Lyon endured a frustrating Ligue 1 campaign but finished third and will receive automatic entry into the Champions League group stages if Chelsea beat Arsenal in the Europa League final. However, there is a sense of underachievement at Parc OL as they never got close to PSG in the league, despite showing themselves a highly capable outfit at their best.
Wins over Manchester City and PSG over the course of the campaign showed what they are capable of, though these were interspersed by random defeats against lesser opponents, generally caused by individual lapses in concentration.
While Lyon were very capable going forward, they were not always consistent in their efforts. They had several different sources who could score goals, yet none was as potent as Moussa Dembele. One of the strange decisions that frustrated fans from head coach Bruno Genesio was that more use was not made of the centre forward.
Beyond him, Memphis Depay and Nabil Fekir had slightly underwhelming seasons given their reputations, while Martin Terrier started slowly after his summer arrival from Lille but ended very well, offering hope for the future.
Tanguy Ndombele was excellent in the heart of the midfield throughout, and finished playing alongside Houssem Aouar, who did not kick on quite as much as expected.
The defence was the chief area of concern, particularly its heart. Jason Denayer proved an excellent addition but Marcelo was somewhat error prone. Leo Dubois was another strong addition at right-back, while an injury to Ferland Mendy curtailed his season somewhat and left Lyon wanting his attacking qualities down that flank.
This was a strong squad and the question hovered as to whether best use was made of it. Ultimately, the answer from the board was no, with Genesio allowed to leave at the end of his contract, having also seen his side fall frustratingly short in the cup competitions.
A couple of key players are set to leave over the summer and a new strategy implemented by sporting director Juninho and head coach Sylvinho. Lyon are expected to get close to PSG next time around.
