INT: Reims boss Oscar Garcia looks at Lyon ahead of West Ham clash

Lyon are very strong technically with Brazil star Lucas Paqueta the complete player, but West Ham can really make them suffer if they press… ahead of their Europa League showdown Reims boss Oscar Garcia provides the lowdown on French rivals

• West Ham host Lyon in their Europa League quarter-final first leg on Thursday
• Oscar Garcia is currently managing French side Reims who face Lyon in Ligue 1
• Garcia has spoken to Sportsmail to provide a lowdown on Lyon ahead of their tie 

Oscar Garcia, the former Brighton and Watford manager, gives Sportsmail the inside track on how West Ham can combat Lyon ahead of their big Europa League quarter-final tie on Thursday night.

Garcia is now coaching French side Reims who, alongside PSG, Rennes and Lille, have gone unbeaten in both league games against Lyon this season. 

Indeed, they were the first team this season to earn a win at Lyon. Garcia’s Reims won 2-1 at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais and drew 0-0 at home.

French outfit Lyon take on West Ham in their Europa League two-legged quarter-final

Oscar Garcia has spoken to Sportsmail about Lyon, knowing them well as manager of Reims

Your side Reims have a lot of young players, what was your message to them when taking on Lyon?

The message I gave them was the same as what I’d told them during the week leading up to the game. 

I told them that we had to be brave, enjoy the game, put the yards in and work hard, be well positioned and be brave in possession and with our press. We knew we’d leave spaces in behind and that’s why we had to be really effective when pressing the player in possession. 

The performance was certainly among the most pleasing for me so far this season because it’s no mean feat to beat Lyon on their own patch.

Reims (left) faced Lyon on March 20 drawing 0-0 in their Ligue 1 encounter at home

What are Lyon’s strengths and weaknesses?

Lyon’s major strength is perhaps the fact that they’re very strong technically, particularly from the middle third, forward. They’ve got some dangerous players who are able to run into open spaces and others who can link the play. You can never afford to take your eye off the ball because any of their attacking players are capable of making the difference at any time.

As for their weaknesses, perhaps not all of their players show the required commitment in the defensive phase and they struggle a bit more when out of possession because they’re used to enjoying longer possessions than the opposition in their domestic league.

They’re also a side that don’t enjoy it when the opposition press them hard, and they really struggle defensively when they come up against quick forward players. 

Ultimately, they’re a side that don’t have many players who are capable of getting in behind and that’s why we decided to apply a really high press, while being aware that we had to be careful down the left flank, which is where Karl Toki Ekambi plays, of the space we left in behind.

Lyon are technically very good but you can get at the French side by pressing them on the ball

What do you feel West Ham will have to nullify or focus on?

Focus on the press and that Lyon aren’t given an easy ride, that their most talented players are always under pressure and to make the most of any opportunities to exploit the spaces and break on the counter-attack. 

Given that Lyon don’t have great pace in their backline, West Ham can use that to their advantage by exploiting their pace and power.

Peter Bosz’s Lyon side don’t have great pace in their backline, which West Ham could exploit

Where do you see the key battles on the pitch and between which players?

I believe that the key battle will be played out in midfield. Whichever team gets on top in the middle third, not only in terms of possession, but also who wins the individual battles in midfield, will give themselves a very good chance of winning the game. 

If West Ham manage to dominate in there, they could break away on the counter-attack and find themselves with a lot of space to exploit. 

Meanwhile, if Lyon get the upper hand, they’ve got players who are capable of playing a through-ball and are a real threat on one-on-ones. Bearing all of that in mind, the midfield battle will play a key role in the tie.

Declan Rice could be pivotal for West Ham with a midfield battle set to be on the cards vs Lyon

Who do you see as Lyon’s danger man?

Lyon have a number of dangerous players. However, I think there’s one player who stands out above the rest and who’s performing to an excellent standard and that’s Lucas Paqueta. 

When you see him on the TV, you can see that he’s a good player, but when you watch him live, you realise that there’s nothing he can’t do. He can dribble, shoot, defend, he’s very strong with his back to goal, he’s a complete player and he’s showing all of his class here in France. 

His performances have also seen him land a starting berth for Brazil.

Lucas Paqueta (right) is Lyon’s talisman and his brilliant displays have seen him start for Brazil

How would you approach the first leg if you were David Moyes and does playing the second leg away suit West Ham’s style?

West Ham are far more physical than Lyon and Lyon will really struggle if there are a lot of individual battles. If West Ham manage to regain possession and play direct and into the spaces, they’ll get a lot of joy. 

Lyon are a strong side at home, in front of their fans, and are enjoying a good campaign in Europe and this is virtually the competition that can save their season so they’ll be 100 per cent focused on these two games.

The fact that the away goals rule is no longer in place means that both the home and away games are of equal importance. West Ham have picked up some really good results against some of the Premier League’s top teams and they’ll be confident that if the game turns into a physical battle, they’ll be in with a very good chance of winning. 

However, if they allow Lyon to play their game, be it at home or away, they may struggle to contain their attacking threat. That said, the West Ham squad has the ability to really make the French side suffer.

West Ham manager David Moyes should fancy his side’s chances if they get physical with Lyon

OSCAR GARCIA REIMS FACTFILE 

• Oscar García’s Reims have fielded the youngest starting XI of the five major leagues this season (on matchday 25, vs Stade Brest)
• Garcia has played 19 players aged 23 or under this season. (Newcastle target Hugo Ekitike among them, he was on loan at Vejle BK in Denmark last season and has became one of most wanted players in Europe under Garcia’s management). Garcia has also given seven players their debut this season.
• They are the only side alongside PSG, Rennes and Lille to have gone unbeaten in both league games against Lyon this season.
• Garcia’s Stade de Reims won 1-2 at Parc OL against Olympique de Lyon and drew 0-0 at home. They were in fact the first team this season to get a win at Lyon.
• They have also beaten Rennes and Monaco away from home, and drawn away with Strasbourg, Marseille and Nice. Good results against the vast majority of strong teams in Ligue 1.

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