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Lens (AFP) – Lyon (9th) and Lens (3rd), who face each other on Sunday (8:45 p.m.) at the end of the 23rd day of Ligue 1, apply different methods: OL bets a lot on young people, the RCL rather on experience.
In addition, during the last transfer window, Lyon made the bet to change a lot of things, while Lens continued to strengthen while betting on stability.
. Lyon counts on its young people and its recruits
OL, which is aiming for a European place, has just taken seven points out of nine in Ligue 1 and has moved back six lengths from sixth, Lille. In addition, the Gones dismissed the Northerners in the Coupe de France on Wednesday to win their ticket for the quarter-finals, where they will receive Grenoble (L2).
“Currently, we feel that things are going better. The week is going better, training is going better. People smile, people laugh. It’s something that interests me. Training is already difficult. If you train with difficult states of mind and bodily attitudes…” underlined Laurent Blanc.
“Be careful, it can go back in the wrong direction, because what maintains this state of mind are the victories, the good results” he warned.
The technician, who arrived on the bench in early October to replace Peter Bosz, is starting to make the most of his squad, which was very upset during the winter transfer window.
“We have changed our squad and not just a little with six departures. It’s huge. It’s offset by three arrivals and two currently available. We have a preferential scheme in our heads but it’s the squad that determines the scheme. Sometimes you have to rectify certain things. Because the collective is the most important”, he recalled.
The Rhone coach also relies more and more on his young players, who have made a place for themselves in the workforce.
“Young people aged 18-19 have to be in competition. And I think that when I arrived, there was too little competition. If at 18 you are sure to play, it’s not good. ( Malo) Gusto is injured. A 20-year-old is being replaced by another 17-year-old. What’s the problem? Long live youth!”
. Lens relies on experience and stability
RC Lens, which has scored just two points in its last three games, is a little tough for the first time this season. But stability remains the key word of the club.
Don’t change a winning team. Such was the will of the Artesian leaders, who advocated continued progress during the last winter transfer window.
Racing thus attracted Julien Le Cardinal, Adrien Thomasson and Angelo Fulgini. Three reinforcements, no departure and, better, the extension of all its executives.
Proof that the Sang et Or project combines high sporting ambitions, confidence and state of mind, four strong links of Franck Haise have signed a new lease until 2026: Facundo Medina, Florian Sotoca, Jonathan Gradit and Wesley Saïd. The experienced Jean-Louis Leca, he carried his contract until 2024.
Lens has thus strengthened, without seeing an element leave it. He swelled his bench to prepare for a crazy second half of the season, and to overcome a lack of legitimate solution internally, where young people, despite their obvious qualities, are still too tender for the professional world.
The gap of four divisions between the first team and its reserve (National 3) is today an obstacle to the transition from one to the other. Thus, only striker Rémy Labeau-Lascary is regularly called up in the group of a Franck Haise who recently confided the need to let the Lensoise youth harden up.
“In defense there are some players who have come to train with us, but they have had difficult periods. The step is very high. I don’t want to put players who are not ready, already that when they are, discovering Ligue 1 is not easy. So, when they are not, they should be allowed to grow.”
© 2023 AFP
