Ligue 1: Fabio Grosso new coach of Olympique Lyonnais

Europe 1 with AFP 13:47 p.m., September 16, 2023

Appointed coach of Lyon to replace Laurent Blanc, the Italian Fabio Grosso enjoys at OL a positive image of former player champion of France and the world, who will nevertheless still have to prove on the bench to turn around a moribund team, last in Ligue 1. In a club that sinks week after week into a crisis of governance with a war of shareholders between the former owner Jean-Michel Aulas and the new, the American John Textor, and sportsman (1 draw, 3 losses), this appointment is the new episode of an incredible soap opera.

It began on May 5 with Aulas' dismissal as executive chairman and continued with the DNCG's decision to restrict the club's recruitment conditions at the beginning of the summer. The rest: a catastrophic start to the season, punctuated by a rout at home against Paris Saint-Germain (4-1) on September 3, before the departure of Blanc formalized a week later.

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After that, the names of several European technicians filtered in the media, from Habib Beye (Red Star) to Olivier Glasner (ex Eintracht Frankfurt) through the British passed by Chelsea Graham Potter, the Spaniard Julien Lopetegui or the former PSG Christophe Galtier. Some were reportedly proposed by agent Jorge Mendes. The latter had notably managed the transfer to PSG of the nugget Bradley Barcola, trained at OL.

Double

The last track mentioned was that of another Italian, Gennaro Gattuso. But the profile of the former AC Milan midfielder, who has known seven clubs in ten years, may have seemed innapropriate for a club looking for new stability. Fabio Grosso, 45, will already become Lyon's fifth coach since June 2019 and the departure of Bruno Genesio. Never seen before at OL.

He nevertheless has for him to have been a former left-back of Olympique Lyonnais for two seasons (2007-2009), winner of the double cup of France-championship of France in 2008 under Alain Perrin, leaving the memory of a pleasant, courteous and high-class man, fluent in French. Italian international (48 caps), former player of Perugia, Palermo or Inter Milan, he was world champion in 2006, which former president Jean-Michel Aulas was very proud of at the time of his presentation at the Lyon City Hall.

Difficult journey

After finishing his career at Juventus Turin (2009-2012), he embraced that of coach of the Primavera of the Turin club (2013-2017) before continuing with a rather laborious career, mainly in the Italian second division (Serie B). If he remains on a positive note at Frosinone (March 2021-June 2023), which he helped to bring back to Serie A in the spring, caution remains in order.

He stayed only one season in Bari (July 2017-June 2018), less than a year at Hellas Verona (June 2018-1 May 2019) and made only a brief stint at Brescia (November-December 2019, 3 games, 3 losses), still in the 2nd division. He has not had much more success at FC Sion (August 2020-March 2021), the Swiss club of sulphurous president Christian Constantin, where he recorded 10 defeats in 25 games.

With OL, he could take advantage of a priori favorable calendar to finally launch the season, including matches against Reims, Brest and Lorient between now and the next international break in October. But for the moment, Lyon does not scare anyone.