After LOSC’s poor performance against Angers and a grueling week of work, Benjamin Andre and Paulo Fonseca gave their opinion on the squad’s depth and injury woes.
Andre remains a realist
Currently fifth on 52 points, LOSC still has the same goal: to secure a place in Europe. Two points behind Rennes (sixth) and six behind Monaco (fourth), the target remains relatively achievable. But since the championship resumed this winter, Lille has seen more and more of its players pass through the dispensary box. The case of Thiago Dagalo, a victim of a ruptured right cruciate ligament, has been absent between six and eight months. Adam Unas has also visited doctors several times.
Asked about the grim lack of bench depth, Benjamin Andre believes LOSC’s defeat against Angers should not be explained by its supposedly very small workforce. ” Qualitatively speaking, we definitely miss it. The more good players you have, the greater your potential. I don’t think this is an excuse. We are a team that pushes a lot. You can drop the ball very high, so you have to run long distances. Every weekend like this. There is no problem with injuries. »
Frequent injuries that he was not used to dealing with in previous seasons. It is difficult to say what made us lose. We can never know. Our style of play requires a lot of effort and intensity. Surely the body, at some point, is a little more tired. I think we are doing well and preparing well. Then comes the ups and downs of football. Every year there are a lot of clubs affected by this, especially with this style of play. Benjamin Andre confirmed.
It wasn’t easy for Fonseca
The Portuguese tactician and his staff are being criticized for thinking too much about preparing the players. Why ? When asked about the recovery method his medical staff has put in place, Paulo Fonseca admitted that they (he and his staff) think every day: “ It’s hard to talk about the players individually. All injuries are different and we have to think individually. It is true that we have players who are more susceptible to injury than others. It depends on the characteristics of each. If we look at what’s happening elsewhere, we’ve got a lot of good teams in France that have the same problem. »
The error is in the calendar and programming according to the LOSC trainer. ” This is not just about Lil. When you get injured, it’s not a good thing but it’s hard to make a comprehensive assessment. And if you speed up for some guys, it’s also because we don’t have a lot of solutions. It is a necessity. “Since the beginning of the season, the former Roma coach has put in place a special playing system, which revolves around the whole team. 11 players attack and defend together, as one block. A physical style of play, which makes all players run. The Portuguese coach believes his workforce is not inflated enough.” It’s true that I’m not happy with the winter transfer window. It is the truth. If we had more solutions it would be easier for me, easier for the team. »
Regarding his complaint in a press conference, Paulo Fonseca only made two substitutions against Angers. His seat consisted of nine substitutes, and he had solutions other than his eleven mounts. Still not enough for the Portuguese tactic?
Mattis Slezakwa
Image credits: Franco Arland/Icon Sport
