** OL fans were waiting for a reaction, players gave it to them on Saturday night in Décines.** A week after the double disillusionment against Manchester United, but especially in the derby, Alexandre Lacazette’s teammates had to redeem themselves, even if it won’t erase the past. The Lyon captain is quite right on this point, everything left on the way, OL can no longer return to it. However, seeing the performance against Rennes on Saturday (4-1), there are necessarily even more regrets on the non-match at Geoffroy-Guichard. The psychological impact was certainly not the same, three days after a cruel elimination in the Europa League, but showing even half the envy against Stade Rennais, OL would surely have left the Chaudron with something other than zero point.
The past is the past and we can no longer go back on it, but even a point of the zero would have had quite different consequences on the ranking of this League 1. Because if the PSG killed all suspense long ago, the Champions League race is completely crazy. It’s not new and it’s been going on for several days, but to three games at the end, very clever one who can give the trio that will accompany the Parisian club in the largest of European competitions.
The day after the 31st day closed, six of them were still eligible for these places: OM, Lille, Monaco, Nice, Strasbourg and OL. All stand in a handkerchief with only four points between second and seventh place. An exciting final sprint that pushes OL to do no false-nothing, as Alexandre Lacazette blew it.
By winning with the way against Rennes, the Lyons took the lead, but also managed to win a place in the standings. They are now fifth, one length from Monaco and two from Lille. On paper, all teams have their destiny in their hands. Only by going to the Principality in two weeks, OL knows that it can potentially be in the places for the Champions League by making one out of three. This is what Moussa Niakhaté had put forward before the victory against Rennes: “If we make four out of four, we will be in the Champions League at 100%”.
By focusing solely on OL, the Senegalese defender is not wrong since the Rhodanian formation would logically pass before the ASM with this without fail. However, next Sunday, in addition to having to do the work at home against Lens, the Lyons will certainly support in spite of them OM against Lille. In a favorable ballage to occupy the PSG dolphin’s place, the Phocéan club could do the business of most of its competitors at the C1 by taking the best on Bruno Genesio’s LOSC.
At OL, we ensure that we focus exclusively on our own calendar and this is already a real mission in itself. For before thinking about others, you have to think about yourself and take the nine points he remains on his way to Lens, Monaco and Angers. But in this final sprint, the smallest detail counts, as Jorge Maciel recalled: “This struggle, it may be going to be played at one point, at one goal, everything can swing in one direction or the other”.
In this sense, the three-goal victory against Rennes was another positive point for Corentin Tolisso’s teammates. If they would have preferred the PSG not to lose its invincibility against Nice, the players of Paulo Fonseca managed to take over the Aiglons thanks not to a better difference of goals (+20 each) but to the number of achievements recorded this season (62 against 59). The day after