It’s proving to be a classic season for Lens and its wine-collecting coach Franck Haise, whose crew travels to French league chief Paris Saint-Germain on Saturday amid the membership’s greatest title shot in twenty years.

Beating star-studded PSG would transfer second-place Lens to inside three factors of the highest. The membership gained its solely league title in 1998 and has not come shut once more since ending second in 2002.

The rise of Lens simply three years after its promotion again to the highest flight is credited to Haise’s management. A tactically astute coach, he stands out by way of his relaxed character and closeness to his gamers.

Haise by no means seems to be harassed by the calls for of his job, and there’s a motive for that.

Nicknamed “the oenologist” by his pals for his dedication to wine, Haise’s devotion to all issues wine is his method of escaping the pressures of top-level administration.

“When I read the French review of wines, when I watch a program on television about wine or when I am taking part in a tasting, these are the rare moments I’m not thinking about football,” the 51-year-old Haise stated in an interview with Ouest-France newspaper. “Of course, I like to go for walks, ride my bike, watch a good film. But in these moments my mind always wanders back to football. However, when I’m in the universe of wine, my mind is not cluttered with other things. It’s my escape.”

His long-standing ardour for wine started when he was as an 18-year-old midfielder with Rouen within the late Nineteen Eighties.

“There were quite a few wine lovers in the squad,” Haise recalled within the newspaper interview. “We had a tradition that, on the eve of matches, we would share a bottle of wine, which of course I was soon the one choosing.”

After 5 seasons scratching round within the second division, Lens was promoted to the highest flight three years in the past beneath Haise’s steering. He had been teaching the reserves for the three earlier years when he was promoted to go coach towards the tip of the 2019-20 marketing campaign after Philippe Montanier was fired.

Despite missing expertise, he completed a reputable seventh in his first two seasons within the high flight to create a stable platform for this marketing campaign.

Lens has a enjoying model primarily based round a relentless work ethic that fits the working-class roots of the membership’s passionate supporters in what was a coal-mining group, situated 120 miles (195 kilometers) north of Paris.

Lens combines high-octane urgent with quick transitions to the wings in a counter-attacking model.

Speedy Belgium ahead Loïs Openda is the membership’s high scorer with 15 league objectives and the midfield is led by the excellent Seko Fofana, who's being chased by a few of Europe’s large golf equipment.

Aside from Openda the objectives are shared round - ahead Florian Sotoca has six objectives and eight assists - underlying the crew’s unselfishness.

Haise has performed down his crew’s possibilities of profitable the league, saying that qualifying for the Champions League immediately in second place is the primary precedence.

Yet statistics present his crew has real title credentials.

Lens has misplaced solely three league video games, the fewest of any membership and two lower than PSG, and has conceded the fewest objectives with solely 22 allowed in 30 matches.

Lens was the primary crew to defeat PSG this season - 3-1 on New Year’s Day in an excellent efficiency after which Haise grabbed a microphone and sang to the house followers.

Lens heads to Paris on the again of 4 straight league wins, having allowed just one aim.

PSG has misplaced its final two house video games - with World Cup celebrity Lionel Messi even jeered by house followers - and was lucky to win 2-0 at Nice final weekend after the hosts missed a number of probabilities to attain.

That win gave under-pressure PSG coach Christophe Galtier some respiration room however he's extensively anticipated to get replaced subsequent season. His crew has misplaced eight matches total this 12 months.

On Wednesday, Galtier denied accusations that he made racist and anti-Muslim feedback when he was in control of Nice final season.

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