How they did it: Lille's magnificent title win over PSG analyzed

This season, Lille has beaten all the odds and won the title in France. In a league where PSG is as dominant as Galactic Empire in the Star Wars movies, winning the title is not so easy. In fact, Lille’s success can be measured to Leicester’s title in the Premier League in 2016, or to anybody winning the title in Germany apart from Bayern Munich (nine consecutive years and still counting). Since the Qatari owners took over PSG in 2011 and invested billions of dollars, only three teams have managed to ’steal’ the title: Montpellier 2012, Monaco 2017 and now Lille.

But how did it happen? Well, it all starts with a good recruitment. Even Jurgen Klopp or Zinedine Zidane can’t do much with a bunch of average players. So, Lille first made sure to appoint the man who knows how to find good players and who was the mastermind behind Monaco, the last team to win Ligue 1 in front of PSG in 2017 - Luis Campos. Former manager turned scout by Mourinho in Real worked wonders in Monaco, bringing Falcao, Fabinho, Moutinho, Martial, James Rodriguez, Bernardo Silva and many others. He went to Lille in 2017 and made some shrew moves along the way, perfectly blending experienced players with youth prospects and big club’s outcasts.

Campos also made money for Lille, allowing them to buy when they needed to. He bought Nicolas Pepe and Rafael Leao for a humble ammount of money and then sold them for over £100 million. The money was then used in part to sign Nigerian forward Victor Osimhen, who was sold last summer for £60 million having been bought for a third of that figure. Then Lille payed a heafthy sum (25 million) for Jonathan David from Gent.

Let’s not forget Campos bought four outcasts from PSG, players which the Parisian didn’t rate much when they played for their B team. Goalkeeper Mike Maignan, forwards Jonathan Ikone and Timothy Weah (son of famous George Weah), and midfielder Boubakary Soumare played a big part in Lille’s title success, and all four of them were payed 16 million euros. For example, only Pablo Sarabia from Seville was paid 18 million by PSG.

The man who engineers championship-winning teams

Apart from shrewd moves for young players, Campos also made a fantastic decision to sign two ’grandpa’s’: 35-year-old Burak Yilmaz and 37-year-old Jose Fonte. The Turkish attacker has only ever played once outside his country before this season, but still managed to put in a truly astonishing set of performances in his first season. He gave some crucial goals this season but surely his biggest game was against Lyon, when Yilmaz, a free agent pick up by Campos scored two and assisted one more in a 3-2 win. He was also secure with a penalty in the last day’s win over Angers, which secured the title.

Neymar and Mbappe are not enough for PSG, Lille wins the title

Fonte came back from China and signed for Lille in 2018. His experience was vital for Lille’s defense, the best in Ligue 1, and he tutored Sven Botman, who was a revelation this season. The Portuguese was also wise enough to set a certain clause in his contract.

“When I arrived, I spoke with Marc Ingla (Lille Director General) in terms of a title bonus. Because I believe that everything is possible in football. It is also a bit down to my work. When I arrived, they thought I was completely crazy” revealed Fonte after the title has been won.

Campos left at the end of 2020, when Lille owner Gerard Lopez, who brought him in, lost control of the club due to outstanding debts and investment group Callisto Sporting took over. But the foundation was already there.

If you have a fantastic set of players, it doesn’t mean you will win the title (ask Mauricio Pochettino with PSG or Nico Kovac with Bayern). And Lille took care of that too. Christophe Galtier got his rookie job as a caretaker manager when his boss Alain Perrin got the sack at St. Etienne and stayed there for seven years, even winning The French Cup in 2013. He took over Lille in 2017, when they were relegation candidates, and with his knowledge, along with Campo signings, the club won the title four years later.

Galtier’s main quality has been solidifying the defense. As a former defender, Galtier knows how to set up his teams. They have conceded just 23 goals this term, five fewer than PSG. They’ve also racked up 21 clean sheets – the most of any team across Europe’s top five leagues. They’re also ranked first for Expected Goals Conceded. And they haven’t lost to PSG (0-0 and 0-1 win in Paris). They have pressed high in defense, and as a result, their main tactic was counter attack. With a high pressing, Galiter had special tasks for his attackers. Lille forwards had to do a lot of work off the ball. In David, Yusuf Yazici and Luiz Araujo, Galtier has three attackers who rank in the top 20 for pressures per 90 across Europe, per FBref.

Lille deserved all the success they had this season. But, this season won’t have a happy ending. The club is in debts and they don’t have a foreigh state behind them. Their most valuable players will be/have been sold: Maignan (already signed for Milan), Botman, Ikone, Soumare…with Gailtier also gone.

"I made my decision. I informed my president. I just feel strongly that I've done my time here. That four-year cycle is long enough for a coach. My decision is not linked to the final classification of the LOSC, if we had finished fourth or seventh I would have made the same decision. I do not want to leave on a success. I am leaving because I decided that after four years, it was time to leave” the French tactician told L'Equipe. The battle between Napoli, Nice and Lyon for his services has now begun.

After all, it seems that the Galactic Empire is the favorite again next season.