Dominant in the first period but caught up by their excessive aggressiveness, RC Lens conceded a frustrating defeat against Toulouse (0-1). Discover nos tops et flops after this meeting counting for the 16th day of Ligue 1.
The best
A first period under control
Despite a lackluster second half, the first 45 minutes were completely different. With 64% of ball possession, the Lensois perfectly monopolized the ball against Toulouse playing on the counter-attack. The new Lensoise defense, aligned with four today, will have been perfectly there by annihilating the offensives of Yann Gboho, Joshua King and Zakaria Aboukhlal. Rather well controlled, Will Still’s 4-4-2 was able to prove much more convincing defensively than offensively, despite a big kill from Florian Sotoca and Angelo Fulgini.
The flops
Excessive aggression
During this meeting, Will Still surely ordered his players to be as close and as aggressive as possible on the Toulouse players, but this instruction did not work effectively. Often late, the Lensois will have made too many mistakes, giving the Southerners the opportunity to restart and sometimes even obtain big chances. Pereira da Costa’s red card in the 61st minute is surely proof of the excessive aggressiveness shown by Lensois. Then, a few minutes later (70′), Malang Sarr made a push behind Aboukhlal’s back, which converted the penalty. So the conclusion is: Lens’ aggressiveness will have led RC Lens to its own downfall.
An attack lacking edge
By aligning an eleven with a rather offensive face, Will Still surely expected to worry Guillaume Restes’ cages more. However, the reality is quite different and, despite the 14 shots attempted, the Lensois only managed to score one shot, proof of the harmlessness of the Sang et Or. Often well positioned in the area but lacking in technical accuracy, M’Bala Nzola is undoubtedly the perfect example.
Thomas ASSIOUI
Photo credits: Christophe Saidi/FEP/Icon Sport
