FEATURED: How did new Everton boss Vasseur fare against his title rivals at Lyon? | OneFootball

Everton filled their managerial vacancy last night with the appointment of former Lyon boss Jean-Luc Vasseur on a two-and-a-half-year deal.

The 52-year-old has replaced former Everton boss Willie Kirk at Walton Hall Park and he will look to help make The Blue Girls’ European qualification hopes a reality.

One thing which will be expected from Vasseur is that Everton become more competitive against the top three sides in the Barclays FA Women’s Super League. The Merseyside club have a poor record against the top teams in this season’s Barclays FA Women’s Super League having lost to last season’s top two Chelsea and Manchester City then going down to Arsenal. Everton conceded 11 goals in those games and failed to score.

How did Vasseur do against his title rivals with former club Lyon? FAWSL Full-Time have taken a look at the Frenchman’s record to determine his level of success.

Vasseur’s first season at Lyon was the curtailed 2019/2020 French Division 1 Féminine campaign. Lyon collected 44 points from an available 48 in their 16 games, ending the campaign three points clear of Paris Saint-Germain and seven ahead of Bordeaux. Lyon defeated both of their title rivals at home without conceding a goal while they drew 0-0 at Bordeaux. Their other dropped points came as they were held by ninth-placed Dijon.

Lyon ended the campaign having scored 67 goals and conceded four. Their goal difference was 10 better than runners-up Paris Saint-Germain and 39 better than Bordeaux.

In addition to beating Paris Saint-Germain to the league title, Lyon defeated their closest rivals 1-0 in the semi-finals of the UEFA Women’s Champions League while they defeated The Parisians on penalties to lift the Trophée des Championnes Féminine.

Last season was another season of fine margins for Lyon in the French Division 1 Féminine but they would fall the wrong side of the line as their dominance came to an end. Lyon won 20 of their 22 games, drawing one and losing one. Paris Saint-Germain won the same number of games but drew both of their other games, meaning that they collected a point more than Lyon. The decisive result came in November as Paris Saint-Germain defeated Lyon 1-0, a result which Vasseur’s side would never recover from. Bordeaux were again the third-best side in France and Lyon did beat them in their meeting early in the season.

In the Coupe de France Féminine, Lyon defeated Paris Saint-Germain on penalties following a goalless draw but the big result came in the UEFA Women’s Champions League. Paris Saint-Germain ran out winners on away goals in the quarter-finals to end Lyon’s five-year European dominance, a result which ultimately spelt the end of Vasseur’s stay at the Groupama OL Training Center.

In conclusion, Vasseur proved that he can win both big games and trophies during his time in France but ultimately, defeats in important games against near rivals Paris Saint-Germain last season had a big say on the club’s decision to sack him in April. Initially, new club Everton will not expect him to win every game against those sides at the top of the Barclays FA Women’s Super League table but the board will want to see a big improvement in the points return from the big games. The real test of Vasseur’s managerial qualities may come if he steers Everton to become title contenders and the club then need that week-on-week consistency to keep pace at the top of the table.