Thanks for talking to us, Luke. First of all, can you give us an overview of last season for Lille? How did they perform in Ligue 1 and the Champions League?
I think the overview is extremely good. The last defeat in Ligue 1 dates back to mid-September. It was a surprise 1-0 defeat against Saint-Étienne just after the international break. During this match, you could see that some players experienced difficulties. Jonathan David, for example, had traveled to Canada and had not really returned to his best level.
Their last defeat in all competitions came a few days after that of a Champions League match against Sporting CP. It is therefore an incredible undefeated series which dates back many months in Ligue 1, the Champions League and the Coupe de France, where they notably beat Marseille on penalties. There is a good chance that they will go very far in this competition and that they could even win it. Paris Saint-Germain are still the favorites, but other than that, Lille are the best team left in the competition.
On the
domestically, they were very impressive, although in the Champions League, Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid were very dominant in Spain. There was also the draw against Juventus, which was really carried by the collective. Jonathan David has obviously been praised for scoring big goals, like the penalty against Real Madrid, for example, but in reality it has been a team effort that they have exceeded expectations this season. No one would have said they would have overtaken PSG in the Champions League standings, but they are proud to be there.
The only caveat, I suppose, is the number of draws they’ve played during their current undefeated run. There were probably too many for their liking, especially the last matches against Nantes and a 10-man Auxerre, where they really should have scored three points. This is why they are not in contention for the Ligue 1 title, even if they are very much in the running for Champions League places again
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-And who are the main players in Lille? Who should Liverpool fans watch out for in particular?
I think we should draw attention to goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier. There was much clamor in the French media, particularly for his inclusion in the national team. As a young goalkeeper, they look beyond Mike Maignan’s reign with him and Toulouse keeper Guillaume Restes, who Liverpool will experience
last year.
Chevalier has been particularly impressive in the Champions League, and it was his performances against the likes of Real Madrid that saw him included in late 2024 by France. Above all, he’s a great shot stopper, that’s what really catches the eye, and he’s good with the ball at his feet. He has all the characteristics of a top goalkeeper. Lille has a habit of producing them for one reason or another. Maignan, the current French number 1, is one of the most recent examples
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