[meatman]

Part (III) - Midtable teams


Guingamp
Last season they ended up in them midtable vicinity, and for the 2nd consecutive year their pattern of results was very similar. In both of the last 2 seasons they have started rally badly and often found themselves in big relegation trouble before Christmas. But after the winter break they once again became really good and one of the best teams in the ligue. The question this year is whether or not they can actually start properly and give themselves a chance of improving up to the higher reaches of the table. They have lost quite a few players during the summer although also replaced them with some decent guys. They could be a hard team to predict and anything is possible.

The defence has lost some important players, the 1st of who is goalkeeper Thierry Debes. He will be missed, although was getting quite old and would’ve eventually needed replacing anyway. The key central duo of Richard Martini and Milovan Sikimic have also left along with Johann Truchet. On the left hand side, Jean Francois is a departure so Guingamp need to replace. To be fair, the players they have brought in look to be quality individuals and should go well. Yves Deroff comes in from Strasbourg and he knows this division well after being involved in Les Alsatians promotion campaign last season. Steven Pele from Grenoble is also a quality player and Nicolas Savinaud from Nantes should go pretty well. There are perhaps some slight worries over the lack of cover, but I’m confident that this defence looks to be really strong when everyone is fit, possibly one of the best in the ligue.

Guingamp have also lost players in midfield, the most notable of whom is left sided Bertrand Robert who goes to Lorient. Les Costamoricains have been quick to find a replacement though and Cedric Liabeuf comes in from rivals, Brest. Harlington Sherini and Erik Sitruk have also gone, although as yet, Guingamp haven’t brought any replacements for those. Jann Jouffre will do well in the holding role, but I have my worries about the overall strength of this midfield, especially in a creative sense. They have plenty if defensive minded options but a real lack of attacking ones. Guingamp will hope some of the youngsters can step up and be counted, bit I think they definitely need to improve this midfield and bring in some new options. At the moment it looks to be their weak area and could bring them down.

The strike force loses Christophe Meslin who has gone to Troyes, and he did well for the team in the 2nd half of last season. Guingamp have yet to add any new faces to the attack line and I think perhaps they could do with buying a couple more. Key striker, David Suarez had a nightmare with injuries last year, but if he has now fully recovered, then he could become a real asset once again. Players such as Kader, Caggiano, Riviere and Eduardo are all capable of hitting the back of the net, so Guingamp do have some decent options upfront. I just think they could do with buying a real star, although that might be asking too much.

Overall, I think Guingamp look to be a pretty hard team to predict this season and their season could go either way. I like the look of the defence and attack, although the midfield might let them down a bit. They have enough quality to realistically launch an outside bid for promotion, but if things go wrong then they could equally get involved at the bottom of the table again. Traditionally they aren’t good starters to a season, but if they can get out of the starting blocks quickly then they could become a force. I’d say their most likely finishing position is around midtable, but their fortunes could go either way.

Key players - Arnaud Lelan (Defender left), Jann Jouffre (Defensive midfielder)

Verdict

Defence 7/10 (Players left, but replaced by some quality, should be strong)
Midfield 4/10 (Lack of creative options a real worry)
Attack 6/10 (Should be quite strong with plenty of options, ideally need to add one more star)

Overall - Will be a top 10 team, but not good enough to launch a promotion bid.


Chateauroux
Les Berrichonne finished in 7th position last season this was a very satisfactory placing for them. However, I think it must be said they rather overachieved and it wont be easy for the club to end up in the top 10 this year. I do think they have some good attacking potential but seem to lack the defensive solidity which is so vital in ligue 2. Chateauroux will have their spectacular moments but aren’t good enough to launch a promotion bid.

The defence is where most of the worries are and they will have to cope with the loss of old legend and captain, Teddy Bertin. He might have been getting on a bit, but there is now a hole that needs to be filled and I’m not so sure they have found anyone yet. The only addition to the defence so far is Henri Bedimo from Le Havre. He’s a decent player but it doesn’t sort out their centre back worries. Stevan Bates is a key part of the works at the back although I’m not sure who his partner will be, probably Jean Babin or Eddy Viator. Its not the most solid looking defence and many teams will feel they have a chance to score goals against it.

I have my worries about the midfield as well, certainly in a defensive sense. They do have a few decent creative options, especially on the left hand side where there are loads of players. However there is a worry on the right hand side and also in the middle when a few injuries kick in. Djibril Sidibe in the key holding role is vital, but he can be injury prone and there is no obvious replacement. In general, apart from the left hand side, this midfield looks a bit too thin on the ground and could be overpowered all too often this year.

However, Chateauroux do look to have one of the best attack forces in the ligue, and for a start they have signed two decent strikers. Mathieu Scarpelli arrives from, Ajaccio and he scored 12 goals last year. Laurent Dufresne comes from Valenciennes, and although he’s old, he’ll still score plenty of goals at ligue 2 level. Chateauroux already have a number of strikers who are capable of hitting the back of the net and there is plenty of cover should an injury crisis happen.. There’s a good mixture of pace and strength upfront and there’s no doubt in my eyes that they will score some goals.

Overall I think Chateauroux will have their good and bad days this season. I think they could be involved in a few exciting matches as they have the potential to score quite a few goals. Defensively, they don’t look to be the strongest. so their best tactics will be to take the game to their opponents. Some people might expect them to be promotion challengers but I cant see it happing to be honest. They don’t have enough quality in certain areas and will be inconsistent. They will probably finish somewhere in the midtable vicinity and could be hard to predict.

Key players - Djibril Sidibe (Defensive midfielder), Mathieu Scarpelli (Striker)

Verdict

Defence 4/10 (Lacks depth and a bit of quality, I think it will concede a few this season)
Midfield 4/10 (Fairly weak except on the left hand side, take Sidibe out and there is virtually no solidity)
Attack 8/10 (One of the strongest in the ligue and they have up to 5 decent strikers all capable of netting a few)

Overall - A poor defence and midfield ensuring that they remain only a midtable force.


Angers
Angers finished 3rd in the national division last season and are therefore promoted up to ligue 2. Many people will expect them to struggle this year, but this presumption will probably only be made on reputation. Normally I don’t often think much to promoted teams, but I have to say Angers look to be really well prepared for their fight against survival. They should stay in the division quite comfortably in my opinion, and could even nestle in the comfort of midtable.

The defence, as with all promoted clubs anywhere, will be tested severely by moving up a level. There are of course question marks as to whether Angers have enough quality in this department but I think they look alright. They have signed some decent looking players at the back who should go well. Lecluse in the central position from Nancy drops down a division and should adapt nicely. David Leray also arrives from relegated Tours and he showed last season that’s he’s a pretty decent right back. Angers look to have plenty of options in defence which will be marshalled by captain, Thierry Cygan. If some players turn out to be below the standard required then there will always be alternatives.

The midfield I am very excited about considering they are a promoted club. They have brought in 3 good signings the first of which is the exciting attacking midfielder, Fahid Benkhalfallah from Laval. Many ligue 2 clubs were interested in his signature and Angers are the team that managed to get him. He should fit in nicely and create many goals, also capable of scoring a few himself. They have also signed Olivier Auriac from Brest in a defensive minded role, and he’s a good player who I’m surprised they managed to get. Maybe he recognises the potential at the club, but he is more than proven at ligue 2 level and should do a decent job. Angers seem to have plenty of options throughout the whole of midfield, left right and centre in both defensive and attack minded roles. There is plenty of cover available should injuries kick in and I really like the look of them in the middle of the park.

In attack, Angers star man is Fabric Do Marcelinho who scored a massive 26 goals last season. He’s still pretty young and I think he’ll be able to adapt well to ligue 2 life. Angers will be in a bit of trouble should he not perform well, but they have also brought in Paul Alo’o Efoulou from Entente SG. He was the 3rd highest scorer in the national division last season netting 23 times. This Angers striker duo has the potential to be very dangerous and I’m pretty sure that they will cause opposition defences plenty of problems. Angers also have a couple of decent back up players in attack although if a major injury crisis happened, then they might be in a bit of trouble.

Overall, many people might expect Angers to be the whipping boys of the division, but I cant see it happening. The squad is a decent looking one and the club is taking survival in a serious way. They are quite a big team who should be well supported by their fans in what is an impressive 17,000 stadium. Anyone who underestimates them could pay the price severely and I think they should avoid relegation with relative ease. They could of course get sucked into things at the bottom of the table, but ultimately should survive - probably into the safety of midtable.

Key players - Thierry Cygan (Centre back), Fabrice Do Marcelinho (Striker)

Verdict

Defence 6/10 (Always a question mark over moving up a ligue but they look decent in all areas)
Midfield 7/10 (For a promoted team it looks really good and should perform well)
Attack 6/10 (Two proven strikers, although not at ligue 2 level, if they fire then teams had better watch out)

Overall 10th - Will be the revelation of the season and surprise everyone by ending up in midtable.


Ajaccio
Ajaccio finished in 12th position last season and they will hope to improve on that placing this time around. Some of the fans might have higher expectations, but they have lost a few players who will be hard to replace and it could be just another midtable year for the Corsicans.

In between the sticks they have brought Thierry Debes from Guingamp and he will be solid. Frederic Roux is the other keeper looking to maintain his position. Both are experienced, but of course old, and might lack that bit of extra agility now. The defence will have to cope with the loss of key centre backs, Laurenti and Dzodic and this wont be easy. The arrival of Remi Fournier from Martigues is interesting and he will have to raise his level up a division. This Ajaccio defence will have its good and bad days and I’m not completely convinced by it overall. There is some concern about the right back position and they only realistically have Vincent Scotte who is a natural for the role.

The midfield has lost a few players, the most notable of whom is Seid Khiter who goes back to Lens after completing his loan. A few others have also left and they seem to lack strength on the right hand side. They do however look to be pretty strong on the left thanks largely to the signings of Stephane Darbion and Christophe Avezac. Ludovic Asuar also arrived from Dijon and he will add more creativity to the midfield. They key man in the middle for Ajaccio though is Rodrigo who will play the holding role that is so vital.

In attack they have lost key striker, Matheiu Scarpelli who scored 12 goals last season. He will be hard to replace and I don’t think Ajaccio have really found anyone yet. Marcos Dos Santos on loan from Young Boys Berne and Souleymane Sylla are far too unproven and there are big question marks about them. One man that Ajaccio do have that will score goals is Jean Jacques Mandrichi, and he is a key player upfront for the Corsicans. There are one or two other options, but I don’t really like the look of this Ajaccio attack force much and it could struggle to hit the back of the net.

Initially to the eye it might seem as if Ajaccio have a stronger team this season, but I’m not convinced. Id be surprised if they managed to launch any sort of promotion bid and the most likely option is that they will finish somewhere in the midtable vicinity. There are realistically question marks all over the pitch, although also plenty of quality in places. Ajaccio will have their good and bad days, capable of giving anyone a decent game at home but often poor away. Some might expect more but they will finish top 8 at best.

Key players - Rodrigo (Defensive midfielder), Jean Jacques Mandrichi (Striker)

Verdict

Defence 6/10 (Big worry at right back although generally ok elsewhere, 2 key players hard to replace)
Midfield 5/10 (Rodrigo key in the holding role, look strong on the left but poor on the right)
Attack 4/10 (Take Mandrichi away and it looks fairly toothless)

Overall 11th - Will blow hot and cold and end up in midtable