Landreau slams Guendouzi after his provocations against Lyon: "Unbearable to manage"

Mattéo Guendouzi inflamed the evening at Groupama Stadium on Wednesday, taunting Lyon supporters and triggering a brawl in the tunnel after Fenerbahçe’s Champions League qualification at Lyon’s expense (2-1). The French midfielder acknowledged his gestures in the mixed zone, but his behaviour sparked a wave of criticism, including a particularly scathing one from a man who once managed him.

Mickaël Landreau, who had Guendouzi under his command at Lorient in 2017-2018, did not mince words. “Since he was young, he’s been in permanent provocation. Frankly, it’s unbearable to manage him!” he said. The 47-year-old former goalkeeper also highlighted a recurring pattern in the player’s career: “At every club he’s gone to, he’s stayed a year or two. He has talent, but a year or two, no more. It’s not possible. Everyone’s had enough.”

Landreau went further, pointing to problematic behaviour even internally: “When he’s not starting, he causes trouble at training with his own teammates. That’s how it is. And for me, that’s humanly speaking, complex.” This first-hand testimony contrasts with the justifications put forward by the player himself.

Guendouzi, for his part, defended his celebrations by invoking the insults he received: “When you have 60,000 people insulting your family, your mother, your children, even before the match…” He also claimed his attachment to Marseille to explain his provocation towards the Lyon crowd: “Everyone knows I’m for Marseille, I’ve never hidden it. It’s just banter. The Jul sign, there’s nothing mean about it.”

The 27-year-old France international, who arrived at Fenerbahçe this summer, will nonetheless have to weigh the consequences of such episodes if he ever hopes to return to the French national team.