Football Season Guide

Survival last season was a big achievement for Angers, as they had gone into the campaign troubled by financial problems and looking exceptionally short in attack after they were denied the chance to sign a striker. Crucially, they made a strong start to the campaign, which was enough to nurse them through a barren second half of the season with some comfort after selling Sidiki Cherif in January. There’s been a big chance in the dugout, with Alexandre Dujeux quitting at the end of last season. It’s a huge blow given his comparative success in securing survival. Former Paris FC boss Stephane Gilli is the new boss, but his suitability is doubtful after he struggled to get a big-spending team to work offensively last season. The bulk of the squad has been retained, though losing outstanding goalkeeper Herve Koffi is another blow. At least Amine El Ouazzani has arrived as an experienced striking option. Pre-season results have been decent. They have won 3 of their 4 matches, scoring plenty of goals, but they have also failed to keep a clean sheet. Against Ligue 1 opponents, they have won 1 and lost 1. Angers’ mentality and togetherness was strong last season and helped win them through a difficult period. Ultimately, the defence was a key area of the squad, and this time around they need veteran goalkeeper Anthony Lopes, a new arrival, to shine. Offensively, this team remains light. They scored more than 1 goal in only 1 of their last 20 competitive matches last season. Amine Sbai is their key creative force, but he is lazy and offers little defensively.