Ligue 1’s fourth spot in the Champions League is now Lille’s to lose

The Ligue 1 table has been nip and tuck in its first season with 18 teams, Paris Saint-Germain, of course, the notable exception. Even though they have drawn four of their last six league matches, they still have a 10-point lead at the top of the table but below them, everything has been much tighter.

The two teams at the bottom of the table, Clermont and Metz, have remained competitive throughout the campaign and are rarely outclassed. The four sides above them – Nantes, Le Havre, Lorient and Montpellier – continue scrapping to avoid the relegation playoff, even if Montpellier’s win over Lorient this weekend has given them room to breathe. And as closely fought as the relegation battle has been, the jousting for Champions League spots has been even more intense.

Brest, whose fine 4-3 win against Metz on Sunday kept them second, have been the surprise package, helped by a strong defence and an attack that shares around the goals. Monaco, who are third, have fought for a Champions League spot for most of the season, Wissam Ben Yedder quietly racking up the goals as Adi Hütter reaps the benefits of some canny signings and a breakthrough season from Maghnes Akliouche. Monaco have wobbled at times, but they have the second-best attack in the division and their weekend win against Rennes means they are now unbeaten in their last six games.

When it became apparent that Ligue 1 would receive a fourth Champions League spot next season, the race looked even more enticing. Nice were strong early favourites to clinch that extra place, buoyed by their parsimonious defence; Lens were in form and did not have the distraction of Europe; and Rennes were surging guided by Julien Stéphan. Even Marseille had reeled off four straight wins under Jean-Louis Gasset, making themselves outsiders with a puncher’s chance.

Lille, though, have emerged from the pack and are now the clear favourites to finish fourth, especially after their 3-1 demolition of Marseille on Friday night. They have been in great form over the last few months, going unbeaten in their last five matches, and since an ignominious 3-1 defeat at Toulouse in late February, Paulo Fonseca’s side have won away to Reims, battled back from a two-goal deficit with five minutes to play to secure a point against Rennes, earned a nervy draw in Brest, beaten Lens in the derby – and now won convincingly against Marseille.

They now have a five-point lead over fifth-placed Nice, who could only draw with Reims at the weekend. Lille have not quite sewn up that Champions League spot – they are still alive in Europe, which could prove a distraction, and they face a tough trip to Monaco at the end of the month – but the combination of their own fine form and the failings of the clubs around them has made them favourites to return to the competition two years after they reached the last 16.

What is behind this unstinting rise up the table? A January signing come good, a key player returning from injury, or a young player breaking through at just the right time? It’s definitely not the first option; Lille signed three youngsters in January but they have barely featured, earmarked as prospects for the future. As for players returning from injury, Bafodé Diakité is back in the ranks but he only played two minutes on Friday and the right-back is hardly the sort of player who would swing this sort of race. Young players? Haakon Haraldsson has featured more often, but the Iceland international has not exactly been a catalyst this season, scoring just once in 20 appearances.

Jonathan David has definitely played his part; the Canadian has been irrepressible since the turn of the year, scoring 11 goals in the league. The goalkeeper, Lucas Chevalier, has been essential. He is solid in goal and adept with his feet, which helps Fonseca’s preferred possession-dominant style. But the real answer lies in the culture the Portuguese manager has created at the club.

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Fonseca is unafraid to shake things up to keep his players hungry and motivated. He has readily changed formations, swapping between 4-2-3-1 and 4-3-3, and has not hesitated to swap his personnel. Whether it’s leaving David on the bench against PSG or dropping Gabriel Gudmundsson for the veteran Rémy Cabella, as he did on Friday, the manager has been bold and his approach is paying handsome dividends.

When asked about Cabella, who scored a brilliant goal in the 3-1 win against Marseille, the manager said: “I needed a player that was more attacking, more decisive, stronger in their finishing. Rémy deserved to play. Just because we’ve won the last few games doesn’t mean I don’t change the players. They know it depends on the strategy and different characteristics.”

It’s a tricky balancing act for any manager, but Fonseca has buy-in from his squad, as Cabella explained: “I wasn’t happy against Lens as I played only a few minutes. But I kept working rather than complaining. The truth is told on the pitch. I had a good week of work and the coach offered me the chance to start. He knows he can count on me until the end.”

The all-hands-on-deck mentality fostered by Fonseca is working. His team is still fighting on two fronts – Lille take on Aston Villa in the Conference League quarter-finals, starting on Thursday – with his tactics and man-management bearing fruit.

Talking points

Maghnes Akliouche has made himself indispensable at Monaco. The 22-year-old attacking midfielder scored the only goal of the game against Rennes on Sunday – his fourth in 2024, to go with his two assists. Adi Hütter also has Aleksandr Golovin and Takumi Minamino at his disposal, so it’s not easy even getting into the Monaco team, but Akliouche is earning his stripes in a major way as his team surges towards a probable Champions League return.

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Montpellier look to have pulled themselves clear of the relegation scrap with wins in three of their last four matches, the exception being a loss to Paris Saint-Germain in which they showed plenty of fight. The thread in these matches has been the imperious Téji Savanier scoring from the penalty spot. He’s scored his last 15 in a row – including all seven this season – and his assuredness from 12 yards has probably kept his team up.

They couldn’t, could they? Lyon’s league campaign looked dead and buried with 15 minutes to play against Nantes, but Malick Fofana and Rayan Cherki came off the bench to spark a furious comeback. Having been 1-0 down, they ran out 3-1 winner, a victory that means Lille are just two points off Reims in seventh. They finish the season with a brutal run of fixtures — Lyon play each of the current top four before finishing against Clermont and Strasbourg — but have shown already they can go toe to toe with stronger opponents, having seen off Monaco, Lille (in the Coupe de France) and Nice. Add in the confidence their young players will have gained from reaching the Coupe de France final and they have a glimmer of hope, no small feat given the relegation worries that plagued the team a few months ago.