When Juninho Pernambucano took over as sporting director last year, he picked fellow Brazilian Sylvinho to replace the embattled Bruno Génésio as supervisor. Lyon were floundering domestically at the time of his sacking, sitting 14th in Ligue 1 after a toothless defeat to Saint-Étienne in the derby. And, despite being offered a reasonably kind group in the Champions League, it looked as if they were heading for a swift elimination.
Garcia was brought in as a knowledgeable head. He did not rather get Lyon over the line in the league but he probably would have protected them a Europa League place had the season played out to its natural conclusion. He has been more effective in the cups. Even though Reine-Adélaïde and Memphis Depay were absent, Garcia led Lyon to deep runs in the domestic cups– they lost to PSG in the Coupe de France semi-finals and the Coupe de la Ligue last– and he has continued that excellent kind in Europe.
Lyon invested lavishly last summer season by their requirements– something they have not been able to do in the years because the catastrophic purchases of Yoann Gourcuff, Ederson and Aly Cissokho left the club as bad on the pitch as on their balance sheet. The development of academy gamers, such as Alexandre Lacazette, Nabil Fékir and Corentin Tolisso assisted them through some lean years.
The more Garcia prospers in the Champions League, the more Juninhos mistakes in the transfer window are magnified. Garcia is winning ties despite Juninhos acquisitions rather than due to the fact that of them and that is progressively troublesome for the club– specifically if there is a significant exodus once their Champions League campaign ends. Aulas deals with a difficult decision. He will be loath to dismiss Juninho, a club legend, yet he is 71 years old and needs to discover a follower who will handle his leadership role successfully and allow him to fulfil his aspiration of stepping back from the club. Lyons brilliant chairman now faces a predicament of proportions even more epic than his teams Champions League win at the weekend.
He has actually had a hard time to adjust to the much faster pace of the French video game and has left his colleagues at the back terribly exposed., and Cornets conversion to left-back, he is now 3rd choice. Mendes, too, has actually been underwhelming, with first Lucas Tousart and now Bruno Guimarães much better in the holding midfield role.
Guimarães was a force of nature prior to lockdown, however even he looks to have actually dropped a level given that competitors resumed. He is still young and he has actually the qualities needed to become a midfield revelation, even if he appears better suited to the box-to-box role that Caqueret is currently inhabiting. Reine-Adélaïde is probably exempt from this criticism and he is most likely to play a bigger role next season need to Aouar depart. Tino Kadewere, who arrived from Le Havre in January as the top scorer in Ligue 2, might yet prove a bargain. And Karl Toko-Ekambi, who signed a EUR11.5 m long-term offer from Villarreal at the start of the year, has actually been a dependable presence in attack, even if he does not have a big resale value as a 27-year-old.
Overall though, Juninhos record in the transfer market has actually been poor, specifically when one includes in the EUR8m the club invested in Brazilian midfielder Jean Lucas, who has no hope of a starting place next season. Aulas loves stating that Lyon have a “club DNA” and this is real given the teams ongoing reliance on young skill. Juninho should understand this, provided the amount of time he invested playing for the club, but his recruitment policy does not reflect it.
After completing seventh in Ligue 1 and stopping working to certify for Europe for the very first time in a generation, the clubs firebrand president, Jean-Michel Aulas, was so incensed by the leagues choice to truncate the 2019-20 project that he took them to court, chastising them in a detailed open letter along the way. The truth is that his problems were likewise an interruption for a club that will have to deal with the music no matter when their Champions League project draws to a conclusion.
Rudi Garcia positions with Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas and sporting director Juninho. Picture: Romain Lafabregue/AFP through Getty Images
Now comes the tough part for Lyon. Garcia may not be the method forward for the club. Trying to strike teams on the break by delivering possession is not a method that will bear fruit versus Metz or Angers, and his team still trusts moments of specific luster to turn matches– exhibited by Maxwel Cornets objective and Aouars pass for Moussa Dembélés second against City. That being stated, he has actually knitted together a group from apparently spare parts– the conversion of Marçal into a left-sided centre-back is a case in point. On top of that, he has done it without Juninhos huge purchases.
There is still a bunch of appealing children on the books– most especially Houssem Aouar and Maxence Caqueret– however the club has blown the cash they made from turning more youthful players (Lucas Tousart to Hertha Berlin, Mariano Diaz to Real Madrid, Tanguy Ndombele to Tottenham and Ferland Mendy to Real Madrid) on pricey imports. Lyon made 3 of their most costly purchases of perpetuity last summer season, in the type of Jeff Reine-Adélaïde for EUR27.5 m, Joachim Andersen for EUR24m and Thiago Mendes for EUR25m. All 3 were left on the bench by Rudi Garcia on Saturday night.
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He did not quite get Lyon over the line in the league however he most likely would have secured them a Europa League place had the season played out to its natural conclusion. Garcia is winning ties in spite of Juninhos acquisitions rather than due to the fact that of them and that is progressively troublesome for the club– especially if there is a significant exodus once their Champions League campaign ends.
Lyon beat Manchester City on Saturday night to reach the Champions League semi-finals for the second time in their history, but they remain in a very tough position. After finishing seventh in Ligue 1 and stopping working to qualify for Europe for the first time in a generation, the clubs firebrand president, Jean-Michel Aulas, was so incensed by the leagues choice to truncate the 2019-20 project that he took them to court, chastising them in a detailed open letter along the method. The fact is that his complaints were likewise an interruption for a club that will have to face the music no matter when their Champions League campaign draws to a conclusion.
