What has happened to Lyon? The seven times Ligue 1 champions have picked up just three paltry points from nine games this season, and that sorry return leaves them rock bottom of the league table.
To make matters worse, they were dumped there by the relative minnows of Clermont Foot who, in beating Lyon, picked up their first victory on the campaign and swapped places with their illustrious neighbours.
The visitors went into a shock two-goal lead through Muhammad Cham and Yohann Magnin before Corentin Tolisso halved the deficit, but Clermont held out for a famous win. Midfielder Tolisso was inconsolable at the final whistle when he said: “Since I was little I have been a Lyon fan. I have never seen Lyon in this state.”
Neither have we. It’s only three years since Lyon were in the Champions League semi-final, so what has happened in such a short space of time?
You try and work it out!
There has been a change of ownership at the helm. In 2022, US businessman John Textor bought the club, ending the 36-year ownership of Jean-Michel Aulas.
Fans were already unhappy about the direction the club was taking and, earlier in this campaign, Fabio Grosso was drafted in as head coach to replace the departed Laurent Blanc. But results have not improved and a highly rated group of players continue to underperform.
Take a look at these names.
Alexandre Lacazette, the captain and star striker with over 150 games for Arsenal in the Premier League, 16 caps with France, and 30 goals in 40 appearances for OL since his arrival in 2022.
Corentin Tolisso, with over 150 games for Lyon and five Bundesliga title medals from his time at Bayern Munich, not to mention a 2018 World Cup winners medal.
Dejan Lovren, the former Liverpool centre-back who has earned 78 caps for a very strong Croatia and graced the Premier League over a number of campaigns.
Rayan Cherki, the 20-year-old France U21 star who is being tracked by the top clubs in Europe, including PSG and Chelsea.
Relegation would be unthinkable for these players and the passionate OL fans but, on the evidence so far, they are in a whole world of trouble.
Grosso, a former player at OL, led Frosinone to promotion from Italian Serie B last season so he knows how to get teams up. But can he stop a giant like Lyon from going down?
Monaco back on top
While one of the big names of French football sits at the very bottom of the table, another, AS Monaco, returned to the summit thanks to a 2-1 win over Metz on Sunday, as Aleksandr Golovin helped himself to a brace.
Monaco are a point clear of Nice and two ahead of PSG, and while the Ligue 1 2023 betting odds are right behind the Parisiens, Monaco have recently been installed as second favourites.
20 points from nine games represents a great set of Ligue 1 2023 results to start the campaign and, with the talent of players including the Swiss pair of Denis Zakaria and Breel Embolo, and Japanese ace Takumi Minamino, this is an exciting team.
Golovin was the standout performer against Metz, powering in an equaliser from distance, and then firing in a cracker of a free kick to win the game early in the second half.
Managed by Adi Hutter, Monaco are in great shape to improve on last season’s sixth place finish, and they are serious title challengers at this stage of the campaign.
Is Lee more popular than Mbappe?
Here at SBOTOP, we love the never ending circus at the Parc des Princes and, following the departure of megastars Neymar and Lionel Messi for pastures new, you would think Kylian Mbappe would be the biggest box office draw.
Which, of course he is, but it seems that a new kid on the block has become a fan favourite at PSG, and he may be ready to push Mbappe’s nose out.
Le Parisien newspaper has recently reported that Mbappe sells the most shirts and merchandise in the club shop, with South Korean advanced midfielder Kang-In Lee coming in second.
Signed in the summer, Lee is one of a number of Korean players making headlines and breaking barriers in Europe’s top leagues alongside FC Bayern centre back Kim-Min Jae and Spurs talisman Heung-Min Son.
And now, the 22-year-old PSG man has sold more shirts online than anyone else at the club, and his popularity will continue to soar.
I wonder what Mbappe and his entourage will make of that.
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