The champion of France comes to London. And contrary to the first association, it is not about PSG – Lille is still the best team of Ligue 1, although her results and the eleventh place in the table do not indicate it.
The captain leaves the ship
The architect of success was Christophe Galtier, a former Lille coach. Galtier was aware of the decision to quit. He chose a future in Nice, a club in a stable situation, supported by possible sponsors.
– My time is up. Four years is enough. I would have quit even if we had finished fourth or seventh. I am leaving Lille with a great result. I need something new, “L’Equipe” said in May.
In four years in Lille, Galtier saw it all. He started by saving the team from relegation in 2018, then he won the runner-up, he tasted the European cups, and finally – he won gold.
The club was at a crossroads
He felt, however, that he had reached the top, and defeating PSG again with a club drowning in debt (which is Lille) would be a mission impossible. This is how Jocelyn Gourvennec came here – the coach whose most important entry in his CV is the French Cup from eight years ago. Poor – especially for the coach of the still current French champions.
But Gourvennec had a good start. He played on the nose of PSG again, winning the French Super Cup, but it was a swan’s song. The new coach only watched as the top players Maignan (AC Milan), Soumare (Leicester City), Araujo (Atlanta United) and six others left his team. Onana, Gudmundsson and Grbic, on loan from Atletico, were included in the team. Total expenses for 13 million euros. In a league dominated by Qatar’s rich PSG people, this sounds like a lame joke.
Gourvennec’s strategy
Gourvennec wasn’t messing about. From the outset, he stuck to – and still does – the classic 4-4-2 pattern that Galtier played. Lille plays quickball based on swift counters. The attacks are concentrated on the wings, where the side midfielders work on the offensive. The defenders behind them do not really engage in the game from the front, protecting the sides. Mobile middle midfielders are more defensive. And the duo in attack – the experienced Burak Yilmaz and the hit Jonathan David.
The tactical master Gourvennec was no match for, however. Already in the second round, Lille had an opportunity to play against Nice. Result? 4: 0 for “Eagles”. Against Galtier, the new Les Dogues trainer is just a demo version.
Burak Yilmaz has been in the hole since the beginning of the season. Turek is a shadow of himself from previous games. He is screaming and arguing more than scoring: four league goals and seven yellow cards. David makes up for him, who scores much better numbers, but still has six games without a goal.
But the Champions League is a different fairy tale and Lille is doing so much better. The French came out of the group with Sevilla, Salzburg and Wolfsburg, at a stakes where anything could have happened. And today it’s Chelsea.
Lille on Stamford Bridge is no match. In theory
What to expect from the French champion in Tuesday’s match against Chelsea? First of all, counter. Only they can be a real threat to Thomas Tuchel’s team from Lille.
– This is the most important match in my career, a prestigious duel against a reputable rival. We play in their area, but we want to show that we were not randomly placed in the draw – said the French coach before the match.
Lille may be disappointed that the away goals rule no longer applies. This rule often helped the weaker teams against the giants. That would be a gateway, a potential field for the game at Stamford Bridge. Especially because it is easier for them to play from the back – the French champions have not lost a goal in their own stadium yet.
In theory, Lille simply has no conditions to win this match. ¬ Poorly built team, shaky form and a coach who is unable to instill innovative ideas into footballers. But did Lille on paper have any chance of tearing the title from PSG’s hands?
The start of the Tuesday match at 21. You will be able to watch it on Polsat Sport Premium 2, report from the meeting at Sport.pl.
Source: Sport
Tristin is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his in-depth and engaging writing on sports. He currently works as a writer at 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the sports industry.
