OGC Nice for much of the season had felt like an inevitable force, winning games by a single inescapable goal. Their visit to Nantes was a chance to return to the top of the table against a side that had not won in their last four fixtures and only two days before appointing a new […]
Both teams finished the game with a red card apiece but that was the only fate that OGC Nice and Stade Rennais shared. Nice demonstrated again why many in France consider this team to be the greatest threat to PSG’s stranglehold on the league, while Rennes failed once more to impress despite another summer of […]
An early top-of-the-table clash between some unusual suspects saw the two teams that started the weekend in first and second collide in a hard-fought affair. Neither Nice nor Stade Brestois excelled, but they showed exactly why so many teams have struggled to break down their defenses. Tactical analysis and match report by Nick Hartland. Before […]
After two comfortable victories before the international break, you could be forgiven for thinking everything was back to normal for Paris Saint-Germain, but OGC Nice were there to remind them of their problems. A game defined by two managers obsessed with pressing… and only one team that seemed to know how to implement that vision. […]
Paris Saint-Germain came away from OGC Nice with a comfortable scoreline in an uncomfortable game. Second best for much of the match, this was a victory that was needed more than it was earned. Tactical analysis and match report by Nick Hartland. Paris Saint-Germain visited OGC Nice with their Champions League hopes dead for the […]
Paris Saint-Germain did win the Ligue 1 title, but for the first time in eight years, they did not feature in the Coupe de France final. Nice, the side that knocked them out, faced Nantes at the Stade de France, with both sides aiming to end long trophy droughts. A solitary goal decided the fate […]
In a fixture that could end up having significant implications for the Ligue 1 standings at the end, Nice overcame a passive first half to effectively negate large periods of sterile Rennes possession and stay within touching distance of Bruno Génésio’s men. Tactical analysis and match report by Charles Orchard. December’s contest between these two […]
Seizing the high ground, Marseille’s dreams of cup glory were slowly coming into fruition at a critical juncture. But in a contest where they lacked control, the visitors slipped away nearly as quickly as they flew out of the traps, falling to a margin of defeat that bestows favorite status. Tactical analysis and match report […]
Mauricio Pochettino might be warring his way to winning French hegemony, but Christophe’s kryptonite can still take the odd battle. On the road at Paris, his men’s organization kept their illustrious hosts at bay before a double agent showed up at the death to secure a stunning result. Tactical analysis and match report by Emmanuel […]
Nice’s 4-3-3 shape managed to expose Olympique Marseille’s weaknesses. With time passing and Jorge Sampaoli making the necessary tactical changes, the guests took control. A careless mistake however led to a second Nice goal and the end of Marseille’s chances to win. Tactical analysis and match report by Thanos Chelas. In a season in which their […]