Never able to really put Chelsea at risk in the first leg, Lille lost 2-0 to an unimpressive but brutally effective Blues. Small details made the difference, as often in big games. Jocelyn Gourvennec will have to correct them to try to qualify for the quarter-finals of the Champions League, Wednesday March 16, in a full Pierre-Mauroy stadium.
Without Renato Sanches, Lille continues to believe in it
With two goals down on the defending champion, the task could not be more difficult for Lille. But the Northerners want to believe it. “You can’t stop us from dreaming of a feat”, hammered Jocelyn Gourvennec after the disappointing draw against Saint-Etienne on Friday (0-0). The Losc coach also recalled his desire to score as soon as possible to go halfway and put pressure on the Blues.
Jocelyn Gourvennec: “I believe in a possible achievement. We said we would play @ChampionsLeague at 300%, and we do it. We finished at the top of our group. It is an unpredictable competition. We will have to take the stadium with us to dream bigger”.#LOSCCHE #UCL pic.twitter.com/U9FSIr1iPS
— LOSC (@losclive) March 15, 2022
The abandonment of the away goal rule also benefits the Mastiffs who failed to shake the nets at Stamford Bridge. Last year, a single Chelsea goal at the Pierre-Mauroy stadium would have seen Lille score three more than their opponents.
Nevertheless, Lille’s qualification would indeed be a real feat, especially since their best player in the first leg will not appear on the score sheet. The metronome of the team, Renato Sanches, indeed injured his left thigh during the meeting against Saint-Etienne on Friday.
Chelsea solid despite uncertainty around Roman Abramovich’s situation
In L’eye From the cyclone after the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, Roman Abramovich, owner of Chelsea, saw a shower of sanctions falling on him. These economic retaliation measures target his property, including his club. The British government has hit hard: the Blues, who have seen their spending capped, fear bankruptcy. The sale of the club, desired by Abramovich, remains uncertain.
“The priority is to take our responsibilities for the people who allow us to be in a big club, and that represents hundreds of people”said Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel at a press conference on Tuesday, to emphasize that this situation could also create an extra soul in his players.
In this context, the players are doing quite well with four wins in as many games during the month of March. Faced with the new rich Newcastle on Saturday, the Londoners faced a well-grouped and tenacious team but managed to score the only goal of the match at the very end of the game (89th). At the end of the meeting, Thomas Tuchel underlined the motivation of his troops. For his part, he said he was ready to rent and drive a minibus if necessary to get around Lille.
A defensive serenity found with Léo Jardim
Far from its defensive standards of last year which allowed it to be champion of France, Lille has struggled to keep its clean sheet this season. Of the first 23 league games, the Mastiffs only kept their clean sheets twice (against Marseille and Lyon). But after the debacle against PSG, Jocelyn Gourvennec chose to revive Léo Jardim in goal, and the Portuguese has still not conceded a single goal in five Ligue 1 games since his return.
the @losclive has kept a clean sheet in his last 5 league games!
This is the best current series in France … and in Europe
Focus on the solidity of Léo Jardim and the Mastiffs ⤵ https://t.co/E4pT1CT6jv
— Ligue 1 Uber Eats (@Ligue1UberEats) March 14, 2022
The Mastiffs can therefore rely on their goalkeeper and a Fonte-Botman hinge which has regained its luster. But opposite, Chelsea is not to be outdone with Edouard Mendy, voted best goalkeeper of the last season by UEFA and best goalkeeper of the year by the International Football Federation in January. The Blues have conceded just 19 goals in 28 Premier League games and have kept a clean sheet in five of seven Champions League games.
Kai Havertz in great shape
First scorer in the first leg, he had thwarted the plans of Lille from the eighth minute of play by opening the scoring. Full of confidence since the Club World Cup and his liberating goal in the 117th minute, the German has scored four goals and provided an assist in the last three league games. It was once again he who came to release his team against Newcastle on Saturday at the end of the match.
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Now aligned at the forefront of the attack, the 22-year-old attacking midfielder occupies a prominent place in the European champion team despite competition from Romelu Lukaku, and while Timo Werner has been moved to one side. The left-hander with a surgical foot is also very dangerous in the air. Lille learned the hard way in the first leg.