League Focus: Relegation Battle Tightens on Ligue 1’s Binary Sunday

1-0, 1-0, 0-1, 1-0, 0-1, 0-0. The Sunday afternoon multiplex in Ligue 1 might have looked unappetising viewing on paper – with the final five being played simultaneously, after the Saturday schedule was cleared for the Coupe de la Ligue final – but there was no shortage of tension.

At the close of proceedings Toulouse, Metz and Lens still occupied the bottom three places, but there is no guarantee that will still be the case come the campaign’s end on Saturday May 23. We should perhaps clarify that; the bottom two are all but gone. Metz’s win over Toulouse last time out was a drop in the ocean given their 18-match winless run in the league before that, which has left them nine points from safety. The game in hand that Albert Cartier’s side hold is a Tuesday night trip to Paris Saint-Germain, which promises little.

Lens, hamstrung by financial chaos all season, are below Metz only on goal difference but face worse than next season back in Ligue 2. Back in January, the Administrative Court of Besançon annulled the decision to allow them promotion at the end of last season, effectively meaning they face playing in the National, the third tier, next season barring a miraculous turnaround (though the Fédération Française de Football is appealing the court ruling).

Above this seemingly doomed pair is where it starts to get interesting. The struggle stretches beyond the bottom half, in fact, with 10th-placed Nice only six points clear of third-bottom Toulouse. It would have been a lot worse for Claude Puel’s side had they not won twice (including an improbable victory at high-flying Lyon) and drawn once in their last three fixtures. Toulouse remain 18th, but made it two out of two home wins under new coach Dominique Arribagé by beating Montpellier. That in itself is no mean feat, given the European ambitions of Rolland Courbis’ side, who have been largely excellent since Christmas.

The diamond midfield brought in by Arribagé – as discussed in this column a fortnight ago – continues to show its worth, with Oscar Trejo unshackled at its tip and scoring Sunday’s winner on the stroke of half-time. At the back, Steeve Yago was Téfécé’s star man, making 5 tackles, 4 interceptions and 9 clearances in helping to hold up the in-form Lucas Barrios. The 22-year-old, having started just 6 times in Ligue 1 this season, is emerging as a key figure.

Just as helpful for Toulouse was the news that none of the teams immediately above them were able to win (although Bastia were otherwise occupied at Stade de France, of course). Reims, having fired coach Jean-Luc Vasseur in the week and replaced him with Olivier Guégan, look most in danger having slumped to a fourth straight defeat at home to Nice. They will probably feel they should have got more out of the match, after having 17 shots to the visitors’ 11, and having commandeered 61.1% of possession.

The devil is in the detail, though. Reims managed just 3 efforts on target, as they sought to end a run of one win in 13 games (in all competitions). Guégan’s pre-match appeal that the team needed “to defend from the front” seemingly fell on deaf ears too. Gaëtan Charbonnier made 1 tackle and Diego made 3, but Benjamin Moukandjo and Nicolas de Preville didn’t make a challenge between them. It doesn’t take a genius to work out that the division’s leakiest defence (54 conceded to date) could do with some help.

Lorient complete the trio on 35 points, with Toulouse and Reims, and could eventually feel that they missed a chance to pull away by only drawing 0-0 at bottom club Lens. There is – and was – clearly a gap in class between the sides, as underlined by Lorient’s 12 dribbles (to Lens’ one). Yet Sylvain Ripoll’s visitors personified the nerves contingent with looking over your shoulder. They had just 7 shots through the afternoon, being too worried about losing to try and win the game.

It’s a pity they took this approach. Lorient are always a more challenging proposition when daring to go onto the front foot. Strangely, they had more efforts on goal (10) in last month’s defeat at champions PSG than they did in Amiens at the weekend. That match at the Parc des Princes could easily have yielded a point or more, with Lorient again proficient with the ball (21 dribbles to PSG’s 7) and forcing Laurent Blanc’s men into 29 tackles.

Lorient need to recover this spirit of enterprise. They are not daunted by vaunted opposition, having put Lyon through the wringer in a 1-1 draw, and could be inspired by the visits of Bordeaux and Monaco. In short, Jordan Ayew (9 goals and 5 assists) needs to be given support to do the job. They will hope to be safe by the visit of Leonardo Jardim’s men on the final day, with the tie with Toulouse at Le Moustoir next up and absolutely crucial.

Evian Thonon Gaillard, just a point in front on 36, created plenty despite having just 31% of the ball against Lille, but let the result slip away to Sofiane Boufal’s late penalty. Frittering points after taking the lead was last season’s speciality for Pascal Dupraz’s side, and while their form has improved in recent months, it is still likely that they will hover around the bottom right to the end. That star player Daniel Wass has not scored since December (after 8 goals and 5 assist) is a real concern, too.

This quartet are not the only ones who should worry. Caen, Nantes and Bastia has all lost 3 of their last 5 games. The Corsicans play their game in hand at Lyon on Wednesday, though they will take hope from Nice’s win there last time out. Guingamp have concerns too, with Jocelyn Gourvennec’s side brought down to earth with a bump after exiting Europe and the Coupe de France (they were holders of the latter). They have won just 2 of 10 in all competitions.

That last relegation place, then, looks like going to the wire. Will one of these clubs soon wish that they, like Toulouse, made a coaching change when they had the chance? 
 

Who do you think will finish in the third relegation spot in Ligue 1? Let us know in the comments below