In the sweetness of an Angevin evening, Lille gleaned its sixth title of champion of France on May 23, 2021. From the group of Dogues rushing on the lawn of Raymond-Kopa as soon as the end of the match whistled, there is now only one little pack. In fifteen months, seven of the eleven holders that evening left the North. This transformation, due as much to the solicitations of posh stables as to economic imperatives, reflects the change made by Losc. The team lined up against Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday August 21 will no longer have much to do with the title heroes.
Thank you all for your messages See you Sunday! #DJO pic.twitter.com/thNmfn274p
— Jonathan BAMBA (@djobamba7) August 18, 2022
Paulo Fonseca, appointed coach at the end of June, is another face of this development. His ideas, resolutely turned towards the offensive and ball control, contrast with the sometimes considered restrictive approach of his predecessor, Jocelyn Gourvennec. Arrived a few days after the title, the latter wanted to endorse the legacy of Christophe Galtier. The 4-4-2 of the new Parisian coach was thus renewed, without success. Gourvennec could not resist a lackluster season, finishing in tenth place despite an honorable run in the Champions League.
For his part, the Portuguese relies on a system that seems to be a 4-2-3-1. But this turns into a very attacking 3-5-2 with the ball, in a pattern comparable to the Italian selection at Euro 2021. “The coach tries to bring a lot of discipline, a very playful philosophy”confirms Captain Benjamin André, one of the rare “survivors” of the title, in The voice of the North (paid item).
“For the past three years, we have been more of a counter-attacking team, of quick attacks, which tried to take the fewest goals. There, there is a real risk taking.”
Benjamin André, captain of Loscat The Voice of the North
The first releases offer a glimpse of this polished game. After a thrilling card against the promoted from Auxerre (4-1), the Northerners won a draw in Nantes (1-1) infuriating as their superiority was blatant. At La Beaujoire, Lille had the ball (70% possession) and offered some promising sequences in the game. “We missed a bit of luck given the number of opportunities”, Fonseca analyzed afterwards.
The equalizing goal was scored by Ismaily, a rookie from Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine). The Brazilian symbolizes a less flashy transfer window than in recent seasons, but rather coherent.
In view with Clermont last year, striker Mohamed Bayo and side Akim Zedadka have arrived. Lille also tried the Rémy Cabella (Montpellier) bet, when Alexsandro (Chaves) and Jonas Martin (Rennes) bring depth to the workforce. Finally, Losc has recruited young Alan Virginius (Sochaux) and Bafodé Diakité (Toulouse), seen in Ligue 2. He could also bring in Ludovic Blas (Nantes).
These recruits, with lower costs and salaries, are part of the austerity assumed since the arrival of Olivier Létang as president in the winter of 2021.Ohas a real responsibility, which is to put the club back in a viable economic situation”, explained the leader to BFM Lille. He values the debt at “100 million euros”versus “370 million” when he took office, replacing Gérard Lopez.
To ratify the end of this cycle, Losc got rid of several heroes of the title. Burak Yilmaz and Xeka were not extended. Renato Sanches (PSG)Sven Botman (Newcastle) and Zeki Çelik (Roma) bailed out, like Amadou Onana (Everton), who only stayed one season in the North.
In Nantes on Friday, only six players on the match sheet were already from Lille 15 months ago. But the fluidity in the game was such that it was hard to imagine that this group was partially discovering each other. The duel against PSG comes too early to have the full measure of the Lille collective, but it could allow to have a first idea of a certain potential.