It's time for the mid-season class council.
With half of the matches played, Ligue 2 delivers its first trends.
Twenty teams, two places in Ligue 1 only, four descents in National.
This 2022-2023 financial year is one of all dangers.
Bordeaux, Saint-Etienne, Metz, Caen, Sochaux, Dijon, Guingamp… The presence of many clubs accustomed to the elite raises the average level, and the slightest false step is expensive.
To discover
Calendar and results Ligue 2
At the top of the table, Le Havre breaks away and the pursuers like Sochaux, Bordeaux, Grenoble and Metz are in a pocket handkerchief.
Below, Nîmes, Niort and Rodez are already on a maintenance mission, as is Saint-Etienne.
The Greens are just getting their heads out of the water after occupying last place for a long time.
After nineteen days played, place in the balance sheet.
Le Havre and the others
What if it was finally the right one?
Accustomed to the first part of the table, Le Havre is struggling to finish in the places that matter.
Eighth last year, Ciel and Marine have this time a real opportunity to reach the elite.
They prance in the lead with nine points ahead of their runner-up, Bordeaux.
Best defense with only seven small goals conceded, second best attack… At mid-season, the record is that of a champion in the making.
Among the twelve victories, we will remember that in Saint-Etienne at the end of August (0-6), that of character in front of Bordeaux in numerical inferiority (1-0), and other stunning ones like the last to date against Nîmes (3-1 ).
On January 13, 2022, the Havrais overthrew Nîmes after conceding the opener.
A decisive victory.
Federico Pestellini / PANORAMIC
Who would have bet on such a strong HAC, when everything was turned upside down in the off-season?
Exit Paul Le Guen, replaced on the bench by Luka Elsner.
The Slovenian had however had a first mixed experience in France on the bench of Amiens.
Vincent Volpe, club boss, also trusted Jean-Michel Roussier, former OM leader, as president, as well as Mathieu Bodmer as sports director.
“
It would be a big liar to say that I had imagined that.
It was impossible
” confided the latter to Paris-Normandy about the excellent results of his team.
However, he keeps a cool head, aware that a successful second half of the season will require reinforcements in the winter transfer window, especially in front: “
If we want to go to the end, we will have to offer something else offensively.
“The Samuel Grandsir track, which evolves at the Los Angeles Galaxy, is mentioned.
Mixed fortunes for the ex-Ligue 1
Saint-Etienne, Bordeaux, Metz.
Three beautiful names in French football, relegated at the end of last season to the second division, and whose destinies are not alike for the moment.
The Greens very quickly plunged to the bottom of the rankings, admittedly handicapped by three penalty points and four games behind closed doors.
These sanctions were imposed by the LFP Disciplinary Committee following the excesses that occurred during the play-off against Auxerre at the end of May.
Despite the recruitment of experienced players and the arrival on the bench of the coveted Laurent Battles, the Stéphanois obtained catastrophic results and occupied the last place for a long time.
Enough to raise the specter of a second relegation in two years.
The last two victories give some air, but the objective is clear:
Arrived from Auxerre in December, Gaëtan Charbonnier could well be decisive in the second part of the season for AS Saint-Etienne.
Frédéric Chambert / PANORAMIC
At the other end of the standings, we find the Girondins (2nd) and the Grenats (3rd) on the podium, well positioned for the final sprint.
Bordeaux even hit the peaks for a while, thanks to a well-managed end of the transfer window, a good youth-experience alchemy and a strong audience (second influx in Ligue 2).
David Guion's men had the certainty of playing the climb very early on.
Which explains the disappointment when the team is idling.
According to Sud Ouest, President Gerard Lopez expressed his anger after the draw against Amiens (1-1) on Friday January 13, the second of the week after leading in the score: “
The work is there, the quality is there, it's a shame to throw everything out the window like that.
[…] We are happy with the results, with the game offered because we play football well.
That's why there is anger, because we want more.
“As for FC Metz, we can't stop it.
Long stuck in the middle of the table, he signed five victories in the last six games and is now very ambitious.
Encouragement for Laval and Annecy, warnings for Nîmes and Dijon
On the promoted side of National, the results are encouraging since Laval and Annecy are respectively 14th and 12th.
The Tango suffered a big blow with the cruciate ligament injury of Julien Maggiotti, attacking leader with seven goals.
They have chained three defeats in a row without scoring, but have just raised their heads with a nice success against Rodez (3-1).
The Savoyards finished the first part of the season very strong with four points out of six possible and a qualification for the round of 16 of the Coupe de France.
Very good omen for maintenance.
It's more difficult for Dijon (16th) and Nîmes (19th) who, shortly after experiencing the joys of Ligue 1, could experience an end to the season under high tension.
The big cars Guingamp (13th), Caen (7th) and Paris FC (9th) are below expectations, but Grenoble (5th) and Sochaux (4th) are in good shape to fight at the top.
Two years after its descent, Amiens (6th) is having a better year than the previous one and can still hope for a feat, while SC Bastia (8th) continues its restructuring, carried by a Furiani stadium on fire at each home meeting.
The second part of the season promises in any case to be very competitive, for the ascent as for the descent.