Retour
JENS BERTHEL ASKOU took the Premiership by storm with Motherwell last season.
And Le Mans boss Patrick Videira reckons the Dane is set to do the exact same in France after facing his high-octane style of football up close last week.
Videira, 49, watched his side get picked apart by Askou’s Toulouse on Friday as the former Motherwell gaffer’s team ran riot to claim a convincing 3-0 victory.
It was a stuttering start for the Dane in Ligue 1 after picking up just one point from his opening three fixtures against Lyon, Brest and Lille.
But since a 1-0 defeat to Lille on September 3, Toulouse have gone four games unbeaten — recording two wins and two draws — culminating in their best performance yet under Askou.
Videira was full of praise for the visitor’s display as he issued a clear warning to his league rivals that Toulouse can cause ANYONE serious problems.
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Reacting after Friday’s match, he said: “This is our first real defeat of the season. This Toulouse team has been underperforming. They’re a very, very good team. We saw it on video and I told them so openly.
“You have to acknowledge when the opponent is stronger. They were stronger in many areas: technical quality, accuracy, efficiency.
“I warned my players at half-time because they’re a team that’s very strong in the first fifteen minutes after the break. They score a lot of goals. We’re not going to change everything after this match, but I’ll say it again, we faced an opponent who was superior to us today.
“They’re a very good team and if they play to their strengths, they can cause a lot of problems for anyone.”
Askou urged his squad to kick on and ensure they start matches with the same intensity they showed in the second half after Toulouse pounced immediately after the break before adding another two goals.
“It’s a great evening for any player, staff member and Toulouse supporter,” he said.
“We feel like we’re starting to get what we think we deserve, the kind of football we’re capable of playing.
“We must not forget that we have a very young group. When things don’t go exactly as planned, it takes us a little time to reconnect and readjust.
“Our goal now is to start the next match the way we’re capable of finishing it.”
Askou was named L’Equipe’s Ligue 1 Manager of the Week for the performance.