Claude Puel and Lyon seem to be heading for an increasingly good natured divorce. The former Lille boss insists he will not be leaving the Ligue 1 side, despite guiding them to what appears to be a third successive year without a trophy (Les Gones had won seven successive Ligue 1 titles when Puel arrived). President Jean-Michel Aulas, on the other hand, is reluctant to give much away in public, suggesting that Lyon will be honouring their four year contract with the coach, which finishes next summer.
But then Aulas also admitted that he would listen to the views of increasingly dissatisfied supporters, and then revealed in an interview with French TV channel Canal+ that he regretted handing Puel a long-term deal.
"Maybe we didn’t make the best decision the day we handed him a four-year contract," explained the Lyon supremo.
"Puel has said himself that he may decide to walk away before the end."
Aulas was unmoved when asked this week about Puel’s future, refusing to comment directly on whether he will be in charge next season, simply insisting that the club had a few matches left and that they would see where they were at the season’s end.
Puel’s departure from the Stade Gerland became increasingly likely after Lyon threw away a two-goal lead against Nice in injury-time and succumbed to defeat against Paris Saint-Germain to extinguish their slim title hopes, before falling again at Toulouse. It did not take long for stories to leak which suggested Puel no longer commands the respect of his players.
But should the Frenchman leave he could be back in employment quickly. Sevilla are looking for a new coach and are said to be considering the former Lille manager, whilst Monaco are reportedly thinking of bringing him back to the principality team he served with distinction as a player.
When Les Gones do get around to the summer changes that will follow a poor campaign, they won’t just be confined to Puel leaving. The club will look to rebuild for next year, and the main area that they must address is a defence which has looked brittle throughout the season. Cris, who has stood out as the rock on which Lyon’s defence is built, is coming to the end of his illustrious career. Though it would be a wrench to part with such a loyal servant, the time could have come for the Brazilian to lose his first team spot. Having been particularly fallible at crucial moments, Lyon must address the issues in their backline if they are to regain the Ligue 1 title next year.
And to win the title, the future will be centred around one man, Yoann Gourcuff, brought in from Bordeaux last summer to light up the Rhone. The midfielder though has been poor at best, struggling to replicate the majestic form which earned him a reputation as one of the finest in Europe. Gourcuff himself recognises that he has not been at his best and perhaps intriguingly, implied that he and Puel may not work well together. That should soon be solved, and if he can rediscover his form, Lyon have the man around whom they can build a new Ligue 1-winning side.
But before that the Stade Gerland side must qualify for the Champions League. Lyon are now in the midst of a crucial few weeks as they battle with Paris Saint-Germain, a side they lost to recently, for the final Champions League spot. Failure to clinch this place would be disastrous; not just for Puel, as it would hasten his seemingly inevitable departure, but for the team as they look to rebuild. Doing that would be much more difficult without the lure of Champions League football for potential signings.
Missing out is real possibility too after their stunning collapse in recent weeks, which has caused alarm bells to ring yet louder at the Stade Gerland. Everyone at the club realises the importance of the £15M gained from playing in the Champions League each season, and having participated in the competition for eleven years in a row, it would be a huge blow to miss out. To underline the point, losses of €35M in 2010 demonstrate just how vital Champions League money is to Lyon.
And if Les Gones were to fail to qualify, it could not come at a worse time. Puel’s side are in the midst of planning a move to a new stadium; the Stade des Lumiéres. This project is set to be completed by 2013, but there are problems as government officials politic with the stadium’s future. Construction is planned to begin this year, but until it is given the green light to go ahead, Aulas is left waiting agonisingly for the politicians to pave the way for Lyon to make the move to a ground which is set to host games in Euro 2016.
The chances are the stadium project will go ahead as planned and Les Gones will soon be in a new home, with a new coach. But so much rests on the coming weeks and their battle with Paris Saint-Germain for the final Champions League spot. When rebuilding a side it is crucial to be able to do so from a position of strength, given that significant change often leads to a period of temporary flux. For Lyon, they must hope that their current boss can repay Aulas’ faith and give his successor a platform to make the club a real force in France and beyond in the years to come.
