Grosso wants to “put aside what happened before”

Fabio Grosso during his first training session on September 18, 2023. (Photo by JEFF PACHOUD / AFP)

At the head of OL for four days, Fabio Grosso is aware of the work ahead of him. To prepare for the trip to Brest, the Italian coach insisted on the mental aspect.

The session was only supposed to last around fifty minutes, but it ended up being stretched out over time, pushing back the press conference by almost an hour before Brest – OL. In these times of discovery, Fabio Grosso obviously wants to discover his squad as much as possible, but also work on certain aspects in preparation for Saturday’s trip. After one double ration Wednesday, the Lyon players had a lighter program this Thursday, but not necessarily without work.

With his extended staff, Grosso can afford to work in small groups and target the negative points that he has observed in recent days, but also on video. “Today (Thursday), we split the group to work with the defenders on certain concepts and with the attackers and midfielders on combinations towards the goal, detailed the Italian coach. I need them to do the job well.”

“In life, it’s important to speak”

Fabio’s mission Grosso started on Monday, but it will officially start on Saturday (9 p.m.) in Finistère. Facing the second in Ligue 1, the task does not look easy for a OL sick, but the former coach of Frosinone above all wants to see a team more than individuals. “I want to hear that we saw a team playing together. If we saw this team in Brest, then we will start with something positive.”

For four days, Fabio Grosso has necessarily worked tactically, but at the moment, he assures that this is not really OL’s priority project. With two points in five games, heads are inevitably affected and it is on this mental aspect that he insists. “We have difficulties because of the results, but we have tried to put aside what happened before. We want to start this adventure well. In life, it is important to speak. As soon as we talk, there is someone who listens. There is something that comes out of the exchanges and it must always serve to improve the team. We play a team game.”

The notion of collective has at times given the impression of being a mirage to OL in recent months. However, this is the leitmotif of the new Lyon coach.