Paulo Fonseca’s team are sixth in the table after another draw but underlying statistics suggest they are about to take off
By Adam White for Get French Football News
Nine Ligue 1 managers were sacked between 9 October and 9 January. When Lille failed to beat Reims in January and fans jeered the team, it looked like Paulo Fonseca was going to be the next to go. Despite the shaky results, Lille stuck with Fonseca and they won three of their next four matches – the only blip coming in a wacky 4-3 defeat at PSG. Their league position has not improved substantially – a 1-1 draw with Lens on Saturday leaves them sixth in the table, 10 points behind second-placed Marseille – but results do not tell the whole story of Fonseca’s impact. A look at the underlying numbers suggests that Lille are ready to fly.
Lille have won the xG battle in their last 19 league matches, including their defeat at PSG. When it comes to expected goals, only PSG have done better this season. Lille also rank second for expected points and in FiveThirtyEight’s SPI ratings, a cousin of expected points.
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