Who will be the new King in the North? Winners of the two derbies last season, the Lensois put their regional crown back into play, Sunday, October 9, on the lawn of the Decathlon Arena of Losc. But regional supremacy will not be the only issue in a derby that has never been so hot on the pitch. And for good reason: since their return to Ligue 1 three years ago, the Lensois have quickly caught up on the Mastiffs. So much so that for the first time in history, the Hauts-de-France derby settled down like a shock from the top of the table.
Until now, Lensois and Lillois rarely rubbed shoulders with the summits at the same time. Admittedly, there was indeed the 1948 French Cup final, won by a then intractable Losc in D1 against neighboring Lensois, resident of D2. The very old will also remember a shock of the first division in 1946, in Lille, which had seen the Dogues (2nd) take the best on the Artésiens (3rd), after the roof of the stadium collapsed under the weight of acrobatic supporters. But, apart from these exceptions from another age and in seventy years of rivalry, Lille and Lens have never shared the top billing.
3 – Paris, Marseille and Lens are unbeaten after their first 9 Ligue 1 matches 2022/23. It’s the first time that 3 teams are undefeated at this stage of the competition in history. Trio. pic.twitter.com/uwGD1Yd7yl
— OptaJean (@OptaJean) October 2, 2022
So much so that the merger of the two rivals was considered several times in the 1990s, notably by Gervais Martel. In 1997, the emblematic President of Lens observed: “We are finding it more and more difficult to exist in the face of competition from Paris or Lyon. I have been defending this idea for a long time: better a big club in the region than two means”. The following season, Lens was champion of France and Lille went back down to Ligue 2. The project therefore never saw the light of day.
No wonder when we analyze the antagonism between the two clubs. On one side, Lille, capital of Flanders, bourgeois and flourishing. On the other, Lens, emblem of the labor pool with a high unemployment rate, a popular club par excellence. From a football point of view, Lens wins with its fervor and sympathy, but Lille’s record dominates with four league titles and six French cups.
In truth, every club has had its heyday. A national giant at the crossroads of millennia, RC Lens declined at the end of the 2000s, falling as far as Ligue 2, even as Losc came back from nowhere to establish itself as one of the great French clubs of recent times. years (champion in 2011 and 2021).
Since 2020-2021, however, the North derby has returned. And as if to make up for the years of deprivation, he decided to raise his level a notch. In 2021, RC Lens (future 7th) is promoted to the top of the table, but it is still too soft against the Mastiffs, victorious in the two derbies (4-0, 3-0) and future champions. Dominant club in the region for twenty years, Losc then remains on 12 games without defeat against its rival, who has been waiting for a victory since 2006.
In addition to their regularity for 20 years, Lille have also taken advantage of the Lensois setbacks to gradually seize the status of club of the region. In schoolyards and on lawns, Lille jerseys have supplanted the Sang & Or. But in 2021-2022, RC Lens confirmed its return to the fore (7th at the end of the season) by offering both derbies (1-0, 2-1). Better: the Artesians finished ahead of Losc (10th) in the standings for the first time since 2006-2007.
The incidents that occurred in Bollaert last year add fuel to the fire. The arrival of 1,000 Lensois supporters this Sunday at the Decathlon Arena will also make this derby the first with an audience from both sides in Lille since 2015. The atmosphere therefore promises to be boiling hot in the stands, just as the battle will be fierce on the grass.
Authors of a convincing start to the season, the Lensois – 4th and still undefeated – are advancing as favorites on the lawn of neighboring Lille, a first for fifteen years. But Lille, which began a new cycle last summer, is equally ambitious. The Mastiffs have certainly been blowing hot and cold since the start of the season, alternating victory and defeat for eight games, but they are nonetheless candidates for Europe. Like the RC Lens.
Fallers from Lyon, the Lensois approach this derby sure of their strength, they who have not lost in the league since April 3 in Strasbourg. That is a series of 17 games. More than a regional shock, it is therefore a confrontation at the top of the table. “It means that northern football is going well, and that we do things well here, from training to the pros. And that spice up the game even more”appreciates Jean-Michel Vandamme, historic leader of Losc and director of the training center.
“The derby is always a special moment. Even more so now that we are at the same level, and so much the better. There is room for two big clubs in the North, take the example of the London clubs.”
Jean-Michel Vandammeat franceinfo sport
From the height of his 45 years at Losc, Jean-Michel Vandamme has the bottle in terms of derby: “No matter the level of each, a derby is irrational. You can be well on top all season, and lose it”. The Lille resident, however, says he is delighted to see the two clubs close to the top of the bill: “There are always periods in the life of a club. That the RCL is at this level, so much the better. of respect”. Because in the end, regardless of the context, a derby is won.