Ligue 1 – Saint -Etienne/Lyon – Eirik Horneland, Paulo Fonseca, two coaches for different dynamics

It is a match in the derby between Saint-Etienne and Lyon who meet this Sunday (8:45 p.m.). One as the other chose a foreign technician: the Portuguese Paulo Fonseca (52) succeeded Pierre Sage (45) on January 31 at OL, and the Norwegian Eirik Horneland (50) replaced Olivier Dall'oglio (60) on December 20 at ASSE.

The president of the Rhone club John Textor had put forward “experience “ From Fonseca upon his arrival, when Sage had contributed to the Rontada of Olympique Lyonnais last season from the depths of Ligue 1 to a qualification in the Europa League. The American had then justified his choice by a “need for preparation, consistency and more experience, a certain structure, a little discipline“.

Before signing at OL, Fonseca, experienced technician across Europe, knew French football for having operated in Lille for two years (2022-2024). And for the time being, the results seem to give reason to Textor even if in Ligue 1, Paulo Fonseca, suspended from the sidelines and cloakroom until November 30 after having threatened a head referee against head, is confined to the gallery during the matches. A situation that was able to weld the locker room, he recently assured the team on a daily basis.

The Lyonnais seem more solid than in the first half of the season and went from 6th to 4th place in Ligue 1, two points from Monaco (2nd) and one from Marseille (3rd). Even if they can regret the cruel elimination in the quarterfinals of the Europa League Thursday against Manchester (5-4) after having led 4-2 in extra time.

Dall'Oglio, arrived, as Sage, at the end of 2023, had been able to carry the Greens who were vegetating in the middle of the L2 classification towards the return to the elite, by the dams, before the sale of the club, on June 3, to the Canadian Kilmer group. But he was not part of the new recruitment project and the development of young talents chosen in particular by relying on data, encrypted data. At the time of change, the management of the Stéphanois club estimated that Horneland was “A coach capable of creating a strong game identity, which sticks to this club and this city“.

But the results do not take off and the supporters are still claiming “A team worthy of their audience“. Elected best coach in Norway, Eirik Horneland, who does not speak French, lives his first experience abroad. His ignorance of Ligue 1 is disabling and offensive style, with high pressing, seems too energy -consuming for a low level and inexperienced workforce that the owners did not know how to strengthen, neither this summer nor in January, despite 23 million euros invested in recruitment.We are a more comfortable team in his opponent's camp, with the possession of the ball“Recognized Horneland on April 11 at a press conference.

With the Norwegian, who seems helpless in the face of the deficiencies of his group, the Greens always collect too many goals (33) and little score (19). With a balance sheet of seven defeats, including two routs against Paris (1-6) and Marseille (5-1), five zero results and two victories. Horneland does less well than Dall'oglio with an average of 0.76 point per match against 0.87 for his predecessor. Upon arrival, ASSE was a barragist (16th) equally points with Angers (15th). Before this derby, Saint-Etienne (17th) accuses three points behind Le Havre (16th) and the dam now seems to be the only horizon of the Stéphanois to save their place in an elite, only one year after being reassembled.