He who does not advance retreats. This French proverb fits well with the situation of OGC Nice this season. Stopped since November 1 and Dante’s injury, the Gym has won only one of its last 13 games (including the Europa League) and took only six points out of 27 possible in Ligue 1 over this period. On Saturday, he wasted another great opportunity to clinch a first victory in 2021 and pick up a little in the standings. Master of the game and of the score for much of the match, Nice fell asleep again at the worst moment and allowed Metz to come back to height (1-1) and William Saliba even saved the furniture in stoppage time in catching the striker Thierry Ambrose who left alone on goal.
Late compared to last season
This draw ends the first leg of the championship and even if the Gym has one game late (in Marseille – date not yet fixed), it is far behind on its scoreboard. With 23 points taken in 18 games, he is even below his record of last season (27 points at mid-championship) while we were already critical at that time on the tape in Vieira. Who had certainly ended up winning Europe at the end of an improbable scenario. So can the miracle happen again?
Europe a mirage
This season the Aiglons are stuck in a pitiful 13th place, which says all about their faults and their shortcomings. Nice is now closer to Dijon (18th with 14 points) than to Rennes (5th – 33 points) and if he should be able to avoid the relegation struggle, he seems incapable today of joining the race for Europe. With ten points behind Rennes and Marseille, the top 5 seems inaccessible, both from an accounting and sporting point of view. Nice has already lost more than won in this championship (6 wins – 7 losses) and among the opponents who are ahead of him in the standings, the Gym only managed to beat Angers (3-0) and Lens (2-1). The club is not at the level of its ambitions, which nevertheless remain to be involved in this race for European places.
