What Happened to Lille, the defending Ligue 1 champions?
LOSC Lille miraculously won the Ligue 1 title last year, edging PSG in a closely fought contest. It was the first time since the 2016-17 Ligue 1 campaign that PSG failed to win the domestic league.
Lille finished with a record 83 points and only suffered three defeats in their entire 38-games campaign. They eventually pipped the perennial champions by just one point.
However, in no less than eight months, Lille is nowhere to be found in Ligue 1's top ten. There has been a drastic change in fortunes for this Northern French club.
LILLE ARE LIGUE 1 CHAMPIONS 🏆
PSG miss out on the league and Champions League 😬 https://t.co/m2dNpELhjq
Christophe Galtier's departure from Lille
The fallout from last year's title-winning season began just two days after the club lifted their historic title. Manager Christophe Galtier announced his decision to step down after enjoying four incredible seasons with the club. Under him, the club did well to in the league most seasons barring a couple of occasions.
Christophe Galtier has just announced he’s leaving Lille after winning the Ligue1 title, confirmed. “It’s the right moment, I spoke to the president and said that I’m leaving the club”, he told L’Equipé. 🔴🇫🇷 #Lille
Galtier has been one of the most successful coaches in France. He guided Saint-Etienne to a top-ten finish in his seven seasons in charge before moving to Lille.
His recent move to OGC Nice has also kickstarted a new era at the club, with Nice emerging as the breakout team in French football this season.
Major outflow of players
Lille also witnessed some of their star players leaving the club after completing a league heist last term. Boubakary Soumare and Maik Maignan departed the club for top European outfits. Promising winger Luiz Araujo also left the club for venturing further West.
Gourvennec's conservative Football
The new man in charge of Lille is none other than Jocelyn François Gourvennec. Having spent over a decade managing relegation-threatened clubs in Ligue 1, Gourvennec got his major breakthrough this year. However, with every passing game, it seems more obvious it is too big a step for him.
For a club that spent four years playing Galtier's attacking football with significant success, Gourvennec marked a return to traditional tactics. A return to the 4-4-2 system indicated Gourvennec's lack of faith in his squad. Halfway through the season, Lille have conceded more than what they have scored.
Midtable clubs emerging as strong European candidates
Lille's fall from grace is further complicated by the strong rise of midtable French clubs as strong European candidates. OGC Nice, RC Lens and even RC Strasburg are fighting for a place in the lower European competitions. Lille have a lot to improve on before they can finally be in the reckoning for European qualification.