Pierre Sage took Lens to new heights. His replacement left after six games

It was under cover of darkness that Yannick Cahuzac took his place in the Lens dugout at the Stade Louis II on Friday night. The lights dimmed as the players made their entrance and Cahuzac, who had been named interim manager just three days earlier, sat alone, leaning forward on a seat that Dino Toppmöller would have occupied if not for a dramatic turn of events last week.

Cahuzac’s appointment, much like his entrance in Monaco, had a stealthy quality, as if he had always been there and the switching of the lights was mere confirmation of his presence. Cahuzac left Lorient, where he had been Olivier Pantaloni’s assistant, at the end of last season to return to Lens, where he had finished his playing career before working as Franck Haise’s assistant in the 2022–23 campaign.

He was spoken about as a future No 1, but that was not the role he took in the summer. Cahuzac is still an apprentice who has not yet obtained his coaching qualifications so he returned to the club as an assistant to Toppmöller. The German had the unenviable task of succeeding Pierre Sage, who had hastily departed to Crystal Palace after guiding Lens to a maiden Coupe de France triumph and a second-place finish in Ligue 1 last season.

Lens were not expected to soar as high this season. Speaking in the summer, the club’s sporting director, Jean-Louis Leca, said they were “not a Champions League club” and that an eighth-place finish in Ligue 1 would represent success. Toppmöller’s first game in charge brought silverware as Lens beat PSG in the Trophée des Champions; his first Ligue 1 game was a resounding 5-2 win over Auxerre; and his side took all three points away to Slavia Prague in their first Champions League game – not a bad start after a summer of upheaval and the departures of several important players.

Results have dipped in recent weeks but expectations were being met. Hence the shock last week when it was announced that the German had left the club by mutual consent. Having taken charge of just six games, Toppmöller is Lens’ shortest-serving manager since the second world war. His exit says more about the club than it does the man. Explaining the parting of ways, the Lens CEO Benjamin Parrot revealed a divide, not necessarily between Toppmöller and his squad, but rather within the staff itself.

“Even before the Trophée des Champions, we felt, within the staff, that there was a French group and then a more international group,” said Parrot. Toppmöller brought two assistants with him. Lens tried to sack one of them, Nelson Morgado, but Toppmöller stayed loyal to his assistant and refused to accept his dismissal. He left and Cahuzac stepped up in his place.

Cahuzac was touted as Toppmöller’s successor before he had even settled at the club. That can’t be a healthy environment for any new manager. Perhaps the writing was always on the wall for Toppmöller, especially given that Leca – Cahuzac’s close friend and former teammate at Bastia – is the club’s sporting director. Leca knows how it looks. “Yes, he is my friend, but inside these walls he isn’t my friend. Inside these walls, I am his line manager,” said Leca.

To suggest that Cahuzac’s appointment is pure nepotism is unfair. Lorient were one of the most tactically interesting teams in Ligue 1 last season, and while Pantaloni – who was nominated for the manager of the season award – earned most of the plaudits, Cahuzac played a key role too. He also knows the club, having played for them for three seasons and worked under Haise as an assistant.

His first game in charge, against Monaco on Friday, did not begin well. Monaco were 1-0 up at half-time but they had the ball in the Lens net on three occasions, denied by the assistant referee’s flag. Cahuzac changed tactics at the interval, which helped, and Matthieu Udol headed in a deserved equaliser. Franjo Ivanovic and Thorgan Hazard had chances as Lens pushed for a winner. In the end, it was a Lens player who scored but, unfortunately for Jonathan Gradit, it was into his own net.

So, Cahuzac’s tenure begins with a valiant 2-1 defeat. The 41-year-old was a pitbull of a player but he was almost inert in his dugout. He stood like a statue, with his hand on his chin in a pensive pose that exuded a studious serenity. After the turbulent week Lens have had, the club need a sense of calm.

Talking points

On the topic of messy break-ups, there was an unhappy reunion between Liam Rosenior and Strasbourg on Saturday. The pair had not met since Rosenior was hurried out the door to join sister club Chelsea in January. There is no love lost. The Englishman led Paris FC to a 2-1 win, continuing his unbeaten run since returning to Ligue 1 this summer. He celebrated the win in front of the travelling Strasbourg fans, a response, Rosenior said, to insulting chants about his family from the away end. An unsavoury confrontation between both sets of players and staff ensued. Rosenior said the chants had gone “too far” and that “celebrating like that was clearly a message.” His players also sent a message, confirming that they are in the mix for Champions League qualification.

PSG beat Marseille 2-1 in a Classique that encapsulated the clubs’ seasons so far; both are struggling. For PSG, the points are at least now flowing. Ferran Torres continues to prove a fine signing. He came off the bench to score the opening goal. Marquinhos redeemed himself for his own goal in this fixture last season, which gave Marseille their first win over PSG at the Vélodrome in Ligue 1 in 14 years. That feels like a long time ago now. The concerns for Marseille only deepen. There were bright moments, notably Angel Gomes’ equaliser, but Bruno Génésio’s side have now lost four of their first five league matches. “A Ligue 2 project?” read a banner from the home fans. They go into the international break in the relegation zone.

Despite the game being briefly suspended after the home fans unfurled an insulting banner that targeted fierce rivals Saint-Étienne, Lyon made a statement with a 4-0 win over Rennes. They rotated in their midweek Europa League win over Anderlecht, a clear but disappointing sign of where their priorities lie. It paid off, however. Rennes fielded a stronger side against Sturm Graz but did not take the three points, and their striker Esteban Lepaul was consequently not involved from the start against Lyon. A full-strength Lyon made short work of Franck Haise’s side, who may struggle to balance their European and league obligations. Rennes did not lay a glove on Lyon, whose own fans posed the greatest threat.