The few whistles heard during Lille Reims (1-1) stung Paulo Fonseca and then led to a week of misunderstanding between some Lille fans and the Portuguese coach who settled things Friday at a press conference. An intriguing way for LOSC to start the year, while Lille still have everything to play for.
For 2023, some make good decisions and don’t keep them. Others don’t take it and don’t have that problem. The LOSC is part of the second category: attacking the month of January by running a 100% home controversy few people expected. For those of you who missed the previous episode, about a week ago when it came out Frustrating draw against Reims (1-1). Marked by a few whistles, Paulo Fonseca swayed without warning, his face closed: “If the fans aren’t happy, I can leave.” This infuriated some, such as Dogues Virages Est (DVE) – the main group of Lille Ultra who boycotted the first fifteen minutes of the match to protest against the schedule of the match, which took place on Monday at 5 pm – and who confirmed in a press release published this Thursday evening in particular this The section dedicated to their thinking heads: “Mr Fonseca has to focus on why he belongs to Losquist, to give the best of the team, to score our strikers, to win games or to have a warrior mentality. Not accepting criticism, which all things are not exceptional, is problematic. And this is even more so. Dangerous when the captain of the ship threatens to jump on the first wave. »
The climate is starting to get a bit unnerving and triggering, this Friday at a press conference ahead of the Coupe de France match between Mastiffs and ESTAC this Sunday (8:45pm), the Portuguese coach apologizes for the excitement that permeates the northern week: “I was very disappointed after the game against Reims. I think it was a strong emotional reaction. It’s very important that we stay together, and I’m sure our fans will be behind us on Sunday. (…) I’m very happy at Lille. The players have adapted to my philosophy perfectly. Faster than I thought. I love my players, the people who work with me. It’s hard not to be happier as a coach.” Unrealistic on paper, everything has been going well since the start of the season.
Everything must be done
A good blow from the fire hose on a fire should never have happened. This is how you sum up the adventures the Northern Club has had in one sentence. Thus, the starting point is to hear these whistles during certain LOSC game sequences along with the silent first quarter of the Lille ultras. If the second argument is fully comprehensible and therefore not aimed at the club or coach, whistles are difficult to understand. Since the start of the season, LOSC has produced one of the most beautiful games in the tournament, and its results – at times certainly not up to the content on offer – still allow them today to claim Europe. What kind of fan can honestly whistle his team’s whistle on the playing stage in the first game of the calendar year, after six generally satisfactory months and two months without seeing his team play?
There, the idea is not to explain that Paulo Fonseca is not open to criticism and that he would be untouchable because of his career or his desire to make an offensive game. Simply don’t show amnesia: Last year, despite a historic run in the Champions League, Lille fans were outraged by the transitional (and sometimes simplified) fixture proposed by Jocelyn Gurvenek as well as the results in the league. Clearly, this mid-range Mastiff must deal with the progress that needs to be made – at the end, especially – and the areas that need to be improved to claim championship-high finds. Apart from the historic home defeat against Paris Saint-Germain in August, Losc has always performed well against the big players (Lens, Monaco), and when they didn’t win, they shone in the game and deserved better (Rennes, Lyon). A more or less adequate calendar (Troyes in the Coupe de France and then in Ligue 1 at home, Brest away) should allow Fonseca and the slightly grumpy LOSC fans to pick up the pieces. At the halfway point, anything is still possible: LOSC is just six points off the podium and OM can also dream of an epic Coupe de France. Results are still to be followed.
Written by Andrea Chazzi
