Ligue 1 tops and flops

Ligue 1 is this season as interesting as ever, and no wonder that we saw some surprises. Even though there is still a long way to go, we felt the need to point out some of the teams that are exceeding expectations, but also those who are underperforming.

Most pleasant surprise this season has to be Toulouse. The team was left without two key players, Elmander and Emana, and everybody predicted them very difficult season, but the team is in excellent form and they are occupying the second place in the standings with just two points behind leaders Lyon. Andre-Pierre Gignac did a great job in replacing Elmander in attack, as he already scored five Ligue 1 goals. Former Marseille keeper Carrasso is excellent this season, and these are just some of the players who have been really impressive. Coach Alan Casanova seems to have put all the pieces together and their current form is the result of that.

Le Mans is another team that was left without some key players before the start of the season, but they managed to bring some good replacements, and there performances at the start of the season have been very promising. Coach Yves Bertucci did a great job in such a short time, as he has had almost entirely new squad at his disposal. Some younger players got the chance to shine, and they repaid the coach for the trust with very good performances. Two Norwegians proved great signings, and striker Helstad and midfielder Stromstad have been instrumental at the start season.

Mehmet Bazdarevic had to be congratulated for what he managed to achieve with newly promoted Grenoble. Just like every promoted team they faced a difficult task in their first season in Ligue 1 after being promoted. Thanks to some shrewd dealings in the transfer market Bazdarevic assembled a very good squad, capable of competing with even the best in the league. Grenoble is defying the predictions from the start of the season, and they are in the top part of the table at the moment, while they could have won even more points if they had had a bit more luck.

Now, we have to turn to some of the disappointments of the start of the season. Possibly the biggest one is Saint Etienne, the team who finished fifth last season, and they were supposed to be near the top of the league this term. The club kept its best players and significantly reinforced the squad, but their form has been really poor in the opening games. The team has only recently escaped the relegation zone, and now their key midfielder Pascal Feindouno has left the club, which leaves them in a very difficult position. There is still time for Saint Etienne to kick-start their season, but they will have to act quickly or this could be a very disappointing campaign.

Even though Nantes has just returned to Ligue 1, they were expected to stay away from the dangerous zone, as the Canaries did a very good job in the transfer market. Players like Klasnic, N’Daw and Gravgaard arrived to the club, but it seemed that the new players didn’t adapt as quickly as the club hoped to and the results are very poor at the moment. The club management sacked coach Der Zakarian and his place was taken by Elie Baup, who will have a difficult job to lift the team’s spirits and start winning.

Nancy’s performances this season are maybe not surprising, but their current league position certainly is. The team who almost qualified for the Champions League last season, and finished fourth, is now in the bottom part of the table. Their biggest problem is the lack of true goal scorer, and that is the reason for five draws in eight games. Defense is among the best in league, but that alone is not enough for good league position. Coach Correa will have to find a cure for poor finishing or else they could be the flop of the season in Ligue 1.

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