Lille did not find the fault against Saint-Etienne – Michel Springler / AP / SIPA
- Held in check at home by Saint-Etienne (0-0), Lille are just one point ahead of PSG with one day remaining.
- To clinch the title, the Northerners will have to win at Angers.
- A not impossible task on paper provided you are not as nervous as against the Greens.
The euphoria took a hit. Victorious in the derby in Lens a week ago (0-3), almost everyone saw the Losc on a highway to seek the championship title. Thousands of Lille fans even met before the match to accompany the bus of players to glory.
Alas, Sunday evening Saint-Etienne spoiled the party a bit. By taking a point on the Lille lawn (0-0), the Greens also revived the suspense of Ligue 1. One day from the end, Losc has only one point ahead of PSG and will have to win on May 23 at Angers on the last day to be sure of being champion. “There will be no math to do. This match will be a final ”, concedes Christophe Galtier, the coach of Losc.
Manage the psychological aspect before the final in Angers
But to achieve the dream of a lifetime, the Losc will have to be more peaceful. More than the result, it was the way that worried Sunday against the Greens. Under pressure given the immense stakes at the end of the season, Lille thwarted. “We had a very bad start to the game where we went out of our game plan. There were a lot of technical errors, our block was very stretched. It’s probably related to nervousness. We were surely taken by the stake. I found my players tense. I saw that the team was really tense, “admits the northerner coach.
Suddenly, the week ahead will be one of psychology. Because the pressure will build up before a match where there will be no more wild cards. “I will have a discussion with the players to make it much calmer. We will have to better control the subject on our last match, ”announces the Lille technician.
Best Ligue 1 away team
To reassure themselves in the quest for their fourth league title, Losc can take a look at their away performances. The best Ligue 1 team in this area, Losc have only lost their home base once this season (in Brest last November). What to see coming even if the Northerners will be deprived for this shock of their captain José Fonte, suspended. This is a real blow for a club that will need calm and experience for the most important game of the season.