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Current situation as of February 2026
The coach of Olympique Lyonnais is Paulo Fonseca, who joined the club in January 2025 following an unsuccessful stint at AC Milan. Previously, the Portuguese manager achieved very respectable results at LOSC, in an economic context similar to OL’s current situation.
Paulo Fonseca is a coach with an impressive ability to get the best out of his players, allowing certain profiles to shine even more within a well-oiled collective. A seasoned tactician, Fonseca adapts his team’s playing style based on the opponent and prefers to define each phase of play with precision, leaving less room for chance and individual creativity.
In the 2025–2026 season, Olympique Lyonnais has used two different starting formations, while maintaining certain core principles in their play.
From August to October, the Portuguese tactician employed a nominal 4-3-3, sometimes a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Corentin Tolisso deployed as either a number 8 or number 10:
Since the end of October, adapting to absences and opponents, OL has adopted a more attacking style of play, built around a 3-4-2-1 base:
Olympique Lyonnais is a team that is decidedly more defensive than offensive, largely due to the difference in quality and depth between their defense and attack. The Lyonnais have been able to keep numerous clean sheets, securing many victories by narrow margins.
Historically, Paulo Fonseca is more comfortable playing with a back four, notably in a 4-2-3-1 at LOSC and a 4-3-3 at AC Milan. Therefore, for the purposes of this report, we will assume that the Portuguese coach will continue with a squad capable of playing in one of his preferred formations: 4-2-3-1 / 4-3-3.