The preparation of the Racing Club de Lens for his trip to Brest for the thirtieth day of Ligue 1 was hampered by notable absences and concerns about rearguard composition. Several key elements, Rémy Label-Lascary, Denis Petric and Malang Sarr, did not participate in this Friday’s training session, adding to the already extensive list of players with reduced availability. Deiver Machado, injured to the adductor and suspended, as well as Juma Bah, victim of a concussion, and Jhoanner Chavez, suffering from a long-term injury, followed a personalized rehabilitation program, thus keeping the technical staff away from their potential contributions on the ground. In the face of this delicate situation, coach Will Still is confronted with the need to improvise and find alternative solutions to ensure the strength of his defence, especially as Ruben Aguilar continues to recover.

The behaviour of Facundo Medina, a pillar of the Lens defence, is an additional source of concern for the club. His disciplinary record, marked by eleven yellow cards and two red cards in 27 matches, has already led to five suspensions, including the one concerning the match against Auxerre. Its alarming ratio of one board every eighty-seven minutes during the return phase underlines a lack of control and maturity which weighs heavily on the collective. Beyond the suspensions, the level of play of the Argentinian is considered insufficient, raising questions as to its actual contribution to the overall performance of the team. If the adherents’ attachment to Medina makes it possible to relativize his mistakes, the management of the club seriously plans to separate from him at the next summer mercato in case of an interesting offer, in order to facilitate the search for his successor.

In summary, the Lens Racing Club is going through a period of turbulence, characterized by significant absences, concerns about the composition of the defence and a lack of discipline on the part of a key player. Will Still is faced with difficult choices and will have to be ingenuity to overcome these obstacles and ensure the success of the team in Brest. The situation of Facundo Medina, in particular, calls for a thorough reflection on its place within the collective and the need to actively prepare its succession.