LOSC Lille- The Return of Les Douges

Welcome back to transfer deadline day, we have a brand new signing to present you. Yes, LOSC Lille was in dire need of a center back, and they've just acquired one with 8 hours to go. Genk has sold the Sengalese Center Back Kara to Lille for a paltry fee of just 3.3 million euros. Kara, 23, is an exceptionally well-rounded Center Back. He's quite good at heading, tackling, and marking. He's also very strong, just the kind of new Center Defender that struggling new manager Marcel Desaily needed. Desaily and Lille are struggling right now, and currently find themselves in 10th. Kara should replace David Rozenhal in the team, which certainly reduces the workload of Simon Kjaer, who currently had to cover for the 33 year old's mistakes. Now the focus must be on strikers for Lille, as scoring goals has been the French clubs main problem this season. Ibesivic has scored his fair share of goals, but the support on the wings has not been adequate. Simone Pepe is injured, so Ryan Mendes de Graca has had to fill in. He's done a less than stellar job at the club so far, and a new forward would certainly take some of the pressure off of Vedad.

Hopefully Kara can help shore up your back line

An unbeaten Month!

Overview



We played 4 games this month, drawing 2 and winning 2, an alright month for sure. Our defense continues to be stellar, but it’s our goal scoring that’s really causing the issue. We let up just 2 goals in 4 games, an outstanding record, but our offense couldn’t do much better, scoring 4 goals in 2 games. It’s frustrating, but at least we escaped with 3 points on 2 occasions in the month of September.

In Depth



Our first game this month was a boring fixture against Nice. Yep, you guessed the score. 0-0. We had 18 shots, and 6 on target, yet not one of them went into the goal. Again, Stellar defense, poor finishing.



At least this game had a goal. Although we didn’t have as much possession as I had hoped, we absolutely destroyed Sochaux, hitting the bar 3 times. Our one goal came in the 43rd minute. Vedad Ibsevic tucked home a left-footed shot from outside the area to equalize. This was yet another game where we lost out on three points due to our horrible finishing.



Our second win of the season came against Evian TCG, the team owned by the water company Evian. An unlucky deflection in the box led to an Evian goal in just the 21st minute, but Ryan Mendes de Graca equalized 30 minutes late on a free header near the 6 yard box. It was looking like another draw, but Vedad Ibesivic stepped up to take a free kick in the 93rd minute, and scored, much to the delight of the home crowd. This really was a crucial win for the side. Another draw would bring down morale, but we managed to pull through in the end.



We managed to win an outstanding game against Lyon in our last game of the month. Away from Lille, we were huge underdogs, especially considering our shaky form coming into the game. Throughout the whole game, the home side was in control, but in the 78th minute, a cross from Marvin Martin met Solomon Kalou at the back post, and the veteran tucked it past the keeper for what would be the first and only goal of the game. It was a fantastic result for the club, and It kept us within striking distance of Champions League spots, which was my personal goal for the season.

Positives
Incredible defense

Clutch goals in last 2 games

Negatives

Horrendous finishing

Poor possession

Tactics



One reason we managed to pick up our form at the end of the month was a new tactic. The 4-5-1 I employed wasn’t working for us, perhaps our passing wasn’t adequate for the possession based football I was aiming to play. I switched to a 4-2-3-1 counter based tactic that meant to soak up pressure and then play threatening through balls up the pitch to find our faster players, Soloman Kalou and Ryan Mendes de Graca, in what would hopefully be a dangerous attack. It payed off, as we managed to score 3 goals in 2 games at the end of the month. Still not enough for a title contender, but we’re getting there.

Table

I forgot to take a screenshot of the table this month, but we were sitting 7th in the table , 3 spots away from the Champions League spots that I told the board I would achieve.
Our player of the month is……………



Kara! The new signing immediately fit into the team and won Man of the Match against Lyon. He formed a perfect bond at the back with Simon Kjaer, and they performed excellently this month.

Pretty decent month, great win against Lyon especially! The new tactic looks good, hope you can start to pick up more goals with it!

Welcome back to Canal Plus. Today we’re meeting with Lille manager Michael Desaily. His Lille team is currently sitting 7th in the Ligue 1, but his defense has been stellar.

Hello Michael, How are you doing today?

I’m doing well, thank you.

So, on the whole, how do you feel about your performance this year?

Well, It isn’t the greatest start of all time. Of course, I’d love to be in 1st place right now with a perfect record, but that’s not how it’s worked out. I’m very happy with our defense.
They’ve been stellar so far, and kept us in lots of games. I’m very happy that we’ve lost just one game, and I think we can improved on our position right now and push for a Champions League spot.

You talked about your defense Michael, Why do you think they’ve been so great this season?

They’ve managed to clear the ball very well and haven’t allowed attackers and ounce of space. They’ve won every 50-50 ball there is, and they’ve just worked really really hard. What’s even better about the defense, especially the center defenders, is they’ve got lots of room to improve. In the future, I’m looking forward to even better performances.

What about your goalkeeper?

Well, Vincent Enyema has been absolutely brilliant. When the defense slips-up, Vincent always steps up and makes some truly fantastic saves. I’m not going to lie, Sunderland made a bid for Vincent, but I made an impulsive decision and rejected the offer. I’m really pleased with that decision now, and I think Vincent will be the first choice keeper for years to come.

There have been some reports that Marsielle are interested in Rio Mavuba, your defensive midfielder. Are those true, and will you consider selling him in January?

Well, Marsielle haven’t approached me personally about Rio, but there is not a chance in heaven that Rio will be leaving this club. He’s a leader on and off the pitch, and I will not be selling him.

You made a tactical switch this month after that disappointing draw with Sochaux. How has that impacted the player’s performance?

Well, the new tactic has helped the team create more chances. Now all we have to do is finish them.

What do you think about the performance of new signing Vedad Ibesivic?

Well Vedad has been finishing. You can’t scoff at his goal record, but he won’t be creating many chances on his own. That’s partly why I brought in a new Center Attacking Mid, to help Vedad get more chances.

Lastly, have you revised your goals after your start to the season?

Not at all, I’m sure we can still get Champions League spots and maybe even win the Coupe De Ligue or the French Cup.

Thanks Michael for your time.

Thank You.

Nice little interview there. Hope the season goes well for you

An Up and Down Month

Overview



It's been an up and down month here in Lille, with 2 devastating losses shoved between two close wins. We played the best football we've played all year, but some uncharacteristic slip-ups from our defense has cost us points. Despite all of that, we're still close to a champions league spot. All it will take is one great month, and we'll be title contenders. However, that looks unlikely, with the heartbreaking losses against Montpelier and Nantes really crushing Morale.

In-Depth



Our first game this month was against bottom-feeders AC Ajaccio, a game that should have been relatively easy to win. However, we couldn't grab the first goal until the start of the second half, where a back pass to the keeper was intercepted by Vedad Ibesvic. He would go on to calmly slot the ball past the goalie to give us the 1-0 lead. Marvin Martin doubled out lead with a fantastic free kick from just outside the box. They would go on to score in the 77th minute, but it proved nothing more than a consolation goal, and we took all three points.



Our second game was against Montpelier, who were sitting pretty in 1st place. This was not a game to remember. We fielded a weakened lineup, without Vedad Ibesivic, who was injured on international duty, and Marvin Martin, who had the flu. From there, It just all went down hill. Victor Montanto just destroyed our defense the whole game, especially Simon Kjaer, who ended with a 3.5 rating. Damn. Judging by the stats, it was actually quite an even game. We both had 11 shots, and we had 56% of the ball, but It wasn't meant to be.



Our next game was a heart breaker against FC Nantes, in a game we were expected to win. They scored 2 goals in the first half, and we couldn't finish. (Suprise, Suprise) However, we pulled off a fantastic comeback, with Nolan Roux and Marvin Martin scoring 2 goals to stun Nantes. However, a poor clearance led to an 85th minute goal in a game that was just awful for morale.



Our last game was a cup match against AS Nancy. Florent Balmont gave us the lead early on in the match, and an own goal doubled our lead. Benjamin Jeannot pulled one back in the 62nd minute, but Ibesivic responded with a goal just 8 minutes later. However, the scoring wasn't over, Jeannot scored again just a minute after Ibesivic scored. That was the end of the scoring, and we managed to win the match 3-2 to advance to the next round of the Coupe de Ligue, where we will play PSG.

Positives

7 goals this month!

Dominated possession in all but one match

Negatives

Defense was not as stellar as they were last month

Complete collapse against Montpelier

Table



We're currently sitting 7th, still 3 spots away from the Champions league places.

Our player of the month is...................


Marvin Martin. The Frenchman scored in 2 out of the 3 games he played in, and he also didn't play against Montpelier, which really made him to stand out as October's Player of the Month.

Decent month, but all I have to say is:

Simon Kjaer got a 3.5 rating

Interesting story so far mate, lacking some luck I think. Good wins in places especially against Lyon away. Best of luck for the rest mate.