Lyon were defeated 1-0 on Wednesday afternoon, as they played Manchester United in their second pre-season friendly at Murrayfield. Donny van de Beek gave the Red Devils their second victory of their summer preparations with an emphatic volley, which flew past Anthony Lopes in the Lyon goal. Despite failing to find the back of the net, there are several things Laurent Blanc can take away from the performance. Here are three things we learned this afternoon at Murrayfield:
Promising Purchases
Lyon fans had the opportunity to watch both of their new signings in action against Manchester United – Clinton Mata and Skelly Alvero.
Mata, who recently signed from Club Brugge for €5m, started the match as the senior man in defence. The 30-year-old offered a calming presence, after a shaky opening ten minutes for the inexperienced Lyon back four. In an attacking sense, the Angolan international full-back showed his ability to get forward and create chances too with a couple of tempting crosses into the United box.
Alvero, who recently signed from Sochaux for €4m, entered the field as a substitute in the 63rd minute. The 21-year-old’s entrance started nervously – misplacing his first pass. However, he used any anxiety as a positive and went on to put in a controlled midfield display. The Frenchman looked composed on the ball and was able to direct himself out of tight spaces when required.
It is easy to get carried away with new signings, but if Alvero and Mata can build upon these performances as pre-season intensifies, Lyon might have just pulled off two astute investments.
A Look to the Future
This summer has been a transitional one for OL. Houssem Aouar’s departure to Roma on a free transfer has somewhat left their midfield void of creativity. While recruiting will remain difficult for OL this season with budget restrictions placed on them by the DNCG, their ever-reliable academy could offer a solution to their creative woes in midfield.
Rayan Cherki has begun to take some of the creative mantle in midfield as of late. However, Mohamed El Arouch is a name many OL fans have been excited about for a long time; today, he showed why. The 18-year-old started the game as OL’s chief creator and showed excellent feet and composure throughout his 63 minutes on the pitch. A chance he created in the 20th minute was a microcosm of his performance. He evaded two challenges with dancing feet before producing a defence-splitting pass to send Lacazette clear on goal – the sort of creativity reminiscent of a young Houssem Aouar.
El Arouch wasn’t the only young player who impressed for OL though, something Donny van de Beek commented on when he spoke to Get French Football News in the aftermath of the match. The Dutchman said, “Lyon are a difficult team to play against, they have some good experienced players, like Lacazette and Tolisso, and some young players too. I like to see the young players coming through.”
‘He’s a Keeper’
Lots of the talk surrounding goalkeepers in the build-up to the match will have been on Andre Onana’s pending move to Manchester United. Lyon nearly signed the player prior to his joining Inter Milan and may have been having déjà vu as a result. However, Anthony Lopes showed why he is as vital as ever for OL in a man-of-the-match performance.
The Lyon goal faced an onslaught in the opening 10 minutes, as chance after chance fell to various United players. Despite the many opportunities for the Manchester club, Lopes kept the scores level with some terrific stops. In addition to some heroic interventions, he was also able to calm an OL defence that looked ransacked after the opening exchanges – an opening goal for the Red Devils looked like a question of when rather than if.
Eventually, Lopes was beaten thanks to an emphatic volley from Donny van de Beek, but without him, it could have been far worse. In a similar style to last season, Lopes showed why they need not look no further than the Portuguese stopper for a keeper they can rely upon between the sticks.
GFFN | Liam Wraith
