Post-match thoughts:
“As a manager, especially given the seven substitutions I made and the fact we lost 4–0, I’m the one to blame first and foremost. That said, we came up against a team that were far superior to us in every respect. We tried, but we were simply too far behind Lyon tonight to hope for a positive result. We had the desire but fell short. We had shots on goal, but in terms of creating real danger, there was no contest. We’d started quite well in terms of what we wanted to do, but against Lyon, you have to be excellent from start to finish. I’m not downplaying our shortcomings, but we mustn’t downplay the quality of Lyon’s play tonight. ”
The assessment:
“I’m not going to single out certain players for criticism, particularly the three attacking players who are working hard. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been tempted to field them together. Apart from those three, we all came up short.”
Estéban Lepaul on the bench:
“He’d given so much; he’d started every match. When I analyse the data, we’re a team that runs a lot and puts in a lot of effort. And we need that; we have to cover a lot of ground. I have to make certain choices. Boulaye Dia isn’t just anyone; he’s a very good player. At some point, we also need to give him space. I’m not even sure that tonight it would have made much difference if we’d fielded just two out of three or one out of three. I don’t really know, to be honest. In any case, I’m not going to regret the choices I made.”
The upcoming international break:
“I’m not going to say we should keep quiet because I’m here to explain, but we need to get back to work realising that we were a long way off the required standard today. I haven’t forgotten the positives from before, but we need to recognise the difference between the two teams. Thirteen players will be away on international duty. As for us, we’ll be left with nine or ten players. We’ll get back to work with enthusiasm and determination, and then show a different side against Auxerre – one that, I think, better reflects my team.”
Matchday 5 Ligue 1 McDonald's
Olympique Lyonnais / Stade Rennais F.C. : 4-0
Saturday 19 September 2026 – 8.45 pm
Groupama Stadium
Goals : Ernest Nuamah (7e, 30e), Zachary Athekame (48e), Corentin Tolisson (76e)
