On the occasion of this 18th day of Ligue 1, the Gym showed great things against LOSC. Dominant in the first half, Franck Haise’s men lacked realism in the key moments to secure a spot on the podium.
Franck Haise had clearly stated in the pre-match press conference: “Ambition requires actions!” And actions, his players showed, but unfortunately not enough to win this match against LOSC. Actions were needed throughout both halves, especially when real chances presented themselves to the Nice attackers, not sporadically. And not against an opponent playing in front of their home crowd to whom they wanted to offer a valuable spot on the podium!
A 3rd place still overseen by the Aiglons!
However, this third place behind PSG and OM, which Monaco strangely ceded against Montpellier, the bottom of the league (2-1), the Aiglons dominated for an hour, before handing it over to someone more realistic.
And don’t think the Gym was far from coming away with the three points for victory. Certainly not after dominating the Lille team in almost every respect during the first half, proving that their current position in the standings was not due to chance, quite the opposite. The Gym has some definite strengths on which it has capitalized to be here, 18 matches into the season.
When you miss your chances…
But once again, Franck Haise was right, actions are needed to earn respect and points in this oh-so-difficult Ligue 1! A shot on the crossbar, for example (Tanguy Ndombele, 45+2), does not count on the scoreboard. Just like the misses from his teammates that could have changed the outcome of the match, such as the attempt in the 87th minute when Bard missed the 2-2 after a superb run from Guessand. The left-back, facing Chevalier, loses his duel, striking into the side netting…
And the side netting also doesn’t equate to a goal that can overturn the outcome of a match.
Nothing is lost for the podium
More than a month and a half after their last defeat in Ligue 1, the Gym slipped up, but the Niçoise team need not be ashamed of this defeat. Everything can restart for the Aiglons who have proven they are in a good group dynamic. The Gym certainly stumbled but fell against a more efficient, but not stronger, LOSC. There are all the ingredients to do better by the end of the season. There is determination and solidity within this Nice group. The championship is still long, and everything can turn in the Gym’s favor.
Franck Haise: “This defeat is our fault!”
“Even if they didn’t have many chances, ultimately, this defeat is ours. We did many interesting things in the first half with plenty of goal opportunities. We had chances to score a second goal as early as the 45th minute. We lacked intensity in defense and positioning. We need to play for two halves, not just one. This defeat is our fault. I have no other words. Expected goals are good, but scoring goals is better. We lack the effectiveness to be more ambitious. 45 minutes is not enough. I regret that we didn’t score a second goal in the first half. The crossbar, Chevalier’s save, regrets upon regrets… We lacked intensity in defense at the start of the second half. We improved later. This reminds us that when we do not perform consistently throughout the match, we are punished by a very good team.”
Nacym Djender
