- Grosso sacked after 11 weeks
- Seven-time French Champions bottom of Ligue 1
- Sage in temporary charge
Italian manager Fabio Grosso has been sacked by Ligue 1 strugglers Lyon after just seven games in charge. The 46-year-old leaves Lyon at the bottom of the table, with only one victory in seven Ligue 1 matches during his tenure. Grosso took over from Laurent Blanc in September, but Lyon’s poor performance led to his dismissal less than 11 weeks later.
Check out the best Ligue 1 betting sites in the UK with Betting.com
Sage takes over on a temporary basis
The seven-time French champions confirmed that Frenchman Pierre Sage will take charge on a temporary basis. Lyon currently sits at the bottom of the table with seven points after 12 games, trailing five points behind safety. A 2-0 home defeat by Lille on Sunday contributed to their challenging position.
Grosso, a former Italy international who played for Lyon from 2007 to 2009, faced adversity during his short tenure. In October, he and assistant Raffaele Longo were seriously injured in an attack on the team’s bus in Marseille. Projectiles struck them, causing facial injuries and leaving the Lyon manager bandaged above the eye.
Despite the challenges, Grosso, who led Italian club Frosinone to Serie A promotion last season, managed to secure Lyon’s only victory this season against Rennes in November. His contract, initially set to run until June 2024, has been cut short.
Academy coach Pierre Sage will now take charge temporarily, with his first match scheduled away at Lens on Saturday. Lyon expressed gratitude to Grosso and his assistants for their dedication and professionalism during their time with the professional team. The club is now looking ahead to the future under Sage’s guidance, hoping for an improvement in their league position.
Blanc fired in September
Blanc, had been dismissed from his position with the team bottom of the Ligue 1 standings back in September. The decision to part ways with Blanc came after a demoralising 4-1 home defeat against his former club, Paris St-Germain. Lyon officially stated that Blanc’s departure was the result of a “mutual agreement.”
Lyon’s start to the season had been abysmal, managing just one point from their first four games, accompanied by the worst goal difference in Ligue 1. I
Blanc had taken up the Lyon managerial role in October, but the team finished last season in seventh place, falling short of European qualification. His managerial track record had seen a lacklustre performance, with an average of 1.53 points per game—the poorest record of any permanent Lyon manager in the past 25 years, excluding Sylvinho, who managed only nine league matches.
Before his stint at Lyon, Blanc had previously clinched three Ligue 1 titles managing PSG and another during his tenure with Bordeaux.
Betting Implications
When Blanc was dismissed in September the bookmakers saw Lyon as relegation possibles rather than probables. 10 other teams were thought to have more chance of demotion than Les Gones. On September 12, bet365 had them priced at 33/1 to go down.
Many bookies were tipping them to make a good recovery. They were priced at 4/1 to make the top four, 7/4 to make the six and 7/20 to make the top 10 with both Unibet and BetUK on September 12.
However, things have changed. At the time of writing, bet365 have them at 15/8 to be relegated. That is the same price as Metz. There are only two teams with shorter relegation odds. Clermont Foot are clear relegation favourites at evens and Lorient are 13/8. In contrast to September, Unibet now have Lyon priced at 80/1 to make the top four.
Check out the best Ligue 1 betting sites and the best football betting sites at Betting.com.
