Football Season Guide

Chambly lived a fairy tale in the past campaign as, at their first experience ever in the Ligue 2, they managed to finish in the top 10 thanks to some solid defensive performances, they kept 12 clean sheets (6 in the initial 6 weeks), despite a poor attack, they scored only 26 goals overall, with only 4 sides doing worse than them, and being unable to play at home, Stade des Marais, all season. Long-serving coach Bruno Luzi, the man who led the team through 12 promotions and the historical survival in Ligue 2, who also happens to be a former club player and brother of the President Fulvio Luzi, had decided to call it quits in May but eventually changed his mind and will be in charge of the group for the 20th consecutive year. Living on an almost non-existing budget, Chambly first of all confirmed all their regulars and then trimmed a bloated squad over the summer with no real remarkable departures, if not for experienced holding midfielder Padovani, left-back Crillon and left winger Santelli, who mostly acted as back-ups, anyway. Knowing that the attack was their weak point, with goals coming mostly by attacking midfielder David and centre-back Jacques, 6 and 5 respectively, they tried strengthening the department with Nikola Petkovic, top scorer of the last Serbian SuperLiga and capable of 39 goals and 13 assists in 78 games played among the professionals. Unfortunately for them, though, the forward tore his ACL and will miss most of the season. Moreover, they tried adding some offensive creativity to the squad with the return of Joris Correa while Callegari is expected to win back some attention from the media after spending the past season in Championnat National.