Auxerre go to Lyon with eight goals conceded and urgent defensive task

AJ Auxerre arrive into Ligue 1 Matchday 3 with one clear priority: stop a defensive crisis that has already become hard to manage. As reported by L’Équipe, the club has conceded eight goals in its first two games and are the only team in the league yet to pick up a point this season, when they travel to face Lyon this Friday.

Eight goals in two games

The numbers leave little room for excuses. The side have suffered two straight defeats, and the story behind them is brutal. After being reduced to 10 men following the 0-1 moment at Lens, they crashed to a 2-5 loss on August 22. Then at home, Auxerre again let things slip, going down 1-3 against Angers on August 29.

L’Équipe points to a past parallel: the last Ligue 1 team to concede eight goals across the first two matchdays was Reims in 2022, coached by Oscar Garcia (with Will Still in the staff), highlighting how painful this kind of start can be.

Rebuilding after key exits

The report links the problem to the “spine” the club had to reshape over the summer. Departures cited include Donovan Léon (goalkeeper), Elisha Owusu (midfielder) and Lassine Sinayoko (forward) — mentioned not only for his decisive goals, but also for the pressing work he provided.

Will Still, quoted in the piece, agrees with the theory that defensive issues can be easier to fix than attacking ones: “Je suis d’accord !”. His focus now is rebuilding the “maturity” that the team has apparently lost. After last season’s survival and the storm that came with it, the atmosphere at Auxerre’s head has reportedly calmed — but the next step has to be immediate.

With the trip to Lyon quickly becoming a make-or-break moment, Auxerre know that the bleeding has to stop fast.