Lyon (AFP)

In Lyon for a year, Bruno Guimaraes had made a success of his debut.

But the competition then caught up with him and the Brazilian midfielder must take advantage of the absence of his compatriot Lucas Paqueta, suspended, to return to the Lyon eleven on Wednesday against Rennes in Ligue 1 (19:00).

Without Paqueta, excluded in Marseille, the former Flamengo player (23) should get another chance to regain his past brilliance.

Can it be an alternative for coach Rudi Garcia when OL, even if it remains in 3rd place in the standings, seems less flamboyant than in the fall?

"I have a lot of versatile midfielders who are able to do a lot of things. Bruno is one of those. He can be a fantastic player in sentry. When he arrived he was more than efficient and improved the game. team play, "Garcia pleaded in December, when questions were already raised about the performance of Guimaraes, acquired for 20 million euros at the end of January 2020.

"It is a little logical that the players are not at their best all the time," said the technician, who hopes to find the radiant player of the beginning of the year 2020.

- Doubt has set in -

His performances at the time, as in the round of 16 first leg against Juventus Turin, which won 1-0, actually suggested that OL had recruited a pearl for immediate adaptation.

Since then, containment has been there and may have cut it off.

Likewise, opponents have learned to frame it better.

Doubt gradually settled in with lukewarm performances this season, especially since Paqueta also produced very good performances and Thiago Mendes, disappointing last season, returned to a good level in the post. sentry.

"I still hope to be the holder," Guimaraes pleaded in an interview with the daily Le Progrès on January 22.

"I miss it, I would like to play 90 minutes. I'm in good shape. I want to add my name to the history of this club and to do so I need to be on the pitch," he said confided after suffering from Covid-19 during a winter break in Brazil.

Substitute in Marseille on Sunday, Guimaraes did not come into play until the 73rd minute to replace Houssem Aouar.

Carioca has not played any full match in the league since the derby in Saint-Etienne (5-0) on January 24.

Aligned at the kick-off against Bordeaux (2-1) and Dijon (1-0) in Ligue 1 then against Ajaccio (5-1) in the Coupe de France, he however came out before the end.

He was a substitute against Strasbourg (3-0), without coming into play, then ahead of Montpellier (1-2) and OM (1-1).

For the time being, his statistical record includes only one goal against Reims (3-0) and an assist in Lorient (1-1).

"Staying on the bench is not loving football. There is the prospect of the Olympics and the World Cup in 2022. For me, it's very important to be on the pitch," he said. he repeated Tuesday at a press conference.

In the same situation as Bruno Guimaraes, Maxence Caqueret, trained at the club and very interesting before confinement and during the "Final 8" of the Champions League in Lisbon, is also chomping on the bench hoping to seize his chance again, which he didn't really know how to do when we called on him.

It is up to him and Bruno Guimaraes to bounce back against Rennes, a team just as recovering as these two players.

© 2021 AFP