LOSC played negatively and camped inside their own half, and that didn’t change, even after Jordan Teze’s red card on the hour mark meant that they were facing a 10-man Monaco for 30 minutes. In a post-match press conference, attended by Get French Football News, Genesio did not mince his words. 

“We provided a real snoozefest for the fans tonight. We saved a point because Lucas (Chevalier) saved us again. It was massively insufficient given what we had planned to do. It’s not a side to my team that I want to see. Sometimes, there are defeats that are more encouraging than this draw,” he began.

“What was encouraging? Nothing. Nothing. We didn’t do what we planned to do. We contained this Monaco team, even if they had a big chance (through Denis Zakaria) at the end. Absentees can’t be an excuse. We have to do better, a lot, lot better. We seemed happy to play out a 0-0,” he added.

Genesio accuses his Lille players of not following tactical instructions

“We didn’t do what we planned to do and that is what angers me the most. In terms of winning the ball back, we did the opposite of what we had planned to do. But it was not the same match as against Saint-Étienne (where Lille lost 1-0 in September). We created chances against ASSE. We did nothing today. We were happy to be in our own half and give the ball to Monaco, and give them the means to do what they like to do,” said Genesio.

“When you know that Monaco press massively when they lose the ball, when [I ask my team] to play on the wings, quicker, switch the play but instead we play the ball in the middle with little 20cm passes, sideways passes, and we are countered on once, then twice, either I don’t speak the right language, or we’re stupid,” he concluded. 

GFFN | Luke Entwistle – reporting from Monaco

AS Monaco and Lille OSC played out a goalless draw as Ligue 1 football returned on Friday night. Les Dogues couldn’t punish 10-man Monaco following Jordan Teze’s red card in the second half, as the Principality club extended their lead at the top of the table.

The Match

The rhythm was quickly set. Monaco pushed high and with intent out of possession and won the ball back high on several occasions. For large periods, Lille struggled to get out, ceding the lion’s share of the possession. However, it was clear that they were happy to hit on the break, with Edon Zhegrova the main outlet and a heavy reliance on individual moments of brilliance and neat interchanges with Angel Gomes and Jonathan David.

Les Monégasques looked dangerous without ever carving out clear-cut opportunities. Aleksandr Golovin saw two tame efforts saved comfortably, but the best chance of the half fell to Jordan Teze, who lacked composure in the box and blasted his rushed shot wide. Lille meanwhile, struggled to create anything at all, registering just three shots on target in the entire match.

Teze’s red card in the 62nd minute ought to have been a turning point. Already on a yellow, the Dutchman went flying in on Gabriel Gudmundsson, making contact with the LOSC defender’s neck with his knee. The straight red card was logical. But it didn’t significantly change the flow of the match.

At least until the last 10 matches, the Principality club continued to have much of the possession, much of the control, and even the better chances. Krépin Diatta should have done better when the ball fell to him within the box, but he blasted over, whilst Denis Zakaria’s effort in injury time was well saved by Lucas Chevalier.

Monaco’s ability to dominate and create, even at 10 man reflected poorly on a Lille side that looked happy to only take away one point from the Stade Louis II. If that was the goal then they achieved it. Les Monégasques are now three points ahead of second-placed Paris Saint-Germain, who can go back level with Monaco if they beat RC Strasbourg Alsace on Saturday.

Monaco player ratings

Radoslaw Majecki – 5

Caio Henrique – 6

Thilo Kehrer – 6

Wilfried Singo – 6

Jordan Teze – 2

Sloppy in possession and guilty of squandering Monaco’s best chance in the first half with a rushed finish. His tackle on Bouaddi, another clumsy moment, could have seen red, his flying kick on Gudmundsson in the second half did. 

Denis Zakaria – 5

Lamine Camara – 5

Eliesse Ben Seghir – 6

Nominated for the Golden Boy award the day before, Ben Seghir was the most lively of Monaco’s attackers, making frequent dangerous runs inside from the left. Like many of his teammates, he lacked the final ball on the night. 

Aleksandr Golovin – 6

Takumi Minamino – 4

George Ilenikhena – 3

Pre-match, Hütter said that Ilenikhena’s weaknesses were with his back to goal and in hold-up play. Against a LOSC side that sat deep, those weaknesses were highlighted. He rarely had the chance to run into space, to pin a man one-on-one. His influence was therefore highly limited, before being replaced by Breel Embolo in the wake of Teze’s red card.

Lille player ratings

Lucas Chevalier – 6

Mitchel Bakker – N/A

Replaced by Gabriel Gudmundsson (5) 

Alexsandro – 4

Bafodé Diakité – 5

Thomas Meunier – 6

The Belgian had a lot to handle down the right. He had the marauding Caio Henrique and Eliesse Ben Seghir to contend with, and whilst the latter did impress, the left flank was not so effective for Les Monégasques, certainly not as much as they would have hoped and expected. Meunier is a big reason why. 

André Gomes – 6

Ayyoub Bouaddi – 4

Osame Sahraoui – 4

Angel Gomes – 5

Edon Zhegrova – 4

Lille relied on him to provide moments of brilliance, but they were in short supply. His touch was uncharacteristically loose. It was a missed opportunity for the Kosovan, against a left-back not renowned for his defensive strengths. 

Jonathan David – 5

GFFN | Luke Entwistle

Lille had been left with debts of around €400 million from the previous owner Gérard Lopez (who currently owns FC Girondins de Bordeaux, a team that were recently relegated from the second tier of French football to the fourth due to financial issues). 

Létang’s stewardship has created a club that spends moderately and sells well, while its recent European adventures (last season’s Europa Conference League run to the quarter-finals and this season’s foray into the Champions League) have helped boost finances. 

Lille represent an attractive option in the French market 

All of this has created an attractive club, which the L’Équipe writes has seen buyout interest. The French outlet reports that three parties have sent proposals to Lille to purchase the club, including an English company. However, all three have fallen short of the current valuation of the club. 

GFFN | Nick Hartland

Pépé made 79 appearances for Lille, scoring 37 goals and registering 18 assists before joining Arsenal in an €80m move back in 2019. His move to the Gunners never worked out, despite making over 100 appearances for the Premier League side. A loan move to OGC Nice in 2022 failed to resurrect his career before he ultimately joined Turkish side Trabzonspor on a free transfer in September 2023. 

However, having only signed a one-year deal, the Ivory Coast international was once again available on the market this summer. Speaking to Free Foot, Pépé has revealed that he almost made a shock return to LOSC.

“I had a chance to return to Lille. It tempted me. I thought about it because my family live in Lille and so it is something that crossed my mind,” said Pépé. Since moving to Villarreal, he has enjoyed a return to form, netting once and registering an assist in his first eight matches in La Liga. 

GFFN | Luke Entwistle

Bruno Genesio has multiple absentees to contend with. As well as Benjamin André, suspended, there is a whole raft of injuries. Tiago Santos suffered an ACL injury during the international break and will miss several months. He joins the likes of Samuel Umtiti, Nabil Bentaleb, Ethan Mbappé, Ismaily, and Hákon Arnar Haraldsson on the sidelines for Lille.

It means that there will be space in the starting XI for 17-year-old Ayyoub Bouaddi. He will likely feature alongside André Gomes with Angel Gomes playing in a slightly more advanced role, closer to Jonathan David. 

Lille likely lineup v Monaco

Lucas Chevalier; Mitchel Bakker, Alexsandro, Bafodé Diakité, Thomas Meunier; André Gomes, Ayyoub Bouaddi; Rémy Cabella, Angel Gomes, Edon Zhegrova; Jonathan David. (L’Éq)

GFFN | Luke Entwistle

The news comes just two days after LOSC provided a positive update on the Portuguese full-back. The marauding full-back was injured whilst on international duty. He was forced off during Portugal U21’s encounter against the Faroe Islands on Friday. He then underwent tests back in Lille on Monday. Those tests were positive. No injury was detected, which allowed Tiago Santos to make an immediate return to first-team training.

However, after getting the green light, Tiago Santos suffered a ruptured ACL on Tuesday, as confirmed by the club. He will undergo an operation in the coming days. Without confirming the exact length of the Portugal youth international’s absence, Lille nonetheless admitted that he would miss several months of action. His season may, therefore, be over. 

GFFN | Luke Entwistle

Balogun is expected to be out for around two months with a shoulder injury, whilst Salisu suffered what looked like a hamstring injury whilst on international duty. However, as confirmed by the club, Les Dogues will be able to count on Tiago Santos (22) against Les Monégasques. 

The marauding full-back was also injured whilst on international duty. He was forced off during Portugal U21’s encounter against the Faroe Islands on Friday. He then underwent tests back in Lille on Monday. Those tests were positive. No injury was detected, which allowed Tiago Santos to make an immediate return to first-team training. He is therefore in line to start against the table-topping Principality club as Ligue 1 actions returns on Friday night. 

GFFN | Luke Entwistle

Corriere dello Sport understands that the Serie A side are looking to bring in a new forward, perhaps as early as January. One player targeted is Lille OSC’s Jonathan David. The Canada international has begun the season well with LOSC, however, there are doubts about his future. Whilst talks about a contract extension have reportedly taken place, there is currently no agreement to extend the current deal, which expires at the end of the campaign. 

David is perhaps, therefore, a more realistic option if Juventus did into the market in the summer, however, if they were to do so in January, Stade Rennais’ Arnaud Kalimuendo would perhaps be a more likely option, as per Tuttosport. Thiago Motta is a fan of the France youth international and was already tracking him with a view to a move over the summer. 

Kalimuendo had been expected to leave Rennes in the summer before ultimately remaining in Brittany, but Juventus are now showing significant interest with talks underway between the player’s entourage and between the two clubs. 

GFFN | Luke Entwistle

Under Lopez’s tenure in charge of Les Dogues, the club developed debts of €400m, leaving them in a precarious situation financially and putting the future of the club in doubt. However, after 4 years of work to reduce the debts, Lille are now debt-free and in a much healthier position financially. 

The Luxembourg businessman agreed to sell the Hauts-de-France club in late 2020. Lopez was put under immense pressure to sell Les Dogues due to the inability to see a return on loans obtained worth €225m. The former Lille owner has a torrid record in football ownership. He also acted as the last serving president of Bordeaux before they lost their professional status and were relegated to the 4th division of French football. 

GFFN | Liam Wraith

Coquelin says there has been interest from Ligue 1 sides in adding him to their squad, but according to him, Lille OSC decided to go with a different profile player, as did Montpellier HSC.

Speaking to L’Équipe, the 2020-21 UEFA Europa League champion has set a deadline as to when he hopes to find a club.

“I have the motivation, but if at the end of January, I’m not in a club that I’m interested in, we’re going to start asking questions,” says Coquelin.

An under-19 European champion with France in 2010, Coquelin spent eight seasons in North London with the Gunners before a loan spell in France at FC Lorient.

He featured in 24 Ligue 1 fixtures for them that season, with the 33-year-old playing the rest of his senior career in foreign leagues in Spain, Germany and England.

His first senior goal at club level came during his brief spell in Ligue 1, while he has only netted five times in his senior club career.

The defensive midfielder has never been called up to the French senior squad despite featuring for a number of their youth teams. Before joining the Arsenal academy, Coquelin was a part of the youth setup at Stade Lavallois from 2005-2008.

Despite failing to find a club during the summer transfer window, Coqeulin says that he isn’t disappointed, noting that plenty of big names were not signed as well.

GFFN | Joel Lefevre