Lyon Football Formation

Starting Lineup

1- Lucas Perri
2- P. Kalulu*
4- W. Fofana*
19- M. Niakhaté
3- Tagliafico
8- C. Tolisso
7- N. Kanté*
10- A. Lacazette
23- T. Almada
18- R. Cherki
11- N. Fékir*

Lyon looks to control the tempo through a heavy presence in the central areas using a 4-5-1. This lineup is built to play a high press and maintain control of the ball in the middle third. The team looks to use a compact midfield to squeeze the space and win it back high up the pitch to start quick attacks.

Lucas Perri starts in goal to anchor the defensive unit. The back line operates as a flat back four with Tagliafico playing as the left back and P. Kalulu at right back. W. Fofana and M. Niakhaté form the central pair where W. Fofana acts as a ball playing defender. The unit works to hold the line and move together to maintain a high line.

In the middle of the pitch, Lyon employs a three man midfield with a carrier and two more central players. N. Kanté acts as the single pivot to shield the defence with his famous pressing intensity and ability to intercept passes. C. Tolisso sits alongside him to help recycle possession and connect the defensive and attacking lines. T. Almada, R. Cherki, and N. Fékir occupy the half spaces to link the play and drive the ball forward into the final third.

The attacking unit relies on a lone striker, A. Lacazette, to lead the line. Lacazette works to find the feet of the striker and hold up the ball to allow the midfielders to join the play. He leads the press from the front to force a long ball from the opposition. The attackers work in combinations to create runs in behind or to allow the midfielders to arrive late into the box.

One major strength is the numerical superiority in midfield which allows Lyon to dominate the center. The presence of N. Kanté and C. Tolisso provides the ability to press high in coordinated waves. This creates a high level of compactness when defending and allows the team to transition quickly once the ball is won.

This formation focuses on central dominance and heavy pressure on the ball carrier. It is best suited for games where Lyon needs to control the rhythm against teams that play through the middle.