Football Season Guide

Lens sprung a major shock last season as they pushed PSG almost all the way for the title and finished in a comfortable second place under Pierre Sage. Without European competition to distract them, they made a strong push for the title but their away form wobbled at a critical moment. At home, they were formidable, losing only 2 games – their first and last of the season. Over the summer, Lens lost their biggest asset in the form of Sage, replacing him with Dino Toppmoller, who has never previously worked in France’s top-flight before. Beyond that, there have been a string of notable departures, with many of these being for free. Malang Sarr, Wesley Said and particularly Adrien Thomasson will be sorely missed. Mamadou Sangare also departed, but at least they earned a sizeable fee. Lens have been frugal in terms of signing players, with the focus remaining on the collective rather than individual stars. Lens cannot be judged by their pre-season form as they have been dogged by injury problems, particularly in their defence sector, which has been left at bare bones at times. Striker Odsonne Edouard has also been missing. It’s not been an ideal preparation by any means, though results have been reasonably sound, with only defeat to Sunderland in friendlies. Lens’ biggest strength last season was their defence, and they have retained this core. In particular, they will be looking for another big season from their wing-backs. Matthieu Udol and Saud Abdulhamid were both excellent performers from them last season and a similar impact this time around may be essential. The midfield has gone from being the most reliable area of the team to one in which there are major question marks. Of their options in that area, there is not one player remaining from last season who they leaned heavily on. They need the new signings Titraoui and Cuisance to come good, while there are high hopes for Mesloub, though at 16, he cannot be hoped to contribute heavily.