Olympique Lyonnais have presented the most sustained challenge to the hegemony of Paris
Saint Germain in this season’s Ligue 1, and, along with Monaco and Marseille, are
one of the recent powerhouses of French football.
Lyon have done this with an interesting approach to player recruitment, marrying astute, inexpensive
signings with a superb academy system, and their attractive style of football wins as
many plaudits as their business sense.
This season, Lyon have generally played a 4-2-3-1, which has transitioned in recent
months to a 4-3-3 or 4-3-1-2.
Bruno ‘Pep’ Genesio’s Lyon team is based on a very solid and consistently selected
back eight.
Anthony Lopes is the first choice keeper, and Marcelo and Jeremy Morel form a very experienced,
solid central defensive pairing.
The full backs change a little more, with former Manchester United player Rafael and
Ajax graduate Kenny Tete share the right back slot, and Marcal and Ferland Mendy sharing
the duties at left back.
In the midfield, Lucas Tousart anchors alongside the dynamism of Tanguy Ndombele.
In a 4-3-3 or 4-3-1-2, these two are supplemented by Houssem Aouar.
This combination of youth and experience is Lyon’s back bone.
Ahead of this group, Lyon have used three variations.
Two see Nabil Fekir sitting in the hole in a 4-2-3-1 with Spaniard Mariano ahead and
a 4-3-1-2, which can see strikers or players who normally line up as wingers up front,.
The other, which tends not to use Fekir, has Mariano flanked by two wingers in a 4-3-3.
Fekir is arguably Lyon’s star turn, and his ability as a playmaking, goal-scoring
10 has seen him rack up 17 league goals and seven assists in 25 starts.
He finds space arriving late in the box, dribbles the ball into danger areas himself, breaks
left or right to make room to cross, and creates for the quick wide players or a striker with
through balls.
Lyon at their best are geared towards making space for Fekir to pull the strings or score
goals himself.
Offensively, Lyon’s full backs work hard to press high and work in the wide and half
spaces with the forwards in all the formations.
When Lyon play the 4-3-1-2 but use Memphis Depay and Bertrand Traore, both of whom are
normally wingers, as their strikers, this is especially effective.
One will split in the direction of the full back, creating width, but because they have
started more centrally this either drags a centre back with them, or overloads the full
back.
This then creates space, either for Fekir to push up in to if the centre back moves,
or in the gap between the full back and the centre half, which can be xploited by Fekir,
the wide player, or the full back.
By not using a traditional centre forward, or a false nine whose movement is more horizontal,
and combining this with marauding full backs, Lyon can cause a lot of problems out wide
for the opposition, leading to chances in the middle.
Interesting, the other full back on the side where Lyon is not attacking pushes up and
in to occupy the half space and provide more central cover for the Lyon midfield.
Assuming that the opposition cannot win the ball back and immediately switch play, this
has the effect of solidifying Lyon’s central midfield without opening the far side up too
much.
Lyon’s midfield is geared towards this style of attack, especially on the counter.
Aouar and NDombele are superb at taking the ball from the centre backs or full backs and
turning to drive forwards, before passing out wide to the full back on the overlap.
While the defensnive contriution of the whoel midfield is superb, especially Tousart’s,
it’s in the transitional counter attack that Lyon’s midfield three really shine,
carrying the ball away from danger, forcing the opposition onto the back foot, and then
getting the ball to quicker or more creative players.
Lyon are a well-constructed team, quick in transition, solid at the back, and with players
like Mariano, Memphis, Traore, and Fekir, who are capable of moments of individual brilliance.
But what is most impressive is how the team functions as a whole to facilitate the star
men up front.
Coach Genesio played over 150 games as a midfielder for Lyon and was a product of their youth
system.
It’s little surprise that he’s crafted a team that works brilliantly through the
midfield and that’s built around a core of young, home-grown talent.
It’s a potent mix, and one that shows that big spending is not the only way to achieve
great football and consistent results.