The Gones are surprised. Olympique Lyonnais' draw on FC Nantes' pitch on Sunday (1-1) was one poor performance too many. Pierre Sage has just learned that he is no longer the coach of OL, despite some interesting results, which rank him among the best Lyon coaches of the last 20 years... John Textor has made his decision. Information reported by L'Equipe and confirmed in Interview.
OL is aiming for a place in the Champions League. The (slight) slide made by the club in 2025, 6th at 4 points from the podium, did not please the American owner. However, he has known much worse. A week with a draw against Toulouse at home, a draw in Turkey in the Europa League and another draw in Nantes in L1, and Here is Pierre Sage ejected from his post.
John Textor had warned in the fall that he was capable of this type of outburst. It doesn't matter that Pierre Sage took over Lyon as the bottom side a little over a year ago and leaves the club in European places, the American, who returned to Lyon this Monday for the certification of the accounts, has had clear ideas for 10 days. Date on which he had already initiated contacts with Paulo Fonseca, the ex-coach of Lille then ephemeral coach of AC Milan.
Given the context in Lyon, where each transfer window is experienced as a melodrama, between transfer twists and turns and financial hiccups, Pierre Sage will have had a more than satisfactory brief stint. 57,1% of victories with Lyon is huge, as his squad is well below those of Gérard Houllier and Alain Perrin in the 2000s.
What the Portuguese technician will be able to do much better, probably inducted this week, before the trip to Marseille on Sunday evening? Certainly not much. The squad has been shaken up once again, to meet the requirements of the DNCG. When management does not impose a certain stability, it is never easy to have a regular team on the pitch… Paulo Fonseca often manages to make his teams play well (this was not the case at all at Milan) but he is not a defensive expert. However, this is where the shoe pinches at OL.
OL is at a new turning point. It's make or break. John Textor has often made the right decisions, to the point of leading Botafogo (Brazil) to heights never seen before. After a bad start with Lyon, he seemed to have found the recipe to right the ship. Clearly, it wasn't fast enough for him.
