The connection between Memphis Depay and Houssem Aouar blasted the Monegasque defense on Sunday evening at Parc OL (4-1). PHILIPPE DESMAZES -

AFP

  • OL managed the small feat on Sunday night of leading 4-0 at the break against AS Monaco, despite a starving ball possession of 28% at home.

  • Should we deduce from this that the low block / counterattack style of play, which has proved its worth in the Champions League in Lisbon, still has a bright future ahead of it?

  • Now 6th in Ligue 1, Houssem Aouar's partners will quickly start a huge week, between a trip to Lille and the reception of the derby.

At Parc OL,

Rudi Garcia owes much to Stéphane Jobard and Niko Kovac.

If they have very different intentions and above all means, the coaches of Dijon and Monaco are the only ones to have come to Parc OL this season with a cataclysmic defensive transition.

With each time a spanking on the scoreboard (4-1), nearly 60% of Lyon's goals scored in these only two meetings since the launch of the championship.

The ASM may have monopolized the ball very largely in the first period (72%), it was demolished Sunday (four goals conceded in thirty minutes) by the speed of execution and the realism found of OL, now 6th in L1.

Built around a Memphis Depay in a remarkable creative, surgical and altruistic 9-10 number register worthy of Karim Benzema at Real Madrid, Rudi Garcia's team seems to have finally found an identity: an assumed low block and the counterattack at all costs to recovery.

"Now we are more than realistic"

Rudi Garcia acknowledged on Sunday evening that it was "the game plan put in place" against "a very good attacking team".

Crying lack of collective bond since the resumption of Ligue 1, the Lyonnais have given themselves to their hearts content in the face of the tender defense Aguilar-Badiashile-Disasi-Sidibé.

Pass almost blind in Aouar's first intention for Depay, heel of the Dutchman to cause a penalty on Toko-Ekambi ..., everything went or almost to relieve an OL still 14th eight days ago, but also his coach Rudi Garcia.

“We actually scored four times on our four shots on target in the first period.

Before, we were not unusually successful.

And now, we are more than realistic.

It shows that we were right not to worry.

"

Finally, is this style so divisive on Sunday night the direct heir to the two European exploits chained during the summer against Juve and Manchester City?

"I think we are playing on our qualities, on our strengths, as we have shown again this evening," said Anthony Lopes.

Even if the technical quality of a hyper-dense midfielder (Aouar, Mendes, Paqueta plus Guimaraes, Caqueret and Lucas on the bench against ASM) is clearly underexploited in view of the balloons passing them the most often above the head.

Kovac "surprised to see the Lyonnais positioned so low"

Even Niko Kovac was surprised by the fear of having to play the game of an OL vaccinated by the repeated purges against Bordeaux, Nîmes or Lorient: “I expected them to proceed in counter-attacks because they have the qualities to do so, with a lot of fast players.

However, I was still surprised to see them positioned so low.

On our side, we made the mistake of playing too high ”.

Kovac is truly a Bundesliga coach.

His team produces play, throws himself a lot, there are a lot of people in the opposing area, there is movement.

But there are also boulevards for the opponent with the loss of the ball #OL #OLASM

- Gaël Berger (@GaelBerger) October 25, 2020

A fault of the young Monegasque group that Rudi Garcia recalled after the match: “I think we also have to be smart.

Looking at the numbers, we knew that Monaco was the worst team in the championship when it came to handling quick attacks and especially goals conceded above.

It just made sense to have a little space to exploit ”.

"It's a bit like our Champions League"

We can trust the former champion of France with Losc to want to do the same on Sunday (9 p.m.) in Lille.

He did not hide that in the middle of the year without the slightest European match, "when we play direct competitors like Monaco or Lille, it's a bit like our Champions League".

And one of the locker in the Lyon locker room, Anthony Lopes, is not the type to plan on another season with this anomaly of results: “We know that we need to make a series to reach European places.

Finally, the Champions League, because here we are… ”

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