Lens were arguably the overachievers in Ligue 1 this season as they finished seventh in the league, and the fact that they just missed out on European football will be heartbreaking for the northern side upon their return to the elite.
For much of the season they occupied a place in the top six, which would have been well deserved, yet they picked up only one point in their last four matches of the season, which admittedly saw them play all of the top three clubs. They had recently overcome a Covid-19 cluster in the squad, and the timing of that was likely enough to cost them a top-six finish.
There was, also, a lack of consistency to their play. While they won 15 matches all season, they only won back-to-back matches in September, which included a famous 1-0 success over PSG.
Despite the ultimate disappointment of the season, head coach Franck Haise deserves great credit for the manner in which he has built this side, which played attractive football and finished the season with 55 goals scored.
Gael Kakuta was the centrepiece of their side in the playmaker role. Indeed, he finished the campaign with 11 goals, although a high proportion of these were penalties.
Meanwhile, Lens had plenty of options in attack who were capable of finding the net. Ignatius Ganago started the season exceptionally but struggled after an ankle injury, while the bullish Florian Sotoca was valuable for his physical play and on-loan PSG striker Arnaud Kalimuendo chipped in with eight vital strikes.
Perhaps the strongest area of their side was the midfield, where Cheick Doucoure and Yannick Cahuzac performed above expectations and Seko Fofana became a powerhouse after early injury issues.
On the right, Jonathan Clauss was Lens’ outstanding player of the campaign as he produced many impressive displays, while in the heart of their defence Loic Bade excelled after arriving from Le Havre.
Lens have already secured the permanent signing of Kakuta, which bodes well for the summer ahead – and then next season.
