Olympique Lyon have a rich history in French football. They are the seven-time Ligue 1 champions and have played some regular football in European competitions. Lyon also has one of the best academies in the whole nation and has produced some of the biggest names in the game. However, things are not going in their favour, and the team last became the champions of France in 2007-08.
The start of the 2023-24 season has been a disaster. After a disappointing seventh finish in the 2022-23 season, Lyon were expecting to get back on track in the current season. But as per the current points table, Olympique Lyon are sitting in the relegation zone. The team is struggling, and that has added more pressure on the players. Let’s take a look at what has gone wrong with Lyon’s performance in the current season.
Lack of goals
A team struggling at the bottom of the table lacks that scoring touch. This poor run in front of the goal mostly highlights the low morale of the team. Lyon have also shown the same struggle and only scored six times in the first eight games. A team that averaged 1.71 goals per match and 1.9 xG in 2022-23 is averaging just 0.75 goals and 1.38 xG in 2023-24.
The shots per match average is the same, but the conversion rate is low. Lyon have scored in four league games, and only four goals have come from open play.
The team has also failed to keep hold of the ball in the current season like they used to in the previous one. In the 2022-23 season, Lyon averaged 56.94% possession and attempted 545.9 passes with an 86.5% accuracy rate. In the current season, the possession rate has dropped to 50.33%. Not only this but the passes per match have also been reduced to 457.38 with 85.1% accuracy. One thing that can be observed from the above progressive chart is that the team is creating the most chances from the right flank.
There is also a significant decrease in the quality of crosses delivered into the penalty box. The crosses per match have dropped from 16.45 to 12.38, and the accuracy rate is just 25%. Once again, most of the crosses have been attempted from the right.
Leaking goals
The defence has also been a problem for this Lyon side as they concede two goals on average per match. Lyon’s defence has faced 106 shots in the current season and 38 were on target. The above viz shows that Lyon’s defence has allowed the opposition to get into scoring areas around the six-yard box.
Olympique Lyon’s overall struggles have led to this downfall in the current season. They are unable to score goals and the defence is leaking goals. The team need to step up and take Lyon out of the relegation zone.
Visuals via TFA data viz engine