After kicking off the season with a bang and a spirited victory against Toulouse, Gym will want to continue at Le Moustoir to leave their mark on a season that has everything to be promising but has yet to achieve it.
26 years since the Eagles had won their first home match of the season in Ligue 1. Against Toulouse and the 3-2 victory last week, this could indeed be called an achievement.
The first of a season full of hope after this initial opus, contrasting with the pre-season’s ambient pessimism.
Second matchday, Lorient looms with its synthetic turf, a surface Gym does not particularly enjoy, just like trips to the Merlus. Two wins out of eight encounters at Le Moustoir, the last one… on a second matchday, in 2010-11? after two fierce headers by Ismaël Gace and Loïc Rémy.
We hope for the same success for OGC Nice despite the last-minute withdrawals of Dario Cvitanich and Mathieu Bodmer;
The injured starters are already making their reappearance in Nice’s season.
Hoping that newcomer Souleymane Diawara and the youthful Nice attack will ensure the essentials: a solid defense to support Mouez Hassen, valiant but still shaky in his role as the first-choice goalkeeper. For now.
A second point of vital importance is the hard-hitting attack (compared to last season) where the salvation against TFC came from numerous shooting and crossing attempts in front of the goal, which found takers through sheer volume.
Last year, Gym hardly attempted any shots. We clearly saw the difference last Saturday at the Allianz when a team plays forward and is eager with that tinge of “warrior” spirit that can change a match and a season in the long run.
Lorient made a successful start against Monaco, no pressure for the Bretons who already spent a bonus before hosting Nice. Despite quality recruits and the good work of coach Ripoll, following in the footsteps of Christian Gourcuff, OGC Nice has the means to bring back a good result from Brittany.
Last year, the midfield from Nice struggled to find the forwards, resulting in numerous matches with no real chances. A slog. A drowning with a diving suit, fortunately.
With only Hult and the rediscovered physical motivation of Eysseric, the contagious effect seems to have taken hold of the team, which moved forward as one during the first matchday. The contribution of the defense towards the opponent’s front (two assists from Genevois and G. Puel against Toulouse) managed to create an overload. The focus of Mendy and the jubilant play of Amavi in the corridor brought a mix of madness-tempo that might be the key to Nice’s success this year. Honorat’s motivation in the mere 5 minutes spent on the field is proof of a state of mind. The maturity of Alexy Bosetti who, in this match, played like an old pro with inch-perfect deep passes, effective defensive retreat, and clarity illuminated by that victorious header.
But like any success that wants to last, it is the mentality and conviction of the players on the field that will ensure the success of the tactics set up by Claude Puel, not the other way around. Otherwise, beware of the backlash.
We clearly saw it last year and so many other years since OGC Nice was born…
