Lyon (AFP)

"By winning a derby 5-0, everyone scored points, I can assure you": Rudi Garcia intends to keep his workforce alive to the maximum but his basic "eleven" still seems difficult to disrupt over the performance of OL this season.

The Lyonnais, who have just swept Saint-Etienne at the Geoffroy-Guichard stadium, have conceded only two defeats and are third two lengths from Paris SG and Lille when they receive Bordeaux on Friday (9:00 p.m.) for the 22nd day of the League 1.

For this meeting, the Brazilian Lucas Paqueta, suspended against the Greens, will probably regain his place, probably at the expense of his compatriot Bruno Guimaraes, struggling since the summer recovery when he had delivered very good performances in the month following his arrival in Lyon in February.

"The players, it is not me who put them in the team. They do it all alone in the sense that they are efficient", underlines Garcia, taking the example of "efficient attackers who score goals , thus remaining logically a little more in the eleven ".

- Five matches in two weeks -

The coach will be able to count on emulation within the group to keep his team at a high level of requirement in the next two weeks, with the entry into the Coupe de France on February 9 at home against Ajaccio (L2) and five matches in fifteen days.

"Those who play less must do everything to take the place of those who play more. That's how it should work, not to mention that we can have problems with injuries or suspensions and at any time, replacing him. "today can start tomorrow. And if we have absentees, everyone must do a little more", insists Rudi Garcia.

By operating his replacements later than usual in Saint-Etienne on Sunday, he had sought to send a message to his workforce.

"I have emphasized enough the contribution of those who come into play in a positive way and who have also allowed us to take points or win matches like in Rennes for example, so that the opposite message (criticize the substitutes when their contribution is insufficient, Editor's note) can precisely mark ", he still pleaded.

"It is not only for the last match. There can also be attitudes in training and it was useful to send this message to always have players affected by the next matches because we will not get not the results of eleven (players). This has paid off so far. We will see if this is the case in the long term, "he added.

- A different environment -

But if the base eleven seems well installed, Garcia still hopes that the lines do not remain frozen to pull the whole up.

And he gladly reminds that those who started the season this summer are no longer all in the spotlight today.

"We played the Champions League Final 8 with a midfield that is 66% different from now," he said.

"It also means that things can move. Like Thiago Mendes who was not part of the adventure this summer and his return to the eleven. It is he who, by dint of quality performances, m 'pushed him to leave him in the team because he brings a lot, "concludes the OL coach.

However against Bordeaux, Lyon should do in the traditional.

In addition to Paqueta, Maxwel Cornet, back from injury, should regain his place as left-back while the probable absence of Houssem Aouar should still benefit Maxence Caqueret, performing in the derby.

© 2021 AFP