‘I don’t think there is no longer hope’ – Pierre Sage optimistic of Lyon’s survival despite ominous outlook
Interim manager Pierre Sage was optimistic about Olympique Lyonnais’ chances of survival, despite the bleak outlook at the crisis club.
Lyon are rock bottom of Ligue 1 with just one win in their first 14 games of the season. The club are also burning through their managers with Laurent Blanc and Fabio Grosso already being shown the door this season. OL have just seven points. None of the fourteen teams that have boasted such a low total (or less) have staved off relegation. The last team to escape relegation with so few points at this stage of the season was Sète in the 1947/48 season.
Whilst Lyon are not yet at the stage of needing a miracle, there is reason for grave concern. However, after Wednesday night’s 3-0 defeat to arch-rivals Olympique de Marseille, Sage believes that there is still hope of survival. “You only need to look at the table to see that we are in real danger. If we down tools now, that means that there is no hope, and I don’t think that there is no longer hope […] Today, you understand why we are so low in the table,” said the interim manager, who took over from Grosso under a fortnight ago.
There is a lot of work to be done on the pitch, but perhaps off it too. After the DNCG, French football’s financial watchdog, gave OL the green light to recruit, it has been reported, it has been reported that the club could spend big in January to beat the drop, with a reported budget of around €50m. With the club in such a state of crisis, however, convincing players to join may not be so easy.
GFFN | Luke Entwistle
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