Fan ire over the running of a club is hardly unusual, but the situation at Lille descended from discontent into utter catastrophe earlier this season. During their match against Montpellier in March, infuriated Lille fans vaulted the pitchside advertising boards, attacked their own players and had to be restrained by police while they threatened club owner Gérard Lopez with the chant: “If we go down, we’ll take you down.” Miraculously, the club pulled clear of the bottom three for good this weekend, but their Ligue 1 status remains fragile for financial reasons.
For a club that won the title in 2011 and spent €70m on players in the summer – only Monaco and PSG spent more – this season has been, as Lopez admitted “a nightmare”. They beat Nantes 3-0 in their first match of the campaign but then didn’t win again until November. After a few decent results over the Christmas period, they fell into another slump, with just one win in 15 matches at the start of the calendar year.
Two of their players were spotted leaving a nightclub in the early hours of the morning the day before their abhorrent, cowering 5-1 defeat at Marseille last month, which prompted supporters group Les DVE to release a statement bemoaning “these mercenaries who spend their weekends in Lille nightclubs indulging in alcohol following losses – these mercenaries who humiliate the club and don’t hesitate to disparage their fans home and away.” Director of football Luís Campos was even more direct, telling his players in the dressing room after the match: “It’s a disgrace, we’re idiots! Everyone needs to take responsibility!”
On top of their disastrous league position, fan unrest and puerile players, Lille’s young forward Nicolas Pépé was benched for bringing a “weapon” to training and it emerged that a couple of players – including captain Ibrahim Amadou – decided not to turn up to manager Christophe Galtier’s video review the day after the Marseille defeat.
If things were bad on the field, they were equally dire on the balance sheet. Lopez acquired the club in January 2017 and completely overhauled the squad but not without French football’s notoriously strict financial authority, the DNCG, starting to ask questions about the source of his funds and the integrity of the club’s budget. These issues led to a transfer ban over the winter and will finally be resolved at the end of the month when the DNCG meet to decide the club’s future, a meeting that could result in Lille’s automatic relegation, with the club having previously been told to raise €25m in sponsorship deals and transfer sales to avoid demotion to Ligue 2.
Given all the turmoil, Lille’s turnaround on the field is all the more remarkable. The atmosphere around the club has been suffocating for some time and their almost prohibitively youthful squad has struggled to cope, with performances lurching from wayward to absent. Marcelo Bielsa’s radical redesign of the team left them leaderless, with Kévin Malcuit (26), Thiago Mendes (26) and Ibrahim Amadou (25) as the senior, and oldest, players. They all lack experience, even for their age. Galtier, an astute coach who excelled in bringing the best from an average group at St Étienne, replaced Bielsa in December and initially failed to make an impact.
Then, a fortnight ago, things changed. Lille beat Metz to pick up their first win since January and then travelled to Toulouse, another club facing the threat of relegation. They went into that game sitting 19th, with just three games left to save themselves. With 10 minutes to play they were 2-1 down and their hopes of survival were evaporating.
However, late strikes from Pépé and Yves Bissouma won the game and lifted Lille clear of the bottom three for the first time since February. With Toulouse, Caen and Troyes all failing to win this weekend, Lille managed to pull clear. Their third win in a row, against Dijon, carried them up to 15th in the league.
With relegation avoided, at least for now, Lopez’ oddly entitled project “LOSC Unlimited” could yet flourish. Galtier’s squad may be inexperienced, but it is talented. Striker Pépé has been crucial in their run of wins; in Amadou they have a powerful midfielder who is often linked with the Premier League; midfield dynamo Thiago Mendes was superb under Bielsa; and marauding right-back Malcuit has been touted for a France call-up in recent weeks. Galtier remains a prudent choice as manager and the addition of more street-smart, experienced players over the summer could help them challenge for a Europa League spot next season.
Lopez has always maintained that the club’s situation is secure. “I read somewhere that we were running out of money,” he said this weekend. “That’s not the case. We will finish the season without any problem.” He also claims the DNCG meeting does not pose any risks but, despite his confidence, they are unlikely to be as easily defeated as Metz, Toulouse and Dijon.
Ligue 1 talking points
• While Lille have done well to turn things around, their form has not been as impressive as that of Lyon, who had won eight straight matches before their trip to Strasbourg on Saturday. Marseille’s draw against Guingamp on Friday meant a win for Lyon would have all but sealed their top-three finish, but they conceded two late goals to lose 3-2. Young defender Mouctar Diakhaby, making his first league start in almost three months, was at fault to some degree in all three goals, but manager Bruno Génésio seems to be bearing the lion’s share of the fans’ rage. Perhaps their anger should be directed at chairman Jean-Michel Aulas, who failed to buy another centre-back in January. Lyon’s recent form shows they have the attacking talent to compete at the top of the table, but unless significant investment is made in defence (and defensive midfield, where there is no clear alternative to Lucas Tousart), Lyon are likely to find themselves scrapping for a Champions League position next season.
• Elsewhere in the battle for the Champions League, Monaco hardly sparkled against Saint-Étienne, themselves hoping for a Europa League place, but the want-away duo of Fabinho and Thomas Lemar may have given the club an important parting gift. Lemar won a penalty and Fabinho scored it to give Monaco the only goal of the game. Neither player has been up to much this season, but returning to the club is no small matter before another summer of rejuvenation.
• Finally, Rennes confirmed a spot in the Europa League with a surprising win at Paris Saint-Germain. The treble winners had little to play for, but Rennes were at less than full strength without Wahbi Khazri. Adrien Hunou was given the start in his place and turned in a surprisingly deft performance, not only scoring a cracking goal but generally proving a nuisance with his pace and ability on the ball. If Rennes cannot secure a permanent deal for Khazri, who is on loan from Sunderland, Hunou may prove a more-than-suitable alternative.
Ligue 1 results
Guingamp 3-3 Marseille
Amiens 2-0 Metz
Angers 0-2 Nantes
Bordeaux 4-2 Toulouse
Lille 2-1 Dijon
Monaco 1-0 St Étienne
Montpellier 1-1 Troyes
Nice 4-1 Caen
PSG 0-2 Rennes
Strasbourg 3-2 Lyon
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