Ligue 1 Review | Is Lens’s title challenge over? | OneFootball

“There’s a lot of frustration with how the match unfolded, even though we came back to equalise,” Adrien Thomasson told Ligue 1+ after RC Lens were held to a 1-1 draw away at RC Strasbourg Alsace. 

Lens struggled in the opening exchanges to find their rhythm, allowing Joaquín Panichelli to score his 14th of the season following a poor backpass from Ismaëlo Ganiou. Before they finally showed their true character to come back into the game courtesy of a beautiful strike in the second half from Mamadou Sangaré on the half-volley. 

In another season, Les Sang et Or would have been content with a point away at the Stade de la Meinau, but this year the club has loftier ambitions. Until their loss to AS Monaco last weekend, Lens were top of the table, and they had wanted to keep the pressure on Paris Saint-Germain in this unlikely title race. 

Two consecutive weekends of dropped points means PSG now has a four-point lead over Lens. It’s far from an insurmountable gap, especially when you consider that Les Parisiens have struggled with consistency throughout this season, but it’s certainly easy to see why it would frustrate the Lens players. 

An opportunity slipping away?

For Thomasson, his annoyance likely wasn’t just with the performance, but with the sense that Les Sang et Or are letting a unique opportunity pass them by. Title races in France are exceedingly rare, as PSG have made winning the league passé. 

Since QSI tookover the club in 2011, they’ve only missed out on the title three times, and to three separate teams: Montpellier HSC in 2011/12, Monaco in 2016/17, and Lille OSC in 2020/21. To be the fourth team to do this would be a once-in-a-career achievement for these players. 

Of course, it’s far too soon to suggest that the title race is now over, especially while the gap remains only four points, but the pressure is growing on Lens, and they’ll need to avoid any further slip-ups if they are to keep pace with PSG. The problem is their underlying stats suggest that we could expect a fall-off before the end of the campaign. 

Lens’s season has been built on a defence that has looked rock solid, having only conceded 21 goals (the second fewest in the league after PSG, who have conceded 19). However, according to Opta, they are dramatically outperforming an expected goals against of 30.47. Similarly, Lens have an expected points tally of 42.5, which, when compared with their actual tally of 53 points, suggests a significant overperformance from the club by 11 points. 

Title fight or relegation battle for Lens?

Perhaps this is why head coach Pierre Sage has been so reticent to talk about a title challenge. Instead, almost comically, the former Olympique Lyonnais manager has spoken about a target of 55 points and avoiding relegation. Even on Friday after the draw, Sage said, “The important thing is the 55 points, not PSG.” 

Although perhaps Sage’s approach is also why Lens find themselves in this strange situation after a summer of austerity, transition, and predictions that they would struggle to qualify for Europe. Sage has been this calm voice at the centre of it all, someone who hasn’t lost sight of the bigger picture, just how incredible it is that the club have a foot in the title race and Champions League qualification. 

As Sage said, “I’m disappointed with the result, but proud of their reaction. They tried everything to win this match, but weren’t able to finish their attacks. I liked their attitude. We sent another message: we don’t lose after a defeat. Of course, it could have been more positive with a win. But we’re on track to achieve our objectives, and we showed something as a team. It proves that we want to go for things at the end of the season.” 

What that “thing” is will be shaped in the coming weeks, and perhaps most crucially by the game against PSG on the 12th of April.

This week’s Ligue 1 sub-plots

After a bright start to life in the East of France, Gary O’Neil hit a tougher patch with a difficult run of games that saw Le Racing play Paris Saint-Germain, an in-form Le Havre AC, Olympique Lyonnais, AS Monaco, Olympique de Marseille, and Lens. The Englishman has shown promise and will have his sights set on the Coupe de France and the UEFA Europa Conference League. Read more HERE.

GFFN | Nick Hartland