AS SAINT-ETIENNE
Saint-Étienne came agonisingly close last season. After finishing third, Les Verts defeated Rodez on penalties before facing Nice in the promotion play-off. A goalless first leg at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard left the tie finely balanced, but a 4-1 defeat on the Côte d’Azur ensured another season in Ligue 2. Their reaction has been decisive. New manager Ian Cathro has overseen another data-led rebuild, with Saint-Étienne looking well beyond the French market. Jakob Breum, Thierno Ballo, Aron Csongvai and Mamour Ndiaye are among the young recruits asked to take the club one step further.
There were understandable questions over how quickly the new group would adapt. Two games into the season, the early answer has been encouraging. A 3-0 victory away at promoted Sochaux was followed by a 3-1 win against Clermont, leaving Saint-Étienne with six points from six. Cathro has been keen to keep expectations under control, describing the Clermont performance as showing progress. He arrived acknowledging the “very strong expectation” surrounding Saint-Étienne and that pressure is unlikely to disappear. Anything other than promotion will feel like failure. So far, Les Verts look ready to embrace that burden.
FC NANTES
In theory, Nantes should be among the strongest sides in the division. After 13 consecutive seasons in Ligue 1, Les Canaris return with considerably greater resources than many of their rivals and with Michel Der Zakarian, a coach who has previously won promotion with the club, back at the helm. After AN opening defeat, Der Zakarian insisted there was no reason to panic. A week later, his language had already changed.
“When you don’t win, there is always pressure,” he admitted after the Laval defeat, while also acknowledging that Nantes still need to strengthen before the transfer window closes. There is more than enough time for Nantes to recover, and their squad should place them in the promotion conversation. Whether the club can create the stability required over 34 matches remains another matter.
FC METZ
Few clubs understand the journey between Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 better than Metz. Les Grenats’ latest stay in the top flight lasted just one season, but their response has been rather more pragmatic than revolutionary. Florian Miguel and Jean Ruiz add experience, while the arrival of Téji Savanier on a free transfer from Montpellier provides genuine creativity and personality in midfield. At 34, the former MHSC captain also brings the kind of experience that can make a significant difference over a long Ligue 2 campaign. Four points from their opening two games represents a solid if unspectacular return. They may lack the intrigue of Saint-Étienne’s international recruitment or the sheer size of Nantes, but there is very little mystery about the objective.
Metz have repeatedly demonstrated an ability to rebuild in Ligue 2 and return to the top flight. An immediate promotion is entirely realistic.
STADE DE REIMS
Reims were inconsistent during their first season back in Ligue 2, eventually finishing sixth and missing the play-offs. Their summer recruitment indicates that another campaign spent around the fringes of the promotion race will not be enough. Samuel Junior Kotto, goalkeeper Tom Hülsmann, Youssef El Kachati and Sambou Soumano have arrived as part of a significant reshaping of Nicolas Usaï’s squad. The departures of Ewen Jaouen and Patrick Zabi have helped provide room for a rebuild, which gives Reims one of the division’s more intriguing collections of talent. Their opening matches have nevertheless underlined the work still required (two points from two games). There should be enough attacking quality for Reims to improve significantly on sixth place. The challenge for Usaï is turning an extensively rebuilt squad into a coherent one quickly enough to keep pace with the division’s more settled sides. On potential alone, they belong in the promotion conversation.
RED STAR
It might finally be time to stop calling Red Star outsiders. Les Audoniens finished fourth last season before eventually being eliminated from the promotion play-offs, doing so with comparatively limited resources and one of Ligue 2’s most distinctive identities.
There has been little evidence of regression so far. Damien Perrinelle’s side produced one of the statements of the opening weekend by beating Nantes 1-0 at the Beaujoire. It was Red Star’s first victory in an opening Ligue 2 fixture since 1993. A goalless draw against promoted Sochaux followed, meaning they are yet to concede this season. The arrival of Elyaz Zidane from Real Betis adds further intrigue to a young group, but continuity may be Red Star’s greatest advantage.
They already know what they are, how they want to play and how difficult Bauer can become for visiting teams. Last season showed that they can compete with clubs operating on considerably larger budgets. Another top-five challenge should now be expected rather than treated as a surprise.
MONTPELLIER HSC
Behind the leading group sit two clubs approaching the promotion race from very different positions. Montpellier’s first season following relegation from Ligue 1 ended with a disappointing eighth-place finish. The arrival of Florian Tardieu should add some desperately needed Ligue 2 experience to a squad which still possesses enough individual quality to threaten the play-offs. Their opening 1-1 draw against Dijon was dramatic rather than convincing, with both sides scoring beyond the 90th minute, but Montpellier followed it with a more encouraging trip to Nancy. They remain difficult to judge after two turbulent seasons, but cannot be discounted.
RODEZ AF
Rodez, meanwhile, have made a habit of exceeding expectations under Didier Santini. They finished fifth last season, defeated Red Star in the first play-off and then took Saint-Étienne all the way to penalties. Another rebuild has not altered the basic formula: clever recruitment, continuity on the bench and very little external pressure.
