Football Season Guide

Despite living on an extremely limited budget, Chamois Niortais already managed to survive in the Ligue 2 for six seasons in a row. They did well enough to reach salvation in advance even the last time out, although they actually had to undergo a major managerial change. This new campaign could represent for them a bit of a gamble, though. In fact, the management opted not to rely on any of the three men who led the team to salvation, Franck Azzopardi, Jean-Philippe Faure or Carl Tourenne, and opted for someone completely unexpected instead. The 57-year-old Patrice Lair won all that could possibly be won at a national and international level with the Olympique Lyonnais women’s team but has literally no experience as a player or a head coach in the first or second tiers of the French football. Or any other major football league, either. The new man at the helm, who last was in charge of Paris Saint Gemain women’s team, should be adopting a rather offensive 4-2-3-1 formation. Chamois Niortais lost Jeremy Choplin, who found himself a new home at AC Ajaccio, and Jimmy Roye, who also left for Ajaccio, Gazelec side, during the summer. Both players were key elements of the squad, in the defence and midfield respectively. Besides them, also Zié Diabaté, Antoine Batisse and Banfa Diakite left, together with some fringe players, but they were rarely given starting opportunities. On the other hand, the management did not make any remarkable signings as they mostly limited themselves to recruiting players from Ligue 2 or the lower leagues or calling back youngsters who had positive seasons elsewhere on loan. In particular, Dylan Louiserre, who spent two years in Le Havre, could represent a valid alternative to the departed Roye as a holding midfielder while Florian Lapis could give the ageing Jonathan Brison some rest at left-back. Zakaria Grich could also be given relevant playing time while the Gabonese Louis Ameka Autchanga is a gamble for the attack.