Olympique Lyonnais General Manager Claude Puel Defiant Despite Toulouse Setback

Olympique Lyonnais failed to regain a place in Ligue 1’s top three at the weekend, drawing 0-0 with Toulouse when a victory would have carried them onto Le Championnat's podium, though general manager Claude Puel remains confident that his side will achieve a position sufficient to carry them into next term’s Champions League.

Les Gones struggled to break down a resilient Toulouse outfit and were left clinging on to some extent as the men from the Pink City knocked at their door after Jean Makoun was sent off midway through the second half.

“Given the circumstances it’s a point won, even though it’s always irritating to finish with only 10 men,” Puel declared after the game, according to Ligue 1’s official website. “We lacked a bit of depth and Toulouse’s pressing caused us problems.”

League leaders Girondins de Bordeaux dropped points at the weekend, but Puel is insistent that his side are not focusing on Laurent Blanc’s men, who are eight points clear of OL, at the present time.

“Our objective is to first of all get back into the top three, which we could have done [on Sunday] had we won. But we’ll get there; the championship is a long haul and we need to construct our matches in the second half of the season, which is what we’re doing. Even though everything wasn’t perfect, the team spirit is there and we need to keep it up.”

Meanwhile, Alain Casanova, who cut a frustrated figure as Toulouse were eliminated after extra-time in the Coupe de la Ligue to Olympique de Marseille on Wednesday, was again left to rue what might have been.

“It’s really unjust to put in such effort and not be rewarded for it,” he lamented. “It’s cruel but that’s how sport is, and football in particular. We dropped two points tonight. Given the quality of our play and the chances we created, we definitely won on points but we have to be more clinical in our  finishing.”

Toulouse and Lyon finished fourth and third respectively last term but are presently placed 10th and fourth in the current table.