RCLens regained their smiles in Ligue1 thanks to a 2-1 victory over Lyon, but the optimism around their new coach, Yannick Cahuzac, still remains fragile. After a difficult start to the season and the departure of DinoToppmöller, Bollaert's club was able to climb to seventh place with seven points, but the question remains: can it maintain this renewed form?
For his second session at the head of Racing, Cahuzac allowed his players to find a state of mind that seemed good to them. Defender and former French international Christophe Dugarry, who recently left France to join the club, stressed that the early signs were encouraging. However, he declared that it was too early to speak of a real “honeymoon”: “The players seem to be happy, the coach too. They found a state of mind that suited them with Sage, it seems to be going well, but it's much too early to tell. Dugarry added that "there is still a lot of work" and that Cahuzac's task was to consolidate this energy in the long term.
The change of coach has clearly given new energy to the group, but a single victory is not enough to erase the difficulties encountered at the start of the season. Cahuzac must now prove that he can stabilize his team and offer them sufficient consistency to remain competitive. The schedule leaves him little respite, with a very demanding European meeting against Sporting de Portugal next Tuesday in Bollaert.
Furthermore, the preparation for this match is complicated by the absence of a key defender. Jonathan Gradit, who suffered muscle discomfort during the victory against Lyon, will not be available against the Portuguese club. Cahuzac clarified that he did not want to take any risks with the player, who has already suffered a long injury. MaïkNawrocki and AbdallahSima will also be out, which further reduces the depth of the defense.
The duel against Sporting represents a crucial step for Cahuzac, who will have to prove that he can lead RCLens into the Champions League. The challenge is twofold: confirm the recovery observed against Lyon and demonstrate that Racing can compete with teams accustomed to major European events. The next few days will be decisive for the club, which will have to combine performances in the championship and preparation for its European fights.