Johann Lepenant Recalls Laurent Blanc Playing 'Toro' Drill at Lyon

When Johann Lepenant described how Laurent Blanc once jumped into a toro drill with the squad, he wasn’t just telling a funny story — he was revealing something rare in modern football. In a 6-minute feature published on August 20, 2025, the former Olympique Lyonnais midfielder recalled the moment his head coach, a former World Cup-winning captain and French football icon, stepped into the circle, shirt tucked in, cleats scuffing the turf at Décines-Charpieu, and tried to steal the ball from younger players half his age. It wasn’t a publicity stunt. It was just how Blanc worked.

The Drill That Broke the Mold

The toro — Spanish for "bull" — is a staple of European training grounds. Players form a tight circle, passing quickly while one or two defenders in the middle try to intercept. It’s not just about ball control; it’s about pressure, awareness, and communication. Most coaches watch from the sideline, clipboard in hand, barking instructions. But Blanc? He got in the middle. "We had him in a toro," Lepenant said. "Not just watching. Actually playing. And he wasn’t trying to look good — he was trying to win. Even at 57, he was relentless." That kind of immersion wasn’t accidental. It was part of a broader philosophy Blanc brought to Lyon after being hired in October 2022 to halt what Total Football Analysis called a "freefall" following Peter Bosz’s chaotic tenure. By July 6, 2023, the squad had returned from summer break to begin pre-season under Blanc’s watchful, hands-on eye. Training sessions at the club’s state-of-the-art facility in Décines-Charpieu were intense — early mornings, high-intensity rondos, and small-sided games designed to build cohesion. Just three days later, the team boarded a plane to the Netherlands, where they spent a week in Gelderland, refining their shape under clear skies and unfamiliar pitches.

A Manager Who Led by Doing

Blanc’s approach stood in stark contrast to the detached, tactical-board-centric style of many modern managers. While others relied on video analysis and data dashboards, Blanc believed in physical presence. "He’d jump in after a bad pass," Lepenant recalled. "Not to yell. To show you how it’s done. You’d see him, all in white, sweating, chasing a 20-year-old winger across the grass — and he’d win it. Then he’d smile and say, ‘Next time, don’t give it away like that.’" A YouTube video from January 28, 2024, titled "Lyon - full training by Laurent Blanc," captures this perfectly. In it, Blanc can be seen jogging alongside players during warm-ups, correcting foot placement, clapping for quick transitions, and occasionally stepping into a rondo himself. The video, which has since garnered over 200,000 views among coaching circles, shows no fancy graphics — just a man deeply involved in the grind.

The Season That Fell Apart

Despite the energy in training, the results didn’t follow. Lyon finished the 2023-24 Ligue 1 season with 16 wins, 5 draws, and 13 losses — 53 points, a -6 goal difference, and a mid-table finish that felt like failure for a club with their history. Home form was shaky (7-4-6), and away performances, though better (9-1-7), couldn’t carry them into contention. The 3-3 draw against FC Lorient on October 8, 2023, with 43,100 fans in the Parc Olympique Lyonnais, became emblematic: flashes of brilliance, but too many defensive lapses.

By September 11, 2023 — just 11 games into the season — Blanc was gone. The club cited "results not aligning with expectations," though insiders say tensions had been building over his reluctance to adapt tactically. Total Football Analysis later labeled his system "stagnant," noting an over-reliance on structured possession without sufficient vertical threat. His successor, Fabio Grosso, lasted barely two months before Pierre Sage stepped in as interim. The instability was palpable.

Why This Matters Now

Lepenant’s interview, published over a year after Blanc’s departure, isn’t just nostalgia. It’s a window into a coaching philosophy that’s vanishing. Today’s elite managers are CEOs of data teams, often seen only on the touchline, headset on, arms crossed. Blanc, by contrast, was a player’s coach — someone who believed leadership meant getting dirty with the squad.

"It’s not about how many passes you complete," Lepenant said. "It’s about who’s willing to run with you. And when your coach runs with you? You don’t want to let him down." That emotional connection may have been the one thing Blanc’s system lacked — the spark to turn disciplined training into winning football. But for players like Lepenant, who left Lyon for FC Nantes in 2025, it’s the memory that lingers.

Behind the Scenes: The Human Side of a Brief Tenure

Blanc’s time at Lyon lasted less than a year. He was hired to stabilize, not to rebuild. And while his tactical blueprint didn’t translate to results, his presence left an imprint. Former staff recall how he’d stay late after training, chatting with youth players who’d sneak into the sessions. He knew names. He remembered birthdays. He didn’t just manage a team — he respected the men in it.

John Textor, Lyon’s owner and president during this period, never publicly criticized Blanc. But the decision to replace him so quickly — before even completing the first quarter of the season — speaks volumes about the pressure at the top. The club expected Champions League football, not mid-table mediocrity.

Still, in a world where managers are hired and fired by algorithmic metrics, Lepenant’s story reminds us: sometimes, the most powerful coaching tool isn’t a whiteboard — it’s a pair of cleats.