‘We will have opportunities’: Lille manager says Chelsea have one weakness his team can capitalize on tonight
Jocelyn Gourvennec, manager of Lille, believes Chelsea have one weakness that his team can exploit in Tuesday’s Champions League match.
Following the elimination of the UEFA competition’s away goals rule, the Blues will arguably have an even greater home advantage in the first leg against Lille.
Rather than being concerned about conceding goals, they can concentrate on building a comfortable lead ahead of the trip to France next month.
Keeping a clean sheet, on the other hand, may be a priority for Lille.
Gourvennec, on the other hand, insisted that he will not instruct his team to sit back because he believes Chelsea are prone to leaving space in behind when attacking.
“Chelsea are strong in both areas,” the Lille boss said in the pre-match press conference on Monday (via RMC Sport).
“In possession, they have a big technical foundation.
“They have very strong attacks from the flanks and also strong defensively. They are a very complete team.
“But they attack a lot, [and] they expose themselves [at the back].
“We will have to be solid, but we will have opportunities. We can’t just defend and counter.
“We also have to be able to keep the ball a little bit. Managing the slower parts of the game will be fundamental.”
Chelsea have conceded two counter-attacking goals in the Premier League this season, according to Opta (via Whoscored).
It is not the worst record in the competition, but it does point to a possible chink in their armor.
However, as things stand, Chelsea will be more concerned about their recent offensive woes than any aspect of their defense.
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‘We will have opportunities’: Lille manager says Chelsea have one weakness his team can capitalize on tonight
