Pierre Sage praises ‘perfect’ role model Alexandre Lacazette

Alexandre Lacazette (32) and Olympique Lyonnais have seen an impressive turnaround in fortune since the appointment of Pierre Sage as the club’s head coach. 

On the 30th of November, Sage was appointed with Lyon sat at the bottom of the table and with very little hope of finding a route of the relegation mire they had been wallowing in. However, under Sage, the club have slowly dragged themselves out of danger and into the Coupe de France final . 

And while it’s true the team were bolstered in the January transfer window, when they became Europe’s biggest spending club, the real testament to Sage’s short time at the club can be measured in his ability to bring the best out of the talent that was already on the Lyon roster.

His captain, Lacazette, has been a shining example of this approach, with the forward having only scored three times before Sage’s appointment, a total that has ballooned since. Ahead of this weekend, Lacazette is now the third top scorer in the league with 14 goals, putting him behind only Kylian Mbappé (25; 24 goals) and Jonathan David (24; 16 goals). 

Despite this, Sage has been quick to place the responsibility for Lyon’s results on the players that he has to work with and has pointed to Lacazette’s influence as being a role-model to the side’s improved results. 

Speaking ahead of Sunday’s fixture against Stade Brestois, Sage heaped praise on his captain, “ There is what he does daily, with his experience, he manages to help the youngest and the players who have not experienced all that [he has]. ” Sage continued, “ Then there is his level of performance. It’s perfect for us. ” 

GFFN | Nick Hartland