When Jake O’Brien joined Lyon from Crystal Palace, he was an unfamiliar face even to the team’s coach. In Late August, Laurent Blanc expressed his benign uncertainty about O’Brien: “If Jake has come to be our fourth choice, it wouldn’t make much sense for either him or us.” He seemed to foreshadow a brief tenure for the Irish player, considering that the transfer window closes shortly.
However, as autumn dawned, Blanc left a struggling Lyon team that hadn’t secured a victory yet, making Jake outstay him. This became a turning point in the narrative of one of French Football’s remarkable revival tales, with Jake emerging as a key character.
Upon his arrival, when the club was in the throes of turmoil, Jake hadn’t even debuted. Following a gruelling 4-1 lost game to PSG early in September, he stood with his teammates, absorbing a sobering admonishment from the Bad Gones fan group leader. The impassioned fan made it clear that the team was underperforming.
Despite the language challenges, Jake understood the fervour message. In his words, the experience was “different.” It was a harsh introduction to the club, but it also made him keenly aware of the club’s grand size, passionate fans, and the high stakes. He said, “When I joined such a revered club that was not in a promising state, the fans had every right to voice their concerns.”
Although the team didn’t bounce back right away, Jake acknowledged that the fan’s rebuke on that night was a pivotal moment that sparked them into action. As the year rolled into December, Pierre Sage stepped in as the third coach of the season, with the team hitting rock bottom. Sage took over from Fabio Grosso, who had expressed apprehension about the team potentially falling to Ligue 2. In Grosso’s own words before his departure after a woefully short seven game spell, “we can only strive to survive.”
Did apprehensions about demotion bother O’Brien? “Despite our unfavorable standing, I remained staunch in my belief that our fate did not lie in relegation. To me, the idea of us facing such a fate was irrational, considering the caliber of our squad. It was a peculiar situation as, on paper, our team’s proficiency was superior to most,” said O’Brien. Although not much was anticipated of O’Brien, he emerged as a beacon in an otherwise murky circumstance.
Now hailed as ‘Big Jake’ in the Rhône region, he established his position in the team from October and has since been part of every single Ligue 1 match, barring one due to a suspension. The consistency in his performance has been a cornerstone in a team otherwise known for its frequent rotation.
O’Brien’s contribution at both ends of the field was highly valuable, and for a short period, he even took the lead in scoring, surpassing the team’s captain, Alexandre Lacazette. Initially surprised by leading the scorecard, O’Brien conceded jokingly that Lacazette’s score is now “far beyond reach.”
With 19 goals to his name, Lacazette was the second highest goal scorer in that year’s Ligue 1 season, scoring more than O’Brien, the central defender, who concluded the league with four goals. Lacazette’s rise to prominence epitomises Lyon’s remarkable turnaround in 2024. O’Brien also praised Sage for nurturing a camaraderie among members and a “united front.” “We were highly driven to perform for him. He’s not just a coach for us. He connects with us at a personal level, not just as a player which further motivates us.”
Lyon’s performance in the latter part of the season has been peerless. Going from the bottom in December to being in the relegation zone till February, Lyon remarkably clinched the sixth spot on the season’s final day due to Lacazette’s eleventh-hour goal against Strasbourg. There was a time when Lyon was presumed to play against Grenoble, Dunkerque and Annecy the next season, but now they are anticipating possible matches in the Europa League against big-name clubs like Chelsea, Tottenham or Athletic Club.
“Is this a tremendous turnaround tale? Absolutely,” asserts O’Brien. “It’s been a wild, highly charged season. Initially, we were written off with zero chance of pulling through but managed to prevail — not merely survive, but secure our spot in the Europa League,” O’Brien revealed.
The tantalising possibility of winning a trophy is still very much alive as Lyon gears up to clash with PSG in the Coupe de France showdown on the coming Saturday. Labelling the pending match as a ‘career-defining moment’, O’Brien feels the team can dare to hope, albeit with a measure of restraint: “We’re entering the contest with a strong wave of momentum. Our fans are rallying against us, fostering a positive team spirit. While PSG’s favoured position is a given, I’m envisioning a victory for us. I am confident the team shares this perspective. We boast both the talent and the squad capable of achieving this.” – The Guardian.