Journalist for the specialized site MaLigue2.fr, Laurent Mazure presents the forces present on the eve of the resumption of Ligue 2 and gives his opinion on the season of Amiens SC, which he fears extremely difficult. Interview.
How do you see this new season of Ligue 2?
It is one of the most undecided championships in recent years in Ligue 2! We usually say every summer that it will be tight, that there will be suspense, but I think there will be maybe even more this year. There is no favorite that emerges. There is a big budget with Toulouse, but there are a lot of problems in this team and they have had a red lantern season with very few wins and points. The two relegated that are Amiens and Toulouse are not, for me, in the names which can claim the rise. There are between ten and twelve teams that can reach the top 5, it’s pretty huge.
Because it’s a very homogeneous championship …
Compared to the time when Amiens climbed, it is now the top 5 which is concerned by the rise, with the playoffs. That leaves a lot more room for a surprise. A tenth or eleventh team in March can claim to finish in the top 5 and then anything is possible. It leaves room for one or more surprises. Last year, the two favorites rose but we do not know what it would have been if the championship had come to an end. Today, I am unable to give a duet that emerges. There are teams like Troyes or Auxerre who will be there, but there will be plenty of others.
Are the teams that missed the climb last year natural candidates for the climb?
Troyes has moved little and must refine its recruitment with three expected players but I would put them one step ahead of the others. Ajaccio has retained its defense and its midfield but lost its line of attack, and I ask to see. Clermont, when you think of them, you think of the beautiful game, they haven’t moved much but they’ve lost their top scorer. They finished the preparation by taking four goals in Grenoble so it shows that nothing is certain and Clermont will also have to fight to finish in the top 5.
Toulouse and Amiens seem to be in the same situation as Guingamp and Caen, which have long been in difficulty …
From experience, the relegated Ligue 1 have a difficult season after. Last year, Caen and Guingamp arrived over-staffed, players who wanted to leave. It’s never easy to manage egos and a workforce. I am perhaps more worried about Amiens than I was for Caen and Guingamp, especially because of the delay in the transfer window. Luka Elsner says his team is not ready, it shows, it feels. There is nothing that currently allows me to say that Amiens will play the top. On the contrary, Amiens has an interest in maintaining itself as quickly as possible.
Because it can quickly become complicated in the event of a missed start …
We saw it with Guingamp and Caen last year! Guingamp eventually managed to straighten the bar but was very irregular. Caen had a lot more trouble with a completely failed start and they flirted with the red zone for a long time. It is important not to miss his departure. Unfortunately, Amiens does not seem ready and may not be for several weeks or even months, while the recruits integrate and the group is formed. Very quickly, if in November or December you’re in the second half of the table, it can be complicated because I think the battle for maintenance will be tighter than last year.
From the outside, we tend to classify Ligue 2 as a physical championship, what do you think?
It is more technical and it plays a lot more than before, in my opinion. We have coaches who advocate the beautiful game like Pascal Gastien, Jean-Marc Furlan, Laurent Batlles. It’s physical, yes, but players have less time to think when they have the ball in their feet. This is not a championship where we only have big guys of 1.90 meters who are only good head. Ligue 2 tends to become more technical. Among all the clubs this season, three quarters have known Ligue 1. From there, there are very nice leftovers. It’s a championship that plays, and we see it every year.
Do you agree that it takes mostly players who know this championship to be successful?
More than having players who know the championship, we have to create a group. This is verified every year. We have seen it with Nîmes, Brest or Reims. These aren’t necessarily the best names that build a team, although that helps. In Ligue 2, perhaps more than elsewhere, we need a group that is born, that lives and thinks the same football. It’s often a bunch of friends that ends up at the top. Today, a club that claims the rise, before attracting big names, has every interest in considering the constitution of a group.
You just interviewed Luka Elsner, did you find him worried during your exchange?
Yes, and more than a little. There were two recruits at the start of the week, but he is still waiting for six and it will almost be necessary to redo a preparation! I’m a little worried about Amiens, but Ligue 2 is so crazy that they can win their first two games 1-0 and have confidence and positive momentum. Perhaps this speech will be called into question in two weeks. Today, on the starting line, Amiens must aim for tenth place so as not to be afraid. It is a year of transition.
If you had to pull out a surprise for the top of the table, which one would it be?
I really like what I saw near Dunkirk, which seems pretty good to me. It would be presumptuous to say that they are going to play the top 5, but if they hold their own, anything is possible. They did a very smart recruiting. He probably lacks a top striker, but it can give something very nice on paper. If I had a team to put forward it would be this one.
Interview by Romain PECHON
Read also :
Amiens SC: A framework seems to be emerging
Luka Elsner (Amiens SC): “We cannot set ourselves the goal of improving this season”
