Football Season Guide

Montpellier glorious history was tainted by the last campaign since they were relegated to the Ligue 2 after a 16-year tenure in the top flight of French football, without really fighting. Montpellier simply were the worst team of the league in all statistics, with 23 goals scored and 79 conceded, and were incapable of winning games, only 4 overall. While they were poor at home, they were useless away, as they collected 1 win and 16 defeats. They settled themselves at the bottom of the table pretty soon, in week 8, and would not leave it, apart for a short moment in late January, until the end. Coach Michel Der Zakarian, who had started the campaign, was sacked at the end of October, while his replacement, Jean-Louis Gasset, lasted until the beginning of April. Zoumana Camara, who eventually closed the season in charge, obtained 5 defeats in 6 games and was confirmed at the helm in the new campaign. So far, Montpellier lost a few starters but the feeling is that more are set to quit for pastures new. The goalkeeping department was utterly renewed with starting Lecomte and back-ups Bertaud and Dizdarevic all leaving. 33-year-old Michel arrived from Ajaccio and should make the bench, while they are currently on the hunt for a n.1. The defence saw starting left-back Sylla quitting together with starting centre-backs Maksimovic, who hardly played last season, and Sagnan, who is about to sign for a Turkish club. No left-back signed with Saint-Luce set to earn starting status, while experienced Laporte will become a protagonist in the heart of the defence, with 18-year-old El Hannach an interesting prospect. The midfield remained untouched so far, but both starting Ferri and key Savanier are considering a move away. This could leave them lacking depth in the area. In the attack, they lost striker Delort and, in particular, winger Khazri, both in their 30s, and 18-year-old Maamma. Mendy arrived after a mixed season at Caen and should provide the goals they missed last year.