Is LOSC Lille's Christophe Galtier One of The Managers of The Season?

One look at the 2020/21 Ligue 1 table and it’s clear that Lille are on the verge of denting Paris Saint Germain's legacy this season. The Parisians have already lost a total of 8 league matches so far - the most they have in a single season in over a decade. Credit to Lille for making the most of PSG's slip-up. If anyone deserves accolades for the meteoric rise of Lille, it has to be their manager Christophe Galtier.

In the 2017/18 season, Lille struggled to survive in the top division. Their misery doubled when former manager Marcelo Bielsa was sacked due to poor form and the club was slapped with a transfer ban. In testing times, Christophe Galtier arrived as the savior for Lille. Galtier took the team from the lows of relegation threat to the cusp of domestic silverware.

Christophe Galtier, head coach of OSC Lille

So how exactly did Christophe Galtier conduct such a massive turnaround in fortunes at Lille in such a short span of time?

Managerial Style:

Much to the surprise of even the ardent Lille fans, Christophe Galtier took Ligue 1 head on. Under his tutelage, Lille have been persuasive, stoic and clinical on the pitch. Galtier built his team on the foundations of solid ball-playing center backs - young Sven Botman and experienced Jose Fonte. Botman has been a standout performer for Lille throughout the season. On the back of a strong loan spell with SC Heerenveen, the graduate from Ajax moved to Lille in search of greener pastures. In his time there, Galtier made the most of his team's ability on the ball to initiate a compact playing style that started from the back line.

Sven Botman has been one of the standout players of the season for OSC Lille

Galtier made his team operate from wide by expanding the shape his team adopted on a football pitch. Zeki Celik and Reinildo Mandava have been highly productive wing backs, and their link-up play with the two Jonathans - Bamba and Ikone on either flank dismantled the strongest of defenses. The steely presence of Boubakary Soumare in the middle of the pitch made things difficult for the rivals' forwards.

The improvement in Lille’s performance as compared to last season, was evident. The attacking makeover resulted in an expected goals (xG) rating of 45.4 as opposed to 39.7 in 2019/20. While it could be said that the attack performed above expectations by netting 57 goals, both the new signings Yilmaz and Jonathan David have been lethal in front of goal throughout the season.

Jose Fonte has been the Captain Fantastic for Lille

Jose Fonte’s vast experience has proven vital in the Lille rear-guard as the experienced Portuguese campaigner has made nearly 74% successful tackles. Disciplined Sven Botman proved why he was one of the defensive pillars of his side, making an astounding 358 recoveries, the most by any defender in the league this season. Frenchman Benjamin Andre has been insurmountable as a holding midfielder for Lille, registering the most recoveries (393) and third-most tackles won (84) across the league by any player.

Lille against the Big Teams:

To mount a title challenge in Ligue 1, it was necessary for Galtier to perform against the traditional juggernauts of the league. Over the years, Lille had failed to sustain any kind of challenge against PSG, Lyon, Marseille, Monaco and St. Etienne – the teams with the most first division titles in French football.

Lille are unbeaten this season against the big 5 of Ligue 1, winning 4 fixtures and drawing 5 so far. Interestingly, 3 out of those 4 wins have come away from home, the thrilling 3-2 victory over Olympique Lyon being one of them. An impressive 5 clean sheets in 10 games against the Big 5 boosted Lille's title challenge further.

Throughout the season, Lille showed tremendous character to grind out results and dig deep whenever it mattered the most.

Season Verdict:

Lille had neither the flair nor the flamboyance to match PSG in any aspect, especially their transfer budget. Having sold some of their best performers from last season, not much was expected of Christophe Galtier’s boys at Lille. Having punched above their weight all season, they're about to land an unthinkable knock-out blow to PSG’s dominance on Ligue 1 in the coming years.

The road was always going to be tough for Christophe Galtier at Lille. Not only has he rebuilt the team and improved the club’s finances, Galtier is now on the verge of adding the elusive Ligue 1 trophy to LOSC Lille's trophy cabinet. Irrespective of what happened on the night of 23rd May, Christophe Galtier has earned the respect of the football fraternity this season.