Lyon coach Pierre Sage has been fired despite putting the French league club back on track
Baku, January 28, AZERTAC
Lyon coach Pierre Sage has been fired despite leading the French league club out of a crisis last season and having the team within reach of a Champions League place in this campaign, according to AP.
His dismissal on Tuesday followed a 1-1 draw with Nantes in Ligue 1 over the weekend and left many observers baffled. Sage had rapidly become a fans’ favorite after guiding Lyon from the bottom of the standings to a sixth-place finish last season.
And after 19 matches this season, Lyon is sixth in the league — just four points off a Champions League spot — and in a good position to qualify for the knockout stage of the Europa League.
Sage took over as coach at Lyon at the end of November 2023 following the firings in quick succession of two coaches with good reputations, Laurent Blanc and Fabio Grosso. At the time, Lyon was bottom of the league, with just one win from 12 matches.
A former amateur player, Sage spent most of his coaching career in low-profile jobs, including as a youth coach at Lyon. He returned to Lyon as director of the club’s academy after a stint as an assistant at second-division club Red Star. Propelled into the limelight after Grosso’s departure, Sage exceeded expectations, also guiding his team to the final of the French Cup last season.
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