Ligue 1 Review | Lille search for positives as Real Madrid loom

An optimist might say at least Lille OSC had avoided defeat against RC Strasbourg Alsace, ending a run of four losses in a row across all competitions. However, for Bruno Génésio and his young squad that would not provide much relief, even if the manager believed there were green shoots of hope amid the 3-3 scoreline. 

Les Dogues were forced to come from behind to rescue a point at home despite being 2-0 up after 27 minutes courtesy of an Edon Zhegrova quick-fire brace. A poor defensive performance from the hosts, littered with individual mistakes, would see Lille enter the final ten minutes of the game staring down the barrel of another disappointing defeat. 

Génésio had rolled the dice ahead of the match. For only the second time this season, the manager had decided to pick a back four instead of a back three, the only other time Les Dogues featured this set-up was in the club’s first match under the manager against Fenerbahçe in the Champions League play-offs. The change encouraged Strasbourg, who were able to record nine shots on target, the most Lille have faced since they were beaten 7-1 by Paris Saint-Germain in 2022. 

‘There are signs that give me strength and hope’ 

Lille would only be rescued after Tiago Santos was brought down in the box by a clumsy challenge from Marvin Senaya. Jonathan David stepped up to the spot and in the 84th minute nudged the hosts across the line as he recorded his second goal in Ligue 1. “I saw attitudes that reassured me,” Génésio protested after the game. “We remain five games without a victory. It would be irresponsible for me to say that I’m not worried. But there are signs that give me strength and hope.” 

A stark contrast to the post-match comments that club president Olivier Létang made after the previous weekend’s embarrassing 1-0 defeat to AS Saint-Étienne. “I’m going to try and weigh my words, we played a shameful match. It’s shameful! Shameful. We can’t be a great team by losing three matches in a row. We’re not going to get those points back. Who can tell me that the players wanted to win tonight? Can someone tell me? I don’t condone their attitude.” 

Despite arriving in the summer, it is safe to say that Génésio is walking a tightrope early on during his tenure at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy, even if Létang’s words were expressly not directed at him. Early credit for guiding the club into the Champions League via the playoffs, becoming the first French team to do so since AS Monaco in the 2015/16 season, will likely only give the manager so much leeway. 

Real Madrid await Lille the Champions League

The Champions League campaign looks as if it has the potential to be a bruising affair. A disappointing 2-0 loss to Sporting CP was a game that the club needed to be competitive in when considering the challenging fixtures that are set to come in the competition, and the red card to Angel Gomes after Viktor Gyökeres’s opening goal completely threw the club’s momentum. 

Lille are now faced with a daunting sequence in Europe where they will host Real Madrid, visit Atlético de Madrid, and then welcome Juventus to the north of France. These are matches that they know they will be underdogs in. However, the hope had been that a squad full of talented players like Zhegrova, Gomes, and Jonathan David could throw one or two surprises into the mix. 

A visit from Real Madrid rarely comes at a good time for most teams but for a Lille side searching for some tangible positives, their meeting on the 2nd of October could prove to be a very difficult evening. In what has already looked like a long season for Lille, the Nordistes will be appreciative of some rest ahead of the trip to Le Havre AC next weekend. 

Ligue 1 subplots

• PSG dropped points away at Stade de Reims for the first time this season allowing for the hunting pack to draw level on points with title holders. Olympique de Marseille and AS Monaco are behind only on goal difference. Read the full story HERE. 

• OGC Nice became the first team to score six goals in the first half of a Ligue 1 match as they celebrated their 120th anniversary. Tanguy Ndombele was the star of the show and in full pomp, as he dictated the 8-0 demolition of AS Saint-Étienne. Read the full story HERE. 

• In a weekend of stunning games, Montpellier HSC’s victory over AJ Auxerre should not be brushed over. La Paillade’s 3-2 victory sees the club leap from the foot of the table and out of the relegation zone. 

GFFN | Nick Hartland