Winner of Metz (2-1) this Friday during the 23rd day of Ligue 1, OL scored a fourth success in a row in the championship. However, despite a temporary rebound to 10th place in the ranking, Pierre Sage remains aligned with the objective of maintaining and reaching the 35 point mark.
OL were scared but managed to leave Metz (2-1) with the three points. Trailing from the 13th minute following a goal from Georges Mikautadze, the Gones managed to turn the situation around with a nice goal from Alexandre Lacazette just before the break (45+1) then a goal from Saïd Benrahma on the hour mark.
“The best thing we did in this match was to concede a goal”
Thanks to this success during this opening match of the 23rd day of Ligue 1, Lyon continued its rise in the standings with a fourth success in a row in the championship, also defeating a direct competitor. “The best thing we did in this match was to concede a goal,” commented Pierre Sage following his team’s victory.
“From the moment we conceded a goal, we really developed the football we wanted until half-time but we should have equalized before,” continued the Lyon coach. “We scored just before the break and going back to the locker room with that gives us energy. Besides, that showed at the start of the second half.”
The objective remains to maintain
If OL are gradually moving away from the red zone, Pierre Sage still sees things to improve in the content offered by his team. “The end of the match was managed psychologically a little strangely because we cowered, we made a lot of mistakes, disagreements, bad choices,” agreed the technician. “We felt that we were both happy to catch up with the story but also a little afraid to manage this situation and I think we managed it badly at the end of the match.”
For his part, Alexandre Lacazette was happy to see that the good series continued but the striker was “not very satisfied” with the face proposed to Metz because the players “did not respect the coach’s instructions”. “Even if there is victory, I admit that in the locker room, the players were not super satisfied,” Sage also admitted. “But it’s good, I’m happy that they are becoming demanding and that they are aware of what is happening.”
On Tuesday, OL will host Strasbourg for a Coupe de France quarter-final. Then, on Sunday March 3, Pierre Sage’s men will host Lens this time in Ligue 1. The coach is still thinking regarding the maintenance objective. “Until we get our 35 points, we will always be in the idea of achieving this goal and acting like a team like that,” concluded Sage.