Paulo Fonseca and Lille, the triumph of the beautiful game?

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“The principle of football is to score at least one goal more than the opponent, regardless of the number of goals conceded”. Often misused, this quote from Johan Cruyff was verified during Lille’s victory against Monaco last Sunday (4-3). The presence of Paulo Fonseca on the Lille bench is no stranger to the return of the show to the Pierre-Mauroy stadium, after the half-fig half-grape mandate of Jocelyn Gourvennec.

If the Mastiffs are not yet in the Dutch “total football” of the 1970s, the touch of the Portuguese technician can be seen in the results (6th, 22 points) and in the attractive game offered. Before the trip from Losc to Lyon, Sunday, October 30, one can nevertheless wonder if the offensive principles of Paulo Fonseca can be compatible with the requirements of sports results.

In the columns of The Teamon August 12, Paulo Fonseca assured that a coach had a “obligation” to be ambitious in the game, because “the match is a show, it’s entertainment”. A credo that the native of Mozambique already preached when he started in the business. “He already advocated a game turned towards the offensive” remembers Amaury Bischoff, who played under Paulo Fonseca in the Portuguese second division, at Desportivo Aves (2011-2012). “We were already playing in his 4-5-1 game system, which he still uses in Lille”.

“He is a coach who first and foremost seeks good football” valid Anthony da Silva says Tony, who knew him during the epic of Paços de Ferreira in 2012-2013, until a qualification in the Champions League. “He opened my eyes and allowed me to look at football differently”enthuses the former Franco-Portuguese side, passed by the training center of Paris-Saint-Germain or the Romanian club of Cluj. “Ithe overall vision at the level of the structure of the team, but manages to adapt every small detail in relation to the individual quality of its players”.

“He works and thinks a lot to achieve perfection” agrees Amaury Bischoff, today in Colmar (National 2). “He is a very meticulous person who likes his full-backs to attack, his wingers to take space behind his back and that we react immediately to the loss of the ball”, judges Tony. With 25 goals scored and 21 goals conceded in 12 games, Paulo Fonseca’s game is therefore as dependent on the exploits of his attackers (David, Cabella, Bamba), as on the risk-taking of his collective. An observation illustrated in Monaco, where the individual errors of young Lucas Chevalier (goalkeeper) and Alexsandro (central defender), cost Losc two goals. Concentration swings that do not forgive in the face of the big guys.

“Why would I change things?” dropped Paulo Fonseca after the slap received against PSG at the end of August (1-7). Refusing to renounce his offensive principles, the Lusitanian has often experienced disappointments against the big teams in Italy. In two seasons at AS Roma (2019-2021), three victories are to his credit against Juventus Turin, AC Milan, Inter Milan and Naples combined, against five draws and seven defeats. Difficulties at the top of the standings which can explain his modest record – Shakhtar Donetsk excluded – with a Portuguese Super Cup with Porto in 2013, and a Portuguese Cup with Braga in 2016.

“He can rectify his philosophy of play but he will never change it”, valued Amaury Bischoff, when Tony asks for time for his former coach “consolidates its collective idea”. “If it failed against Paris or Marseille, once the players have absorbed all his instructions and he himself has adapted to the rigors of Ligue 1, I have no doubt that Lille will fight for the first five places in the championship”continues the former assistant coach of Cameroon (2019-2022).

“I don’t know if he has the squad to last over time because his game requires a lot of effort”wonders Amaury Bischoff before adding that “his group will always be behind him regardless of the results”. For those who knew Thomas Schaaf at Werder Bremen, Arsène Wenger at Arsenal or André Villas-Boas at Académica de Coimbra, Paulo Fonseca will remain a special coach.

“I saw him when Lille played Strasbourg a fortnight ago. We discussed football for two hours in his hotel”, he reveals. “He is someone approachable, who knows where he comes from and who does not forget the small players. That’s what gives him a very good image.”. In Lyon on Sunday, the Lille residents will therefore have the opportunity to offer themselves the scalp of a big team, without compromising with the ideas and values ​​transmitted by Paulo Fonseca.


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