Ligue 1 special: Three things that can be expected for LOSC Lille in the 2011/2012 Ligue 1 season
2010/2011 Ligue 1 season would definitely go down in the history books as one of the most successful campaigns for the Villeneuve d’Ascq-based club.
After 67 years, Lille were able to record a domestic double and most important of all, the club finally won the Ligue 1 Championnat after a long wait of 54 years. A trophy that had eluded Les Dogues for over five decades finally arrived at Lille.
Rudi Garcia did ever so well to take the Nord-Pas-de-Calais to the dizzy heights of French football. Since the historic triumph, LOSC Lille face a threat of having many of their star players snatched away.
The likes of http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Arsenal-c38429 this summer while doubts surround the
future of Belgian sensation http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Eden-Hazard-c11863.
Rudi Garcia might find it hard to repeat the feats of last season but one cannot expect Lille to be weak even if they do loose the likes of Gervinho and Hazard. Bettor.com takes a look at few of the things that one can expect from Lille next season as they
aim to defend their Ligue 1 crown.
European adventure
By winning the league title, Lille have already gained automatic qualification to the UEFA Champions League. Rudi Garcia is already looking to buy a few more players in order to make a squad that can compete for titles both in Europe and in France.
Though it still remains to be seen which teams Lille will have to fight within the group stages of the Champions League, Les Dogues might not be able to pull off shocking victories if they are drawn with the likes of Manchester United, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Real-c30728 Madrid
or http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Chelsea-c38786.
Lille might be able to progress to the knockout phase of the competition but going all the way would seem asking too much of a side that still has a long way to go in becoming a dominant force at European stage.
Fringe players to be given a chance in domestic cup competitions
Last season, Les Dogues managed to win the Coupe de http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/France-c2899 for only the sixth time in their history. However, Rudi Garcia won’t be looking to field a strong side at the start of the competition. The same can be said of the Trophee des Champions.
The Frenchman can be expected to give the fringe players a chance to prove themselves in the cup competitions as Lille’s main priority next season would be to survive in the Champions League for long and to defend their league title.
Tough competition to defend the Championelle
Last season, Lille simply stormed their way to a Ligue 1 title. However, things might be different when the 2011/2012 season starts. With Paris Saint-Germain already making wide scale changes in the team and Marseille looking to take the title that was snatched
away from them by an efficient Lille side, Les Dogues would be stretched all the way to defend the title.
Paris Saint-Germain pose a big threat to all of the Ligue 1 clubs and especially the big four clubs. The Parisian club is likely to battle it out for the Ligue 1 crown against Lille this season. Though Lyon are a shadow of their former selves for now, Remi
Garde might change the fortunes of Les Gones so taking Lyon out of the equation could prove to be a big mistake.
Tags: