Target of many taunts on the evening of a derby lost 1-0 in Geneva on September 28 without having really fought, Lausanne-Sport became the hit of the fall. Against all odds.
Since this disastrous derby, Ludovic Magnin’s team has picked up 23 points out of 30 to climb onto the Super League podium at break time. A pace of a future champion?
Even if the positions are extremely tight with the first five teams who are within two points and with Young Boys ninth – only – eight points behind the leader Lugano who want to believe in a crazy ‘comeback’, Lausanne-Sport can feed the greatest ambitions.
Even if Ludovic Magnin and Stéphane Henchoz will be in their role when they have to calm things down, the Vaudois really have the right to dream. The conquest of a title hoped for since 1965 – the unforgettable era of Lords of the Night – is not a utopia.
When the championship resumes on January 19 with the arrival of Lucerne, Lausanne-Sport will again rely on the advantage of playing its home matches on an artificial turf – an advantage on which the Young Boys have continued to capitalize. support in recent years – and on a defense which has only been beaten twice in its last ten matches in all competitions. The brilliance of Karlo Letica, perhaps the best goalkeeper in the championship, and the emergence of Karim Sow (21 years old) largely explain why this defense is so uncompromising.
What will Alvyn Sanchez do?
And, above all, there is Alvyn Sanches. Magnificent scorer on Sunday in Lugano, the 21-year-old halfback is the jewel of the team, a jewel called to play tomorrow in the national team and a jewel whose immediate future will largely condition the destiny of this Lausanne-Sport 2024/2025 .
If he were to leave La Tuilière during the next January transfer window, Lausanne-Sport’s chances of winning the championship would greatly diminish. A transfer of Alvyn Sanches would awaken painful memories of that of Stéphane Chapuisat in 1991. The striker then left for 2.4 million marks to Uerdingen while Lausanne was playing for the title. The LS had failed in 4th place behind Grasshoppers, Sion and Neuchâtel Xamax.
Stéphane Henchoz has repeated it several times: Lausanne will not sell out Alvyn Sanchez. According to several sources, the international M21, under contract until June 30, 2026, will not leave for a sum less than 6 million francs. As for the player, he can draw inspiration from the recent examples of Vincent Sierro in Toulouse and Franck Surdez at Gantoise to convince himself that a departure abroad during the January transfer window can be very fruitful.
René Weiler on the other side of the fence
At Servette FC too, the best player could leave the ship in January. At the end of his contract next summer, will Derek Kutesa, like Chris Bedia last year, be ‘encouraged’ to leave so as not to harm the club? René Weiler has never hidden that the Frenchman’s departure to Union Berlin had ruined Servette FC’s chances of winning the title. Today on the other side of the fence, will the former coach turned sporting director resist the financial arguments to allow his successor to still be able to count on the international striker?
Without Derek Kutesa, Servette FC will no longer be able to really look ahead, but rather ensure they maintain their place in the top-6. Yes, water has flowed under the bridge since this derby of September 28 which saw Servette FC outclass Lausanne-Sport…
/ATS
