FC Metz: 2015/16 Ligue 2 Preview

Coach: Jose Riga
Stadium: Stade Saint-Symphorien
Last Season: 19th in Ligue 1

DEFENCE

At the moment, Metz have custodian issues. Johann Carrasso is technically still one of their players but has been told to find another club, the same with Anthony M’Fa. So that means either David Oberhauser or youngster Thomas Didillon will be starting in between the sticks. The former isn’t very good and whilst Didillon might develop, for now he’s far too raw. At least in front of him, the defence should in theory be quite solid. Les Grenats have signed a couple of new CBs in Nuno Reis and Sezer Ozman. Both have experience at fairly high levels and I’d imagine they’ll be easily good enough at L2 level. Metz also still have Guido Milan as an option when he returns to fitness, and Jose Palomino. Milan was very error-prone in Ligue 1 last season but could easily rebound this year. On the right hand side Romain Metanire is still with the team but I’d expect him to be sold before the end of August. Already a replacement has been effectively signed, Ivan Balliu from Portuguese side Arouca. He’s another with past experience at a high level so should fit in nicely. Left back will be a problem if Gaetan Bussmann is sold. He would be one of the best in ligue 2 at his position and the hope is he’ll remain at the cub. If he does, this should be one of the top defences in the division.

MIDFIELD

Gone are some players who’ve been regulars in the Metz team during the last few years. Kashi, Rocchi, N’Daw and Bouna Sarr have all departed. I wouldn’t say Metz are elite in this area of the field, but should be competitive enough. They have signed DMID Andre Santos from Turkish club Balikesirspor and this guy looks like a potential stud at Ligue 2 level. He has been playing top-flight football for a number of years in Turkey, Portugal and even in La Liga with Deportivo La Coruna. Surely he should be able to stamp his authority on the French 2nd tier. Ferjani Sassi is another player who should excel for them in Ligue 2, although there are some doubts if they can keep him. It looks like Cheick Doucoure will be getting regular playing time and they need him to rebound from a fairly disappointing season. Metz don’t have an awful lot else in defensive and central midfield, but guys like Krivets and Ikaunieks are good in more advanced roles. A lot depends if Sassi remains, but if he does then they’ll be strong enough in the middle.

ATTACK

Metz only scored 31 goals last season, an appalling return and one of the main reasons for their relegation. Their top scorer was actually Modibo Maiga with 9 goals, but he’s now returned to West Ham. Back at Ligue 2 level the likelihood is they’ll hit the back of the net more regularly again. One worry is the lack of a real proven scorer though. Juan Falcon might potentially move before the end of the transfer window, but even if he stays then I’m not convinced he’ll get 10+ goals. He had some good games last season, but was very inconsistent. The Venezuelan was often on the treatment table too and seems like a fairly injury-prone player. Amido Balde has been signed from Celtic but his past record isn’t great and he’s another with whom there can be no guarantees. At least Les Grenats should have a decent supply line. Kevin Lejeune has proven his ability in recent years and he’ll go really well on either wing. Yeni N’Gbakoto is another who should thrive in the 2nd tier, although like a number of their players, there are doubts he’ll stay beyond August. Ikaunieks, Krivets and maybe new signing Celestin Djim should all offer creativity too, so Metz will have a degree of threat in the final third. But the potential lack of a really top class striker could hinder them.

COACHING

Albert Cartier led Metz to successive promotions, but relegation cost him the job and Jose Riga takes over. This is a man with an extensive managerial record, he never seems to stay in one place for long. I would expect him to play more attractive football than Cartier did. The former boss was fairly defensively minded but Riga has talked about operating in a more free-flowing, possession-style system, nicer on the eye. I’m honestly not sure what to expect from him, but he tends to be at clubs when they are in trouble, fighting against relegation. It’s going to be the opposite this year with fans demanding promotion, so it’ll be interesting to see how he copes with that pressure. Les Grenats are renowned for having a strong home fortress and Le Stade Saint Symphorien can really crank up an intimidating noise with a good attendance.

CONCLUSION

None of the last 15 teams relegated from Ligue 1 have managed to obtain an immediate bounceback promotion. You have to go back to the 2009/10 season when this last happened (Caen) and for some reason it’s becoming very difficult for sides to adapt to life back in Ligue 2. However, it might be that Metz have a decent chance of bucking that trend. They had a great couple of years, winning the National and Ligue 2 titles successively. Their ascension into the top flight almost came ‘too quickly’ and to many it was no surprise to see them immediately relegated. I don’t think it’ll take them too much adapting back at this level, and unlike most relegated clubs there isn’t a massively negative atmosphere round the place. I think Metz will come close to the top two and have to be considered a major promotion contender.

Prediction – 4th