Galtier guided Lille to the Ligue 1 title last season. He was back at the club on Saturday, helping Nice batter his old side 4-0
By Eric Devin for Get French Football News
The French poet Paul Valéry once wrote that “nothing beautiful can be summarised”. While there is some merit in this idea, it’s hardly a sufficient way to approach football journalism. So, when appraising Christophe Galtier’s return to Lille on Saturday as Nice manager, words will sadly have to suffice as a proxy for the football his new team played in their 4-0 thrashing of his former side.
The scoreline flattered the hosts. Nice could have scored more. Kasper Dolberg had a shot crash off the crossbar early on and Lille goalkeeper Léo Jardim made several fine saves. The fact that Lille could be so soundly beaten, even though they fielded a similar team to the one that won the title last season, was something of a shock. They conceded three goals in a game just once last season; they have already done it twice this season.