Football Season Guide

Out of all three newly-promoted clubs, Lausanne Sport have done the best business. Bringing in a seasoned veteran like Dussenne in defence is a huge boost, as is the arrival of attacker Sene from FC Basel. FC Basel seemed to forget just how deadly he was at Grasshopper Zurich, and he could well prove the difference between Lausanne Sport being involved in a relegation dogfight or not being involved in one. With Ilie joining on loan from OGC Nice too, and Ivorian youngster Traore likely to get some game time, Lausanne Sport look set to cause some problems this season, enough so to at least stave off relegation. They didn’t lose anybody of note pre-season, and have kept hold of highly impressive players like Labeau and Sanches, not to mention Custodio, who knows the Super League very well by now. They’ve got a lot of speed and energy in midfield, and some real handfuls in attack now. It’s likely they’ll be able to outscore some teams, particularly at the start of the competition, and that they’ll be lethal on counters. My concern for Lausanne Sport is their defence. I remember Grippo being one of their best defenders when they got relegated a while back; the fact that he’s still there is now a sign of a lack of alternatives, all things considered. Husic is a solid enough defender but Nanizayamo was farmed out the last time they played at Super League level, and Brown barely got a kick either. I have to question whether they’re going to be able to keep opponents out, although I must also concede that their goalkeeping options are rather good. They should be able to start the season well enough; playing without expectation in Bern whilst being so good on the break could suit them, and then they have some straightforward home games too. They desperately need to keep Labeau, Schwizer, Sanches, Husic, and Castella if they’re to stay up though, and they could do with adding some depth along the way.