The victory, on Sunday evening, after extra time by OGC Nice at the Ray against Olympique Lyonnais, highlighted an important point about the Nice team that has been present since the start of the season, beyond the result: the revival of the defensive sector. But who are these players making the Eagles the fourth-best defense in Ligue 1?
Renato Civelli: the leader
Few players can boast becoming an essential element of a Ligue 1 team in just a year. The Argentine is one of them. Renato Civelli managed to establish himself in a team lacking a true defensive leader since 2005 and the retirement of José Cobos. After a two-and-a-half-year stint with Olympique de Marseille (January 2006 – 2009), the tall defender (1.91m) signed a 5-year contract with San Lorenzo, one of the most prestigious Argentine clubs. After 6 months, never having hidden his desire to return to France to revive his European career, he was loaned again until the end of the season to OGC Nice. Convinced and reassured by his performances in the central defense, the club from the French Riviera finally lifted the 1.7 million euro purchase option in July 2010 and signed him for 3 years. To the delight of Nice supporters, he is one of the main architects of the finally rediscovered defensive stability.
Nemanja Pejcinovic, the Serbian surprise
And to think this Serbian defender trained at FK Rad Belgrade was recruited by the Gym with reference to the very comprehensive database (around 400,000 players) of the football simulation Football Manager. He was listed there during the 2009-2010 season as a member of the German club Hertha Berlin, on loan from Belgrade. Back in Serbia after his German adventure, he was approached by Nice officials in December 2010 for, initially, a loan with an option to buy. Like his counterpart in central defense Renato Civelli, his rigor and consistency won over the staff, who offered the Serbian international (one cap in 2008) a contract until 2014. This season, the 23-year-old Serbian has become an indisputable starter in the central defense of Nice, the second shield of the Eagles.
François Clerc: the comeback
The former French international (13 caps) had a pretty significant comeback to make when coming to Nice. First with fate: in August 2008, then the starting left back for Olympique Lyonnais, François Clerc suffered a torn knee ligament that forced him into six months of recovery, effectively halting (for the moment) his international career. Then, a comeback to make, even if he would never say so, with his former club: at the end of the 2009-2010 season, not fitting into Claude Puel’s plans, the manager from Rhône, he left OL. Without a club, he was given the opportunity to train with the Nice team at the start of the 2010 season. And in September, he signed with OGC Nice for two years. Today, Clerc fully satisfies the red and black leaders and fans. He even had the luxury of scoring last Sunday the goal that qualified Nice for the Coupe de France round of 16 at the expense of… Lyon. Coincidence?
Drissa Diakité, the unsung hero
In every team, there is also a player who is not often seen. But it is usually the one who does most of the work. Drissa Diakité falls into this category. He has been a core member of the team for over four seasons. Versatile (he can play as a defensive midfielder as well as a right back), he is appreciated by the Ray Stadium crowd for his physical impact on Nice’s game, even though this characteristic makes him one of the most penalized players in the league (5 yellow cards and one red card this season in 14 games). The hard-hitting Malian international, born in Bamako, possesses extraordinary confidence which he knows how to share with his teammates in important matches.
Ultimately, it’s the blend of youth and experience, of comeback and ambition. The secret of OGC Nice’s defense lies there. It’s the amalgamation of four players from different backgrounds, with different experiences, but who share the same ambition: to make OGC Nice an impenetrable wall for opposing attacks.
