As paradoxical as it may seem, Lille are lucky: it is outside, far from their stadium, that they will compete for their 38e and last match of the season in Ligue 1. A victory in Angers, Sunday May 23, would give them a fourth title of champion of France, whatever the result of Paris-Saint-Germain, the same day in Brest.
In the world before Covid-19, playing “at home” was an advantage for the majority of French clubs. Nothing like this this season, contested first with partial gauges in the stadiums, then, for the most part, behind closed doors. Without clamor or supporters in the stands. “There is no longer much difference between a home game and an away game”, recognized Lille coach Christophe Galtier in December 2020.
According to our count over the first 36 days of the 2020-2021 season, in France, the old advantage of the home teams has disappeared. On average, Ligue 1 teams win as much at home (37.78% wins) as away (37.22%). Over the ten previous seasons, they won on average 45.17% of the time at home and 27.22% away.
Taking into account both wins and points shared in draws, thirteen of the twenty L1 teams have even collected more points away than at home after 36 days. This is more, in the space of a single season, than the total of the ten previous editions of the French championship.
With 43 points already taken away, six more than at home, Lille are very well placed to talk about it. For Christophe Galtier, the absence of the public can in particular influence certain arbitration decisions, conscious or not: “Last year, we were sanctioned several times outside where there was a big atmosphere. “
“A little madness and fervor”
Geographer Loïc Ravenel advances another ” hypothesis “. According to this employee at the International Center for the Study of Sport (CIES), in Neuchâtel (Switzerland), the systematization of closed doors has led to a change in the “Psychology of players and coaches”.
Beyond the Lille case, the fact is that this season has ended several long series. In the league, Olympique de Marseille had been waiting for its first victory in Paris for ten years. For Saint-Etienne, the previous success in Marseille dates back forty-one years. If it seems impossible to establish a precise correlation, this vacancy of the stands may represent a ” postman ” explanation, recognizes Jordan Ferri, midfielder of Montpellier. Never before had his club, for example, lost at home, in Ligue 1, against the neighbor of Nîmes. Normally, reminds the player, quoted by the daily Free noon in December 2020, “The spectators bring us a little madness and fervor and that helps us in the matches”.
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