« Move forward hidden », definition: act invisibly, anonymously. In French football, we call this making a Lille Olympique Sporting Club. Competing on all fronts, both domestic and continental, the LOSC has in fact managed to stabilize at the administrative level to shape a run-off that is now visible on the ground. Not bad for an institution that we thought was doomed barely four years ago.
Successful transfer markets and exciting training
This season, Lille is following the specifications of the stable club to the letter. If we imagined a boxon at the departure of Paulo Fonseca last summer, things were settled with confidence by Olivier Létang, the president, who managed to find Bruno Genesio and make him the basic man of this project without pomp. The consistency is good, as is the choice of coaches. Christophe Galtier, champion, Fonseca and Genesio took turns keeping the ship afloat, while Jocelyn Gourvennec – despite a sluggish 2021-2022 financial year – managed to lead his group into the round of 16 of C1. Successful transition to the bench, and just as well controlled in terms of transfer window. Without a foreign investor, LOSC has been making bets for two years, with success.
To name a few: Edon Zhegrova, Hákon Arnar Haraldsson, Tiago Santos, Osame Sahraoui or Matías Fernández-Pardo. In the same vein, the Northerners knew how to manage the soap opera Jonathan David, regularly announced as leaving, but always concerned. A profitable strategy for a squad of 27 players with an average age of 25, placing the club in the middle of the table in these two categories. There too, we don't make any noise. No excessive youthism, nor plethora of contracts. Finally, in this maximization of talents, how can we forget training? Luchin's vintage has made a comeback, following in quick succession the revelations of Lucas Chevalier, Leny Yoro and Ayyoub Bouaddi. The men in red probably owe this dynamic to the Lille context. Without a lot of pressure – in a region where excitement is often the prerogative of Lens – it seems easier to become tougher when you are a young Mastiff, far from the expectations weighing on the shoulders of a kid from Paris Saint -Germain or Olympique Lyonnais. And naturally, the results follow.
Ligue 1 and C1: an already convincing season
Fifth in Ligue 1 at the time of writing, Lille is in the race in all tables, domestic and continental. As an illustration, the series of 20 matches without defeat of the Genesio gang (club record), launched on September 24 against Strasbourg, came to decorate an impressive sporting continuity. Success and mentality displayed in the Coupe de France against OM this Tuesday. The culmination of this success: the Champions League. In Europe, LOSC only lost once – against Sporting, in the opening – before going flawless, with great prestige. Victory against Real Madrid, Atlético and Bologna, draw against Juventus, Lille likes the big ones and could do it again against Liverpool on Tuesday. In the meantime, mid-season already offers its share of satisfaction. Nothing negligible for a team that has come a long way.
-Because yes, France would certainly tend to forget it, but Lille narrowly negotiated the difficult Gérard Lopez turn into which another institution, Bordeaux, fell. On a drip, the club owes its return to form in part to the arrival of Olivier Létang and his associates. Sometimes criticized for his too direct behavior, the latter has, in any case, succeeded in his sanitation mission. Since 2020, LOSC has finished three times out of four in the top 5 (10e in 2021-2022), managing to win a French champion title, his second in fifteen years. In fact, Lille is therefore doing better than Marseille, Lyon and Monaco over the period. Here too, nothing negligible when we play against PSG, Qatar version. Understand, the Lille Olympique Sporting Club works well. France has perhaps found its model to follow.
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