Pierre Sage, RC Lens coach, held a press conference Saturday evening after the 3-1 victory against Rennes. Back at the top of Ligue 1, pending the match between Paris Saint-Germain and Olympique de Marseille this evening, the Lens coach was asked about the title race and his preferred result for Le Classique.
“We’re completely free of that. We had a checkpoint at 52 points. Once we reach that objective, we can start to consider other ambitions. But in any case, we’re ahead of schedule, ahead of what has happened in the past.
What result do you prefer for PSG/OM?
A draw because there will only be two points up for grabs,” he said, as reported by Le Parisien.
This is a typical stance for a team that has been somewhat “surprised” in the title race. There’s no question of prematurely establishing themselves as serious contenders with the objective of finishing first. Sage’s desire for the Classico confirms the idea of still looking behind them and focusing primarily on qualifying for Europe. Ideally, the Champions League.
As for winning the French league title, that will need to be assessed in several matchdays. It’s a way of trying to delay the pressure as much as possible, even if it seems inevitable if the results continue to be positive. They also need to be careful about managing any potential setbacks. We’ve seen teams lose their way at the end of the season. But for the moment, Lens is displaying a certain collective strength.
