Since the Qatar group purchased Paris Saint-Germain in 2011, only Montpellier and Monaco were able to take the Ligue 1 crown off PSG in the last decade. The club from the capital had won seven of the last nine Ligue 1 titles, including three consecutive titles under Unai Emery and then Thomas Tuchel. However, a new, young, and fresh force flourished in France this season and became the best in Ligue 1 to dethrone PSG – Christophe Galtier’s team.
When Galtier took over Lille in December 2017, the club was in the relegation zone. However, things quickly reversed as the former Saint-Etienne head coach brought them back to the UEFA Champions League. Lilles triumph this season was their first title win in 10 years, with the last one coming just before QSIs purchase of PSG changed the playing field in France.
This tactical analysis will introduce three of the key concepts of Galtier’s Lille that brought them success.
Flexible offensive structure, stable ideas
Galtier largely used a 4-4-2 formation and rarely changed to a different system. According to Wyscout, 92% of Lille’s game time this season saw them play in a 4-4-2, which shows the head coachs belief in his methods. However, within this shape, Galtier was often quite flexible, changing roles and duties based on the opposition as well as the characteristics of the players in the XI.
Their shape in possession would often be a 3-2-5, with the right-back, Zeki Çelik, tucking infield to become the third centre-back, and the left-back Reinildo pushing high to join the attacking line. This was done to create numerical superiority against an opposition back four (5v4), with a pair of central midfielders in front of the defence to guard against defensive transitions. Boubakary Soumaré, who is rumoured to be joining Leicester City in the summer, had a strong season here, with the midfielders not having a particularly big role in the teams build-up play.
The back three shape allowed the wide centre-backs to advance into the half-spaces and bring the ball forward, as they would usually have numerical superiority over the oppositions attacking line. Veteran José Fonte was therefore used as the central player in this back three, and he would stay back, with Çelik and Sven Botman as the two to bring the ball out. Both players are young, comfortable on the ball, and have the recovery pace to get back if caught higher upfield. We can see Çelik on the ball in an advanced position in the next image.
The front five would provide offensive depth through runs in behind, with the pace of Jonathan Bamba, Timothy Weah, and Jonathan Ikoné being a key part of this tactic. Çeliks compatriot Burak Yilmaz would also try and run in behind, as seen in the image, but he could also drop deep to receive possession between the lines and play passes to his forward-running teammates.
With a strike pair used, this jo
