Lille are at the top of Ligue 1 – AFP
- Lille is 90 minutes away from the fourth French league title in its history.
- Sunday in Angers, a victory will be enough for the northern leader to win the cup.
- But we will have to manage the pressure well so as not to crack in the home stretch.
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90 minutes from the feat. Leader of Ligue 1 one day from the end, Losc will be crowned champion of France if it wins Sunday night in Angers. A huge stake to end a huge season. But before the game of the year, no palpable sign of euphoria in the streets of Lille. If the statue of the Goddess, which sits in the middle of the Grand Place, has donned the scarf of the Losc, the real novelty of this crucial week is more on the side of the reopening of the terraces than a popular enthusiasm around the local team.
And for good reason, tension reigns. “We are confident but cautious. There is a lot of waiting and a lot of stress. We are a few days away from a real final, a bit like a French Cup final. You win or you lose, there will be no half-measures. The draw against Saint-Etienne on Sunday put us on the alert. But the enthusiasm will gradually rise before the match, ”assures François Stock of the Mastiffs of the Net, a group of Losc supporters.
“Above all, we must not change anything in the preparation of the match”
If the supporters are waiting, the players, them, have not changed their habits at the area of Luchin, the training center of the northern club. As always this season and for years, the Losc has closed its doors to prepare in the greatest secrecy. And that’s good because before an event of this size, it is better to keep your rituals as explained Denis Troch.
“Above all, we must not change anything. You can change things when you are in a negative crisis. In this case, we must create a micro shock to be able to find a solution capable of changing the situation. But here, we are not going to look for mental resources the last week before the last match. If they are leading the championship, it is because they have already found the resources to be there, ”says the former coach who became a mental coach.
When Yilmaz harangues his teammates
However, against Saint-Etienne last Sunday (0-0), Losc gave the impression of being paralyzed by the pressure when it came time to conclude. A logic voltage according to
Thomas Sammut, mental trainer in sport. “It’s much harder to achieve in the penultimate game than in the last game where we are back to the wall. Against Sainté, it was important not to lose while against Angers, we know that Lille has its destiny in hand. At that point, we no longer have a choice and we really see the quality of a group and of the leaders who take control over the other players ”.
Burak Yilmaz has understood this well. At the end of the match against the Greens, in a scene captured by the cameras of Canal +, the 35-year-old striker was already haranguing his teammates in the locker room for the match in Angers. “Don’t worry, we’re going to be champions. You are fighting dogs. Against anyone. You’ll see ! “A message of confidence on which Christophe Galtier, the Lille coach, has undoubtedly also insisted this week.
????️ “Don’t worry, we are going to be champions!”
The words of Burak Yilmaz in the locker room yesterday after the draw against Saint-Étienne ???? pic.twitter.com/VoEVmX08dk
— Late Football Club (@LateFootClub) May 17, 2021
Advice from Elie Baup, crowned champion with Bordeaux on the last day
22 years ago, Elie Baup found himself in the situation of his Lille counterpart. Champion of France with Bordeaux in 1999 on the last day, the technician remembers these crucial last days before a match of this importance.
“Above all, we must not make people feel that the whole season is being played out there. You have to do as usual otherwise you risk accentuating the emotional. The emotional and human part comes into play a lot in this kind of situation. The whole environment is talking about it. The proof, you are writing an article that you would not have done three months ago on another match (laughs). For us coaches, we have to try to stay focused on what we have done in other games. Otherwise it would mean that we do not work well. We have to do the same things, focus on the video, on our game, the tactical aspect, the management of the group, the recovery of the injured… And we also have to think about what can happen during the match such as red cards , the wounds. We have to stay focused on our game and not on the opponent ”.
The part of irrationality impossible to prepare
But even when preparing for the game in all its aspects, there is still an element of irrationality that is impossible to anticipate. In 1999, it is a goal of the young Pascal Feindouno (18 at the time) barely out of the bench, which offered the title to the Bordelais in the 89th minute on the lawn of PSG.
“I was going crazy. We led to the score twice and Paris came back each time. I finished the match with six forwards. This scenario was impossible to predict. Everything can happen. You have to remain lucid about the game situations which is very difficult. We always say that the stake should not take precedence over the game but it is super difficult. It’s a bit like when your wife is expecting a child: you are happy but the day you give birth, you are in a panic. In fact, the ideal is to lead very quickly 2-0 to be quiet, ”continues Elie Baup.
Do not anticipate a title before having won it
If almost nothing ever goes as planned, the last golden rule is to never anticipate anything. If Angers (12th) looks easy on paper, history proves that it is always better not to get carried away. In 2002, Lens led the Ligue 1 before a decisive match on the lawn of Lyon, its pursuer in the standings. One point was enough for him to be champion but OL won (3-1) and snatched the title on the edge of the Blood and Gold. François Stock, the Losc supporter, remembers it well.
“I had experienced this match on TV with Lensois supporters. They had all made a t-shirt with it marked “Lens champion 2002”. I had even recovered one that I necessarily kept for years as a collector’s jersey. And I remember their faces on Monday morning. Above all, I wouldn’t want that to happen to us this year. It would be a shame to fail so close to the goal, ”admits a fan of the northern club who does not want to be housed for years by his neighbors from Lens.
