Football Season Guide

What happened to Reims last season is quite incredible: they managed to turn what could have been a fantastic campaign into a nightmarish one. After starting well under Luka Elsner, they found themselves in the top 4 at the end of October, they initiated a slow fall that led to the sacking of the Slovenian coach in January. With Samba Diawara at the helm, things went even worse but, between mid-March and late April, Reims raised their heads and made a move towards safety, while also reaching the Coupe de France final. Then, they committed suicide, losing the last 3 games of the regular season, the Coupe final, to PSG, and the second leg, at home, of the relegation/promotion playoffs against Metz after drawing away. Thus, they returned to the Ligue 2 after spending the past 7 campaigns in the top flight of the French football. The management logically gave Diawara the sack, while they hired 43-year-old Karel Geraerts, who made his name at Union St Gilloise before disappointing at Schalke. Reims filled their safe with plenty of money coming from a few departures occurred over the summer, while hardly spent any of it strengthening their squad. Starting goalie Diouf was sold to Nice while aging Butelle was released. 19-year-old Jaouen, returning from an experience at Dunkerque, could be given the n.1 with Olliero acting as deputy. Back-up left-back Sangui was sold to Paris while starting right-back Buta returned to Eintracht Frankfurt, his parent club. Sekine would earn starting status on the right, with Busi acting as back-up. They lack a valid alternative to Akieme at left-back, though. 37-year-old centre-back Pallois, arriving from Nantes, could become a protagonist in the heart of the defence, following starting Kipre’s departure. The midfield lost back-up Amadou Koné and Moscardo, who returned to PSG after leaving no mark. Demoncy did well at Annecy and could be battling for a start. The attack is the area where they changed the least since nobody left, hoping key winger Nakamura, their top scorer last season, remains, while Salama and Bojang returned from loans.