** OL in difficulty without Matic**
The two consecutive defeats of Olympique Lyonnais (OL) against Manchester United and Saint-Étienne highlighted a fragility in the middle of the field. The absence of Nemanja Matic, who did not come into play in the two matches for still unclear reasons, quickly became apparent. Speculations are well on the cause of this absence: too high a rhythm in the Europa League or mysterious hip pains during the derby? In any event, questions persist and answers are scarce.
Paulo Fonseca, OL coach, says he made the most wise choice, even if Matic’s experience could have been valuable. “I understand the frustration of players who don’t play,” said Fonseca. “It’s my role to make the best choices for the team. I talked to Nemanja after the first game, he understood. He did a good week of training, he’s ready for the next game.” The coach says he takes on all his decisions and regrets nothing, hoping that no disagreement or frustration will disturb the team as they approach the last four finals of the championship.
** Lacazette suspended for the match against Lens**
A penalty for an accumulation of yellow cards, Alexandre Lacazette will miss the OL shock against Lens in early May. The Lyon attacker will be available this Saturday to face Rennes on the 32nd day of Ligue 1. The LFP disciplinary commission decided to sanction Lacazette after having received a third yellow card in less than ten Ligue 1 matches during the derby against Saint-Étienne.
Gomophobic dogs during the derby between AS Saint-Etienne and OL
After the projectile jets, homophobic songs are now making talk of the derby between AS Saint-Étienne and OL. The LFP had promoted this event on its social networks, especially on Instagram, by publishing an epic one-minute video. There were homophobic songs chanted by Stéphanois supporters. The association Stop Homophobia seized the case and decided to file a complaint this Friday for public insult due to sexual orientation against LFP President Vincent Labrune. This case casts a little more light on the situation of the League, already weakened by conflicts over TV rights.
The controversial derby arbitration between Saint-Étienne and OL
The derby arbitration between AS Saint-Étienne and OL last Sunday is still across the gorge of Didier Digard, coach of Le Havre. A manifest error, confirmed by the technical management of the arbitration on Monday, on the cancelled red card of Lucas Stassin distorted the championship, according to Digard. This error allowed Saint-Étienne to join Le Havre in the standings, while the Normans were three steps ahead of the derby. Didier Digard was outraged at the performance of the referee and plagued the two “lunar” decisions that marked this meeting. Four days from the end of the championship, Saint-Étienne and Le Havre are always at their elbows to avoid relegation.**