Speaking to Ligue 1+, RC Lens coach Pierre Sage practically acknowledged Paris Saint-Germain’s title win while also praising PSG’s performance. His message sounded less like a surrender and more like a clear-eyed assessment: Lens put up a fight, but Paris still has a margin for error.
Sage: “To beat them, you have to have a perfect season. Well done to them.”
“Second place is secured. Now we need the Coupe de France. PSG? Tomorrow, they have a match that will allow them to celebrate qualifying for the Champions League final and clinch the title on goal difference. I think they won’t pass up such an opportunity. We tried to push them to their limits.
We missed a few opportunities in our season, which hasn’t been perfect. To beat them, you have to have a perfect season. Well done to them, they’ve managed to win another title and will surely win a second Champions League.”
Pierre Sage may have jumped the gun a bit by declaring PSG’s title practically theirs, because until the final reckoning is officially over, football always leaves room for absurd scenarios. But the core of his message is something else entirely: Lens is aware that they pushed Paris hard, without managing to maintain the necessary perfection throughout an entire season.
This is where his message becomes interesting. He’s not looking for excuses, not dramatizing, not provoking. He simply acknowledges that an almost flawless trajectory was needed to overtake a Paris Saint-Germain team on track for the title and still riding high from their European qualification. In this clear-sightedness, a glimmer of hope remains: that Lens has established themselves high enough to look Paris in the eye, even if the final say already seems to lie with PSG.
As for the Champions League, we can only appreciate Sage’s support and optimism. However, caution is advised: PSG is far from having already beaten Arsenal. His style is more appealing and he seems to be the favorite, except that this does not guarantee anything for this final.
