Lille boss Paulo Fonseca on his footballing philosophy and Aston Villa | OneFootball

Lille boss Paulo Fonseca was quizzed on his footballing philosophy and season to date ahead of their UEFA Conference League clash with Aston Villa.

The Portuguese manager has led his side to fourth place in Ligue 1, just four points behind second placed Brest, and Les Dogues play some of the most exciting football in the division. Meanwhile, their backline has kept a mammoth 21 clean sheets this season, the second most in Europe’s top five leagues.

They face Aston Villa in the UEFA Conference League quarter-finals on Thursday, and Fonseca was quick to recognise their abilities, though he refused to concede defeat before a ball was kicked.

“I think it is a huge achievement for Lille to reach this stage of the competition”, he explained. “The reality, at this moment, is that we happen to be playing against one of the best teams in the competition. I should be cautious about my desires. I really believe in my players, and we’re going to fight hard to overcome the great obstacle that is Aston Villa.”

How will they achieve this? Fonseca outlined his game plan, and made no suggestion that it would change for the clash with the Premier League side.

“The essence of this team is to control the game, to keep the pressure, and to win the ball back high up the pitch, but above all, it’s about controlling the game by dominating possession. We strive to be a team that is dominant, and that reacts quickly when we lose the ball.”

“We try to defend high up the pitch far away from our own goal line, and keep a small distance between our players, so that we can press well whenever we lose the ball”

With talents like Leny Yoro, Eden Zhegrova and Tiago Santos all subject to transfer interest, they will want to go out on a high.