OGC Nice must put an end to the crisis. After a good start to the season with four wins in six matches (and two losses), the Aiglons have not won a single match in Ligue 1 since September 21 and are on a streak of five consecutive games without a victory. As a result, Patrick Vieira needs to find resources to get the team going again and hope that all the new recruits finally integrate into his squad.
Patrick Vieira’s OGC Nice is quite contradictory. Indeed, the team from the Côte d’Azur began the season with a bang despite the lack of new signings and, conversely, has faced a significant slump since the team was strengthened. While the sale of the club was completed in the last days of August, the INEOS group quickly brought in significant recruits for the coach. Adam Ounas, loaned with an option to buy from Napoli, Alexis Claude-Maurice sold by Lorient for 10 million, and Kasper Dolberg, transferred for around twenty million from Ajax, are the three main acquisitions of Nice’s transfer window. But the three forwards are experiencing different fortunes…
In fact, Adam Ounas (22 years old) has appeared only 4 times in Ligue 1, with one assist. Trained in Bordeaux, the Algerian winger, who won the Africa Cup of Nations, has only played 235 minutes in Ligue 1 before getting injured during the derby against Monaco. The Algerian, who assisted in a goal in the previous match against Dijon, left the field in tears and has not returned to play since, needing to wait between a month and a half to two months to resume training. The absence of the winger, who is very hard to stop in Ligue 1, is costly for the Aiglons…
On the other hand, Alexis Claude-Maurice hasn’t entirely grasped the level of expectation in Ligue 1. Very strong in Ligue 2, the winger has not yet adapted to his much tougher opponents but is improving rapidly. Capable of playing as a left midfielder, right midfielder, winger, or even forward, the 21-year-old from Noisy-le-Grand has made 7 appearances in Ligue 1, totaling 460 minutes of play. So far, “ACM” has not yet registered any statistics but is often the origin of Nice’s offensive plays. He could be one of GYM’s key players for the trip to Reims this weekend. In this classic match of French football, the betting odds are clearly in favor of Gym, although they have suffered three consecutive defeats in the league.
Finally, Kasper Dolberg is the only one who is currently justifying his investment. The 22-year-old Danish forward, who was struggling at Ajax Amsterdam due to limited playing time, has scored 2 goals and provided 1 assist in 6 matches. Although he did not play against Strasbourg, the native of Silkeborg is clearly the leader of Nice’s attack. In a very young team, his experience, especially last year with Ajax and the Champions League semi-final, should be a significant asset to Patrick Vieira’s squad. It is now up to the coach to find the right words to get the team back on track.
