It is difficult to speak of a crisis as OL are at the top of D1 two points ahead of PSG and hold their destiny in the Champions League when they play in Zurich on Thursday (6.45pm) but there is something not quite round with the European champion.
“We have a start to the season that we didn’t think we would have, really not great”, Melvine Malard confided to Clairefontaine two weeks ago. So decisive last spring in helping the Lyon bogeyman win an eighth European title, the 22-year-old striker, who extended her contract until 2026 on Tuesday, is going through a quiet period. In her defense, she’s not alone: slow efficiency tops the list of ailments that have plagued OL in recent weeks. Sunday’s narrow win against Le Havre (1-0) confirmed the trend.
Lyon played a fifth game in a row in all competitions without scoring more than one goal, a first for them…since October-December 2005 (6)! In D1, the Lyonnaises have scored just 17 goals in 8 matches, without having played their main rivals (PSG and Paris FC) below their level in the last fifteen years. The share of set pieces in championship performance (7/17 or 43%) is another indicator of the difficulty to surprise and finish in the game. “We get a lot of chances, but we don’t convert enough. analyzes coach Sonia Bompastor. We work a lot on him training in different situations, shots on goal, sequences against low blocks, crosses, with specific work. »
Hegerberg leaves a great void
The weight of Ada Hegerberg’s absence is getting heavier, while no return date has yet been brought forward for the Norwegian, who is treating leg pain and prefers to give himself time to understand and analyze his body’s reaction to his horrendous string of serious injuries between January 2020 and October 2021. A point must be made at the club in January. “We miss her experience and her quality as a finisher”admits Bombastor.
“The players have quality and need some confidence”
Sonia Bompastor, OL Women’s Coach
Without her, neither the American Catarina Macario (knee), last season’s revelation, nor Amel Majri (recently mother), who will play at her best again at the end of December, the offensive line coughs and the various staff attempts have not been conclusive. “I need to find the rhythm I had in my performances, the power, hurt my opponent, don’t question myself”, Malard slips about his personal business. Eugénie Le Sommer and Delphine Cascarino, although more experienced, follow the same procedure. “We already had difficult times last season, but we came back very well. We can do it again, the season is still long”positive Malard.
A click against Zurich would be welcome, to see the European spring again, hoping that everything will bloom again. “The players have quality and need some confidence, I really hope it will be against Zurich”concludes Bompastor, who records the great return of German midfielder Dzsenifer Marozsan, who was badly injured in April, but will have to miss Amandine Henry, who suffered a calf injury.