Due to the international break, Ligue 1 will not resume until October 19th. It’s an opportunity to take a brief look at the difficult start to the season for OGC Nice.
Even though it’s still too early to draw conclusions, especially after just eight matchdays, certain trends are emerging in this start of the season for OGC Nice. It’s no secret that this season is a season of building for the Gym, or should we say rebuilding. A new coach, in the person of Claude Puel, massive departures (Mounier, Hellebuyck, Clerc, Mouloungui…), replaced by young talents like Eric Bauthéac (25 years old), Timothée Kolodziejczak (22 years old and still a delight to write), and Joris Delle (22 years old), as well as the arrival of Dario Cvitanich, already with 4 goals this season. Not to mention the construction of the new stadium, the Allianz Riviera, expected for mid-June 2013. That’s a lot of changes in just a few months.
A hard team to beat
In terms of the standings, the Aiglons are 16th in the Ligue 1 table with 8 points, consisting of one win, five draws, and two losses, in addition to a win in the Coupe de la Ligue against Brest in the round of 32, giving them a home round of 16 tie against Lyon.
Sure, the team from the Riviera hasn’t been winning, but on the flip side, they aren’t losing either. Indeed, at the start of this campaign, it’s been hard for OGC Nice’s opponents to take all three points. The Niçois might have some regrets due to some conceded goals, which were mostly due to lapses in attention or a clear lack of experience, given the young squad. Especially since the gameplay displayed during certain stretches has shown real promise.
Time will tell if these promises will be fulfilled.
