For the first match of OGC Nice under Ursea, the Niรงois bring back a point from their trip to Reims in a game lacking inspiration (0-0).
For his first starting eleven, Adrien Ursea did not make any drastic changes (see below*). Based on the form of some of his players, the coach who led a Ligue 1 team for the first time was very conservative.
The first half was dominated by the Gym in terms of possession, but the strikers for the evening were unable to pose any threat to Rajkoviฤ’s goal. For the home team, the lack of confidence was evident, and transitions were challenging.
Both teams had increased difficulty creating chances due to a thick, persistent fog that greatly reduced visibility.
For the viewers, visibility also became increasingly difficult.
Ultimately, the last 10 minutes were played in complete fog for both teams, who were unable to score.
The Niรงois reassured themselves defensively by not conceding any goals (giving up only two shots on target) but were not reassuring offensively with very few dangerous opportunities. “Given the situation we’re in, weโll settle for this point. The important thing tonight was to regain some confidence and momentum after what happened in recent days. There were too many changes, so I want to say we took this point. Now weโll try to calm ourselves and prepare well for the other matches,” the coach commented after the game.
In the standings, the Gym finds themselves in 11th position with 18 points. Nothing alarming after 13 match days since the Gym remains five points from European competition. The next match is at home this Sunday, December 13th, against Stade Rennais, also struggling, with a series of seven matches without a win.
Could this be seen as an effect of the European Cup?
