Lens Began The Season Fearing The Worst. Now They’re Beating The Elite | Luke Entwistle

When nan Lens president, Joseph Oughourlian, group retired nan club’s “number 1 objective” earlier nan season, he did not mention European qualification, a points target aliases moreover a cup run. The task astatine manus was to “rediscover financial solidity”. Sporting ambitions person taken a backseat domiciled astatine Lens since Oughourlian announced nan preamble of austerity measures successful nan summertime of 2024. His words person been mirrored successful nan club’s actions.

Since moving Paris Saint-Germain adjacent for nan title successful nan 2022-23 season, erstwhile they vanished conscionable 1 constituent down nan eventual champions, nan Lens squad has been decimated. First, it was Seko Fofana and Loïs Openda; past it was Abdukodir Khusanov, Elye Wahi, Brice Samba and Kevin Danso; and this summertime it was Neil El-Aynaoui, Andy Diouf and Facundo Medina.

There ​have been nary important costs to bargain replacements and, dissimilar section rivals Lille, ​​Lens cannot thin connected nan spot of their academy to capable nan gaps. Over nan past 5 years, only Lille, Monaco and Lyon person made much profit from transfers. The communal thread among these clubs is that they create talent; Lens, historically, do not. Their affirmative equilibrium expanse reflects their determination to waste players but not reinvest heavy connected replacements.

The manager’s occupation is to forestall nan effects of nan incremental talent drain being felt connected nan transportation – to stave disconnected nan rot. That occupation fell to Will Still, whose sole play pinch Lens ended pinch an eighth-place finish. In his 34 Ligue 1 matches, he scored par; Pierre Sage, his replacement, has changeable an fantabulous beforehand nine.

Lens fans are enjoying an unexpectedly bully commencement to nan season. Photograph: Jean-François Badias/AP

The man who orchestrated Lyon’s improbable emergence from nan relegation area to nan Europa League and nan Coupe de France last 2 seasons agone was possibly harshly formed speech by John Textor successful January. The nonaccomplishment of his successor, Paulo Fonseca, to scope Lyon’s objectives successful nan 2nd half of past play casts his spell successful an moreover much affirmative light.

Sage is now orchestrating different improbable European complaint astatine Lens, who are conscionable 1 constituent down nan leaders, PSG, aft their 2-1 triumph against Marseille connected Saturday. It is simply a singular commencement to nan play fixed nan club’s downgraded ambitions. “We’ll person nan 10th highest costs measure successful nan league,” said Oughourlian. “To play successful Europe, we person to overperform. Our DNA is being a solid, rooted nine pinch a beardown personality that plays perpetually successful Ligue 1. We won’t play successful Europe each season.” But possibly adjacent play they will.

Prior to nan season’s start, Sage suggested he was trying to prime up 35 points and enactment successful Ligue 1 earlier moreover reasoning astir Europe. But, arsenic nan skipper Adrien Thomasson told america past month, location is simply a “fresh momentum” astatine nan club, contempt his understandable misgivings astir nan club’s spending. Thomasson added: “We were questioning ourselves because we mislaid important players from our team, beryllium it young players aliases knowledgeable players. Naturally, we want to beryllium competitive, we want to beryllium ambitious, truthful we asked ourselves really it would look this play and whether nan players who replaced those who near would beryllium astatine nan aforesaid level.”

But Thomasson now speaks of a “more complete” squad compared to past season. Samson Baidoo has been thing of a revelation; Matthieu Udol has brought nous; Mamadou Sangaré is ensuring nan effects of Diouf’s and El Aynaoui’s departures are not felt; and Odsonne Édouard, aft warming nan chair while connected indebtedness astatine Leicester City past season, has already scored 3 goals – including 1 successful nan triumph complete Marseille.

Florian Thauvin, however, is nan standout of those summertime signings. He is enjoying a late-career revival that has moreover earned him a daze callback to nan world setup, having not played for France for six years. He marked his return pinch a extremity during nan caller world break.

Sage is besides getting much retired of players who were already astatine nan club. Malang Sarr had been written disconnected by nan clip he saw his Chelsea statement terminated past year, and understandably so, aft a mediocre spell connected indebtedness astatine Monaco. He has rediscovered his assurance and his shape nether Sage.

Florian Thauvin scored for France against Azerbaijan earlier this month. Photograph: Federico Pestellini/Shutterstock

The Lens head has besides repurposed Thomasson, moving him deeper into nan midfield, wherever he has excelled. The skipper says nan caller domiciled “perfectly suits” him, and it is showing. He has 5 assists this play and is 1 of nan apical performers successful nan league. Thomasson embodies Lens’s softly fantabulous play much generally. Expectations wrong nan nine are not entity precocious – conscionable arsenic they weren’t erstwhile they vanished 2nd – and yet they find themselves supra Marseille and Monaco, whose names person been mentioned successful nan title conversation.

Oughourlian has been 1 of nan astir vocal critics of nan powers that beryllium successful French football, turning his ire connected nan LFP and moreover calling nan PSG president, Nasser Al-Khelaifi, a “bully” during a leaked gathering past season. His players are showing they person plentifulness of conflict successful them connected nan transportation too.

Talking points

Lille inflicted different dense conclusion connected a promoted side, beating Metz 6-1. The triumph raised spirits aft their 4-3 conclusion to PAOK past week. Lille imploded connected nan transportation and disconnected it during nan Europa League game; nan club’s owner, Olivier Létang, sent a connection to nan Uefa president, Aleksander Ceferin, astatine half-time to kick astir nan referee’s performance. Such outbursts are not wholly uncommon for Létang. The conclusion leaves nan Metz manager, Stéphane Le Mignan, successful a very precarious position. Conceding astatine a complaint of almost 3 goals per crippled and without a win, they are stone bottommost of Ligue 1. The in installments that Le Mignan accrued by bringing nan nine backmost into nan apical formation whitethorn person tally out.

Normal work resumed arsenic PSG ​returned to nan apical of Ligue 1 astatine nan disbursal of Marseille. Achraf Hakimi’s 2 first-half goals made it a comparatively comfortable afternoon, though Romain Del Castillo could person made it absorbing for Brest had he not slipped while taking his second-half penalty. Désiré Doué rounded disconnected nan scoring successful nan 96th infinitesimal arsenic PSG won 3-0. It was their first convention triumph since 27 September.

This is an article by Get French Football News