Toulouse Football Club lost 1-0 to Lille OSC at home on Thursday in the third round of the Ligue 1 season, despite dominating the match and firing 24 shots on goal. Head coach Jens Berthel Askou said afterwards that he remains confident that goals and victories will soon follow for his side.
The pattern echoed Toulouse's opening-day defeat to Lyon, which they also lost 0-2 while dominating play, only this time on an even larger scale. Asked whether the repeat result was frustrating, Askou agreed, saying the players' body language showed they could not believe the win was slipping away from them. He added that what mattered most to him was that his team never gave up, and that this was what should be taken from the match. He said Toulouse had shown the identity they want to carry through the season, and that failing to score did not mean everything needed to change. Askou said he doubted the players felt proud after the loss, but that he himself was proud, adding that he was impressed by his team's ability to dominate a very good side for 94 minutes.
Askou defends his players' mentality
Askou dismissed any concern that missing so many chances could damage his players' confidence. He said his half-time message, with the score still 0-0, had been not to get discouraged and not to give up. He said the team had been very frustrated at failing to capitalise on their control and dominance, but that in football, as in life, opportunities are sometimes missed. What he took from the game, he said, was that Toulouse had created a fantastic opportunity to win it. He said he believed strongly in the squad and that it was only a matter of time before the goals and the wins arrived, adding that the team was growing very fast.
Why Toulouse keep creating chances
Askou said scoring is the hardest part of football, but that creating as many chances as Toulouse did against a top side like Lille is also very difficult. He put it down to the volume of play his team generates in the final third, which starts with the team's ability to control matches even when opponents press them. He said Toulouse are very good at escaping that pressure thanks to their ability to keep possession and players who are comfortable receiving the ball, which lets them keep control and keep opponents away from their own goal. He said finishing was the last piece missing, but that he did not want it to weigh on his attacking players, who he said were doing so many good things and were very close to getting it right.
He praised substitute Casper Tengstedt, who had a big chance to score after coming on, saying that creating chances is exactly why the Danish forward is at the club and that he knows where and when to position himself. Askou said a better version of Tengstedt would emerge with time, noting the striker had just arrived, still needed to adapt, and had not played much in recent months. He also praised forward Jacen Russell-Rowe for a very good match, saying the pair would form a fearsome strike partnership.
Niflore's tough Ligue 1 debut
Nineteen-year-old goalkeeper Mathys Niflore came on during the match in place of Guillaume Restes and conceded a goal shortly after entering, a difficult moment for a player making his top-flight debut. Askou said he had congratulated Niflore on his Ligue 1 debut. He said Niflore had opportunities during the transfer window to move elsewhere for more playing time but that he was very glad the goalkeeper had stayed, saying Toulouse need him.
Askou said it had not been an easy match to come into, and that although he had not rewatched the goal, it had happened very quickly and Niflore had probably been unlucky. He said the young goalkeeper had come on with plenty of confidence and quality to take over from Restes, adding that being a goalkeeper in Ligue 1 at 19 is not easy. He said this said a great deal about Toulouse's academy, which he said produces goalkeepers capable of playing at a high level at a young age and absorbing that pressure, just as Restes had done before him, calling it very impressive.
Casseres central to Toulouse's rebuild
Midfielder Cristian Casseres again produced a high-level performance, and Askou said the club was extremely happy he had chosen to stay at Toulouse once the transfer window closed. He called it an important decision for Casseres and his family, and said the Venezuela international would be a key player in a team that is still being built. Askou said convincing a player like Casseres to stay said a great deal about the club.
He said Casseres' importance was clear again against Lille, adding that beyond his ability on the pitch, he is valuable for his leadership and what he brings to the players around him, particularly the younger ones. Askou pointed to Alexis Vossah as an example, saying the young player can focus on his own performance while Casseres takes on a large share of responsibility alongside him.
