Lyon president wants Champions League title
Olympique Lyonnais president Jean-Michel Aulas has set ambitious targets for the club — the French Ligue 1 title this season, as well as the UEFA Champions League.
He wants the title win despite a poor start to the 2010-11 campaign, which has seen coach Claude Puel lead Lyon to just one win in their first six matches. But the club’s chief has so far ignored calls by fans to relieve the former Monaco boss of his duties.
Aulas told Le Progres that he could make drastic changes if Puel — who joined the club two years ago and led them to the Champions League semi-final last season — could not find a way to stop the rot.
He said that, “I can change things if I think it is not working. This is not the case after six league games. All changes observed in the major European teams in early season lead to disaster.”
The president was also asked by a reporter if there was a chance that Puel could resign. He replied that, “The option has never been mentioned. The goal is the [Ligue 1] title this year and the Champions League next year. I believe it can happen. If he thinks
that the task is impossible, he will tell me himself, I will not need to raise my voice.”
Meanwhile, Lyon striker Lisandro Lopez is facing three weeks on the sidelines.
The 27-year-old picked up a thigh injury in the 2-0 loss against Bordeaux during the weekend. This means that he will miss the crucial clash with league leaders Saint-Etienne, who Lyon trails by eight points already, as well as a Champions League clash with
Hapoel Tel Aviv.
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