Lyon (AFP)

From one sling to another? Rudi Garcia, party of the OM conspired by the public, was enthroned Monday at the head of Lyon where some supporters already publicly display their greatest reserve in his regard.

Against Dijon Saturday, and probably until the end of the season, it will be hot: the qualification in C1 will be the minimum to obtain for Garcia and OL, today only 14th in the L1 with nine points, one more only as the pair of red lanterns, Metz and Dijon, the next two opponents of OL.

Garcia, 55, will have to be quick and efficient. Starting Saturday at home against the Dijonnais (17H30), at the risk of quickly suffering the wrath of a segment of the public, as lived in their time Bruno Genesio (January 2016-2019) or Claude Puel (2008-2011 ).

In both cases, the ultras supporters had contributed to the departure of these two technicians despite very honorable results.

In particular, they brought Lyon to the European Cup semifinals, the Champions League for Puel (2010) and the Europa League for Genesio (2017).

Rudi Garcia, who signed until 2021, experienced a similar atmosphere in Marseille during his last season, where the public Velodrome stadium no longer sees in him the bearer of the "OM Champions Project", after having pushed OM to the final of the C3 in 2018, lost against Atletico Madrid in Lyon (3-0).

At the time of announcing his departure in May, Garcia had then "fully" his "share of responsibility for not having managed to lead Marseille in the Champions League".

Among the lows, he will have experienced an unpromising elimination in the Coupe de France against Andrézieux-Bouthéon (4th div.) At the Geoffroy-Guichard stadium, in February.

With Garcia, who previously led Saint-Etienne, Dijon, Le Mans, Lille, or AS Roma, OM finished 5th (2017, 2019) and 4th (2018) in the league.

- "Unbearable" remarks -

After the departure of Bruno Genesio in June, the arrival of a Brazilian tandem - the former idol of the Juninho club as sports director and Sylvinho as coach - had made it possible to establish a truce with the groups of supporters and to open a parenthesis that a majority of them thought enchanted.

Alas, OL remain on a seven-game winning streak in the league, although they remain well-placed to qualify for the UEFA Champions League first knockout round with a win and a draw.

But this disappointing sports situation makes the position of Juninho delicate, even though Jean-Michel Aulas affirms, without convincing, that the Brazilian is the sole decision maker in the sports field.

Garcia, whose assistant will be Claude Fichaux as in Rome and Lille, was preferred to Laurent Blanc (54), who wanted to come with several deputies, or Jocelyn Gourvennec (47), too inexperienced at the European level.

His appointment is likely to create a new divide with some of the audience at the stadium, who remembers his stances against Lyon. On the social networks, the wrath of some ultras already reflects a tendency to distrust.

In May 2018, Garcia considered the arbitration "favorable" to the OL. "He (Genesio) should bless the fact that there is still no video assistance otherwise he would be fourth and off the hook," he had launched at the time, full of bitterness.

Jean-Michel Aulas had then responded on Twitter by referring to a technician "who had disjointed" and carrying "public accusations unbearable and not acceptable".

In Ligue 1, the next matches against the last three, Dijon, Metz and Toulouse, will allow the new OL to be calibrated before the shock expected against OM on November 10, where the tifos will be scrutinized with attention for the return of Garcia . These meetings will be interspersed with a no less crucial double confrontation against Benfica in C1.

As for Genesio or Puel, any positive results will not do everything, especially if there are no trophies at the end.

© 2019 AFP