blow for the Bretons, but they struggled to create any meaningful chances against a Brest side who were missing a raft of key defenders. With only two wins from eight, they are wallowing in 13th and, despite a challenging fixture list, that is far from what the club’s hierarchy would have expected following an €80m outlay this summer.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PSG | 8 | 17 | 20 |
| 2 | Monaco | 8 | 10 | 20 |
| 3 | Marseille | 8 | 13 | 17 |
| 4 | Lille | 8 | 5 | 14 |
| 5 | Lens | 8 | 5 | 14 |
| 6 | Reims | 8 | 3 | 14 |
| 7 | Lyon | 8 | 2 | 13 |
| 8 | Nice | 8 | 8 | 10 |
| 9 | Nantes | 8 | 1 | 10 |
| 10 | Strasbourg | 8 | 0 | 10 |
| 11 | Brest | 8 | -3 | 10 |
| 12 | Auxerre | 8 | -5 | 9 |
| 13 | Rennes | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| 14 | St Etienne | 8 | -14 | 7 |
| 15 | Toulouse | 8 | -4 | 6 |
| 16 | Le Havre | 8 | -12 | 6 |
| 17 | Angers | 8 | -8 | 4 |
| 18 | Montpellier | 8 | -18 | 4 |
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