Ligue 1 Review | Miracle or indictment? Lyon’s resurgence poses questions

At the start of December, Olympique Lyonnais were rock bottom of Ligue 1, three points off second-bottom Clermont Foot. Pierre Sage sparked an immediate revival. Having secured seven points in their first 14 games, Lyon won their last three games in the run-up to the winter break. 

However, upon the return of football in mid-January, there was a relapse of sorts. At the start of February, OL occupied the relegation play-off spot. The threat of relegation was still real and the humourous but very real situation in which Taylor Swift potentially kicked Lyon out of their own stadium for a relegation play-off encounter encapsulated where the club was. The giant had fallen and their “banter era” had started. However, it has seemingly quickly passed. 

Fast forward two months and it is incredible the conversations we are now having. Lyon have since qualified for the Coupe de France final, where they will face Paris Saint-Germain at the end of May. A cup run amidst league struggles is not uncommon. Just ask Valenciennes, the Ligue 2 side beaten by Lyon in the semi-final, who are all but guaranteed to drop into the National 1, France’s third tier. 

Les Gones therefore have a chance at European football for next season with the winner of the Coupe de France qualifying for the UEFA Europa League. But what is more astonishing is that Lyon, despite for the vast majority of the season being a relegation candidate, could qualify for Europe via their Ligue 1 standing. Should Lyon lose to PSG in the Coupe de France final, seventh place would be enough for a place in next season’s UEFA Europa Conference League. 

Currently 10th, Lyon are just three points away from seventh-placed Stade de Reims. Of all the teams around them, momentum is with