A disastrous start to the new season! Ligue 1 runners-up in the relegation places, when will things turn around?

Disastrous and the worst start to a new league season in the history of Ligue 1. Last season’s runner-up RC Lens are in the relegation places, how does coach Franck Haise assess the current situation?

A dream season – that’s exactly how the 2022/23 season can be interpreted from the perspective of RC Lens. The club finished second in the league table, which earned them participation in the Champions League group stage for the current season.

Lens footballers have earned a total of 84 points, just one point behind champions Paris. They had a respectable 11-point lead over third-placed Olympique Marseille.

However, the start of the new edition of the French top flight did not find Lens in good shape. In the opening round Franck Haise’s charges lost to Stade Brest 2:3, then took at least one point at home for a 1:1 draw with Rennes.

However, in the last three rounds Lens players have not scored a single point, losing to PSG (1:3), Monaco (0:3) and the last time Méty took full points from Stade Bollaert.

This is the worst start to a season in the club’s history. With four defeats in the first five rounds, they matched the number of losses (4) that Haise’s charges recorded in the whole of last season.

I didn’t think we’d be where we are

After the last home game, it was coach Haise who spoke about the current situation, admitting in an interview with RMC Sport that his squad should definitely not be in this position.

“Things will turn for the better. When? I don’t know. We will continue to believe in ourselves. I believe in my players and my team. The season might be tough until the end. We didn’t succeed tonight, but we believe in ourselves,” Haise said.

“I didn’t think we would be here with just one point out of 15. I knew it was going to be a tougher season. But we are where we are and we have to deal with it,” he concluded.

Source: Ligue 1, RMC Sport