France’s Ligue 1 is rapidly growing as a focal point for a number of the more interesting stories involving Portugal’s foreign-based contingent of coaches and players this season.
The early-season performances of André Villas-Boas and Paulo Sousa in charge of Marseille and Bordeaux respectively have lit up the league, while Renato Sanches may finally have found a stable home at Lille thanks to the guidance of coach Christophe Galtier.
Praise rains on AVB
Villas-Boas joined Marseille this summer, signing a two-year contract at the Stade Velodrome after 18 months out of the game. Sousa, meanwhile, arrived at Bordeaux in March as the team slumped to a poor run of form towards the end of the season.
Both sides currently occupy top-three positions in Ligue 1 behind perennial champions Paris Saint-Germain, with AVB’s Marseille in second place following a 2-0 win at Angers this midweek, while Sousa has Bordeaux sitting in 3rd thanks to a sensational 6-0 victory against Nimes at home.
Marseille finished 5th last season, missing out on Champions League qualification under Rudi Garcia. Their improved form under Villas-Boas is leading to widespread praise of the former Porto tactician, who was positively received early after his appointment according to L’Equipe. “Villas-Boas’ methods and philosophy are appreciated internally, as is his personality,” wrote the paper back in August.
At that stage Marseille were finding their feet during the early weeks of the season, but now after five consecutive wins the buzz around the Portuguese is growing. "AVB studied Angers, which is the team with the lowest percentage of possession in the league. Well, if Angers doesn't like to have the ball, what AVB did was offer it on a silver tray embellished with a ribbon,” wrote L’Equipe this week after the latest three points. Other papers have stated that “AVB’s mastery of adapting tactics has been the secret” of Marseille’s success.
“We’re on the right path” - Sousa
Sousa is inevitably gaining praise for his work with a Bordeaux side enjoying their best goalscoring start to a season in 20 years. The well-travelled Portuguese coach is working in the backdrop of fan protests at the running of the club, but has steered Les Girondins to six games without defeat and their lofty 3rd place position is a marked improvement on last year’s 14th finish.
“We are on the right path, in our mentality and the level of our principle of play,” said Sousa. “There will still be a lot of difficulties this season. We must continue to improve. The sooner we can solve this situation [with fan unrest] the more stability we will have. The more we are united, the stronger we are.”
How great to see @renatosanches35 in L'Equipe's Ligue 1 Team of the Week? Also note the coach 👀🇵🇹 pic.twitter.com/eornM5kOeX
— Sean Gillen 🇵🇹 (@SeanGillen9) December 5, 2019
Also on improved paths in Ligue 1 are several Portuguese players. Gelson Martins was the hero with a late winner to give Leonardo Jardim’s Monaco a 2-1 victory at Toulouse this midweek, but it is the form of young duo Tiago Djaló and Renato Sanches at Lille which is giving the most cause for optimism for Seleção fans.
Djaló, who arrived at Lille from Milan over the summer as part of a deal which took Rafael Leão to Italy, has made strong strides in recent weeks with a performance against PSG gaining particular attention. It is Sanches, however, who is the current subject of conversation at the northern France club.
New position sees Sanches “starting to take shape”
Sanches won admirers for his showing in Lille’s 1-0 win at Dijon over the weekend, and the former Benfica man continued his form in an impressive victory at Lyon on Wednesday. Sanches played the full ninety minutes and once again caught the eye with some trademark bursts with the ball.
Já tínhamos saudades destas arrancadas do puto @renatosanches35 🔥 #Ligue1Eleven #ForTheFans pic.twitter.com/JfFOaxQlbc
— Eleven Sports Portugal (@ElevenSports_PT) December 5, 2019
Lille boss Christophe Galtier deployed Sanches on the right side of the attack in a 4-2-3-1 formation, and spoke to the media after the match about his management of the 22-year-old. "He was in a club (Bayern) with an unbelievable squad,” Galtier began. “He also had some physical problems, we've been working together for five months, it's starting to take shape.
“It’s a slightly different [position] from the one he's used to playing in, even though I put him in this position against Ajax in the first match, but he was not so good physically. In this role, he is able to do a lot.”
This upcoming weekend sees Lille play at home to Brest on Friday night, while Jardim’s Monaco host Amiens on Saturday. The most intriguing encounter, however, will pit André Villas-Boas’ Marseille against Bordeaux at the Stade Velodrome on Sunday evening.
By Sean Gillen
