Impressive in the Champions League, winner of Bologna FC (1-2), LOSC was showered with praise on the boards. But with Montpellier, a tricky obstacle still stands before the Mastiffs. Daniel Riolo explains himself in l’After Foottargeting the main difficulty in Lille.
Undefeated for three consecutive meetings on the European scene, LOSC made it four this Wednesday by surpassing Bologna FC (1-2) as part of the fifth day of the Champions League. This time, the Mastiffs relied on Ngal'ayel Mukau (20 years old), author of a double in an unprecedented position, a notch higher behind Jonathan David:
“Every time they bring out a kid, a young person, in the Champions League, it works. Like (Ayyoub) Bouaddi, who we really discovered in the Champions League, they exude serenity, tranquility. The guys are comfortable in Lille« exclaims Daniel Riolo at the final whistle, on the radio waves RMC.
Fourth in Ligue 1 at the end of last season, LOSC secured their qualification for the Champions League by defeating Fenerbahçe SK and Slavia Prague in the preliminary rounds in August. A few months later, his men (12th, 10 pts) are knocking on the door of the Top 8, the places which allow access to the round of 16 of the competition. World champion in 1998, Emmanuel Petit wanted to express himself on the case of Bruno Genesio, whom he wants to salute for the great performances in Lille: “I praised him in the last match, because he made strong choices.
Is it a surprise, a coincidence, to see him perform for several years against the biggest in Europe in the Champions League? As a former player, when I see the images at the end of the match, this joy from the bench… It may be easy to say, but they went to see the coach. For me, that means everything”he says in l’After Footstruck by these images.
Under the questioning gaze of the other members of the team present around the set, Emmanuel Petit explains himself using his personal experience as an example: “The times I've done it after a big victory, I can't even count them on the fingers of one hand. This means a lot in the relationship he can have with his players.
[…] When you get to this kind of thing, you touch the human, and that's when you can topple mountains.
This collective strength is essential in team sport”he emphasizes.
Still obstacles
Daniel Riolo, for his part, is not getting carried away yet. In his eyes, the most difficult task still awaits LOSC and its coach:
“The main difficulty for Genesio, knowing that he is perfectly able to manage his team, to arrange it, to vary the systems and positions, to make choices, it will be about maintaining this level of concentration and demands on Wednesday and Sunday. Sometimes, there can be a natural decompression among players in the championship, knowing that the adventure is great in the European Cup and that it is in a longer format than in the past. There is one of the two in which you have stars, big stakes… […] This is where you will have to work. Bruno Genesio is going to have to fight against that, because he does the rest. He handles it perfectly. […] We’ll see, in Montpellier…”he insisted, determined to be patient with the Mastiffs. The editorialist could have some answers as early as Sunday, at 3 p.m., on the occasion of the thirteenth day of Ligue 1 during which LOSC faces Montpellier, the red lantern.
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