Promoted Lens zoom in on Europe after cruising past Monaco

In our first article of the season, we were quick to praise the two promoted sides, Lens and Lorient. Both had spent heavily, their budgets increased by Ligue 1’s new television deal, which has since collapsed – Lens even broke their transfer record twice, signing Ignatius Ganago then Séko Fofana as part of a summer net spend that exceeded €20m. But while Lorient – under the normally steady hand of Christophe Pélissier – have faded badly, winning just one of their last eight matches (against an injury-hit Nîmes last weekend), Lens have come to grips with life in the top flight in a way that looks as impressive and sustainable four months on as it did on the opening weekend of the season. The latest evidence came on Wednesday night as they beat Monaco 3-0.

In that initial article, we suggested that Lens’ front-foot style and the bellicose atmosphere at the Stade Félix-Bollaert could help them avoid relegation comfortably. After winning four of their first six matches – including a famous result against PSG – it looked like they might flatter to deceive. Ganago, whose early goalscoring form had been so impressive, was forced off with an ankle injury against Saint Étienne and reports suggested he would be out for up to two months.

An ugly 4-0 loss to local rivals Lille followed, and the worst was feared for Franck Haise, his players and their well-drilled 3-4-1-2 – to which they have remained loyal in every game this campaign. Though Ganago did not start a match for more than six weeks, the timing of his absence cushioned the blow for Lens. An international break and the postponements of matches against Nantes and Marseille meant he was only absent for the debacle against Lille and a 4-4 draw against Reims. He is now back among Haise’s offensive options but, rather than being the team’s sole attacking outlet, he is part of a rotating forward line that continues to improve and impress, even if there has been the odd bump in the road (such as a heavy home defeat to Angers).

In Ganago’s absence, Haise experimented with Simon Banza and Corentin Jean starting alongside the more rugged hold-up man Florian Sotoca, who was last year’s leading scorer in Ligue 2 but had not scored a top-flight goal until this campaign. Banza is strong in the air and Jean makes smarts runs, but neither fully took the opportunities that they were given. So Haise, who is in his first managerial job, turned to the similarly callow Arnaud Kalimuendo, an 18-year-old who arrived on loan from PSG in October. Before the move, Kalimuendo had just 74 minutes of professional football to his name – all of them coming for PSG in their early-season defeat to his new team.

While the diminutive Kalimuendo was not given many chances in the PSG first-team squad, he has rattled in the goals for club and country at youth level, including five in five games at last year’s Under-17 World Cup. He is the ideal foil for a more physically imposing striker such as Sotoca, and has scored three times for Lens in just over 300 minutes, ensuring that Ganago’s temporary absence was scarcely felt.

Coming back to Haise, though, the man formerly in charge of Lorient’s reserves deserves the bulk of the credit for this team’s performances, even if the club’s hierarchy was willing to invest heavily this summer. When the chance came in February to replace Philippe Montanier, who was sacked despite the team being second in Ligue 2, Haise leapt at it, but soon found himself promoted having only taken charge of just two matches owing to Covid-19.

What Haise lacks in experience, he more than makes up for in offering a principled approach to the game. The 3-4-1-2 he deployed last season has continued this, and with summer signings such as Gaël Kakuta, Loïc Badé, and Fofana slotting in admirably, the manager has built a team committed to his system’s aggressive pressing style that skilfully combines experienced heads such as the former Chelsea man, goalkeeper Jean-Louis Leca and Yannick Cahuzac with impressive youngsters such as Facundo Medina, Badé and midfielder Cheick Doucouré. He has found an ideal balance.

The team still has some distance to go, especially defensively. Their lack of experience often results in naivety (witness their 3-2 loss to Montpellier at the weekend), but the fact remains that if Lens were to beat Marseille in their game in hand, they would be level on points with André Villas-Boas’ side – no mean feat given Marseille’s six-match domestic winning run has only just been ended by Rennes. For a team who looked lost at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy in that ego-bruising defeat to Lille, the comeback has been swift. The best may be yet to come.

Talking points

• Lyon, so brilliant in Paris at the weekend, were equally effervescent against Brest on Wednesday night. But, in only getting a draw, they were handed a brusque reminder of how fine the margins can be at the top of the table. An uncharacteristically poor performance from Anthony Lopes, coupled with a stellar outing from the underrated Gautier Larsonneur, helped the Breton side pinch an unlikely point with a penalty in stoppage time. Lyon had their chances throughout, but were repelled both by the woodwork and brilliant Brest defending.

• That said, Lyon fans will also take heart (if not rue a missed opportunity) from the fact that Marseille, Monaco and Montpellier lost. Lille and PSG were not so unlucky, but with the top two squaring off on Sunday, their rivals must take advantage of their seemingly easy fixtures to keep the pressure on – otherwise talk of a genuine title race may disappear soon.

• Finally, Saint-Étienne ended an ignominious run of 11 matches without victory, beating Bordeaux 2-1. Jean-Louis Gasset’s side are hardly world beaters, but Sainté were powered by a surprisingly strong contribution from Ryad Boudebouz, who most observers thought was on his way out of the club as part of the summer’s clearout alongside fellow high earners Yann M’Vila and Loïs Diony. This was only Boudebouz’s second start of the season and his fitness is still a concern, but the 30-year-old’s creativity and ability from set pieces could yet be a boon to a side who have only recently looked likely to avoid relegation.

Ligue 1 table

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