This article was first published on footballromance.com (a predecessor to this website) in November 2016.
All the way back in the 1950s, it was commonplace to see the name OGC Nice at the top of the French top-flight standings. Les Aiglons won four league titles between 1951 and 1959 before fading away into the shadows, a Coupe de France triumph in 1997 the only piece of major silverware they have lifted since their post-war glory days.
Might it be time, however, to reopen the trophy cabinet? The Côte d’Azur club top the Ligue 1 table after a near-perfect start to the domestic campaign, the only blemish a disappointing defeat at Caen in their last outing before the international break, which brought to an end an 11-game unbeaten run.
Short-termism is rife in football nowadays and one loss in Normandy has been given by some as evidence as to why Lucien Favre’s men cannot be considered genuine contenders. Particularly with overwhelming favourites Paris Saint-Germain and more ‘realistic’ outsiders Monaco lurking in the background, waiting to pounce on another slip-up.
Yet there is something about this Nice side which suggests they could be in it for the long haul (particularly if they exit the Europe League, which, given their struggles there, seems to be nothing other than an unwelcome distraction). Who, after all, had even thought them capable of leading the table by three points with nearly a third of the campaign completed?
Three at the back (when possible)
Although Le Gym picked up seven points from their opening three league fixtures, the victories over Rennes and Angers and the draw against Lille have almost been forgotten about, principally because they came before Favre implemented what is seen to be his favoured 3-5-2 system (or at least some variation comprising a three-man defence).
Nice have actually only started with that formation in half of their 12 Ligue 1 matches – an injury to central defender Paul Baysse has prompted a return to a back four in the last few weeks – yet few would contest that they have become synonymous with three at the back this term.
Ball retention in deep areas
There is certainly something distinctive about the way Les Aiglons go about their business. Their game is partly built on careful possession; only PSG have completed more passes per match so far, while their three first-choice centre-backs (Baysse, Dante and Malang Sarr) and all of their (often rotated) central midfield players possess incredibly high pass success rates (there are eight Nice players in the league’s top 27 in this category). Only three Ligue 1 teams attempt fewer long balls per game, with goalkeeper Yoan Cardinale tending to play this type of pass less often than a number of outfield players from other clubs.
Yet, despite all of Nice’s possession (56.1% on average, 2nd in the division), they spend more time in their own third of the field (31%) and considerably less time in opposition territory (19%) than any other side in the league. For a team sitting at the top of the table, this is almost impossible to believe, but it helps them to combine two (often conflicting) principles – possession football and rapid transitions – which Favre insists his teams should master.
Quick sucker-punches through the middle
By keeping possession inside their own half, l’OGC are able to draw opponents onto them and then hit them with a quick sucker-punch. Full-back-cum-wing-back Ricardo Pereira has played an important role in getting his team up the pitch at speed; the Portuguese, who is capable of performing on either flank, has mostly been deployed on the right this term and attacks tend to stem from whichever side of the field he starts on.
Brazilian Dalbert is the favoured option on the opposite flank but neither he nor Pereira are the type to get to the bye-line and whip the ball into the box – no team has attempted fewer crosses per match (10). Instead, both have a tendency to look infield, from where the likes of Jean-Mickael Seri, Wylan Cyprien and Younes Belhanda have been able to work their creative magic.
Cyprien, Vincent Koziello, Remi Walter and Mathieu Bodmer have all impressed with their tidy, pass-and-move play, but Seri has perhaps been Nice’s most impressive midfield operator, often finding space in central areas to play the killer pass after the opposition have been pulled upfield.
L’OGC are third for through-balls played per match and lead the way in key passes – leading to chances to score – from through-balls and through-ball assists. Angel Di Maria and Montpellier’s Ryad Boudebhouz are the only players who average more key passes per game than Seri, who tops the league’s assists chart with six.
Mario Balotelli (six goals in six appearances) and Alassane Plea (seven in nine starts) have been the principal benefactors, making the most of being presented with a number of high-quality opportunities to find the net; the Italian’s shot accuracy currently stands at 86% from 22 attempts, with Plea’s at 71% from 30.
Busy Cardinale – no problem
Logically, you would think that there would also be downsides to spending considerable periods of time inside your own half. And you would be right. But Nice have so far emerged relatively unscathed.
In only four of their 12 Ligue 1 fixtures have they had more shots on goal than their opponents (and in one of those Lyon were reduced 10 men before half-an-hour had been played). Bizarrely – once more, since they are league leaders – Metz and Dijon are the only teams to have allowed more efforts on their own goal, while Cardinale has made more saves per match than any other goalkeeper bar DFCO’s Baptiste Reynet. Around half of these are from shots outside the penalty area, however, so chances for the opposition tend not to be as clear as those at the other end.
Back three make-up – Sarr distribution, Baysse & Dante withstand pressure
In front of Cardinale, Sarr has been a revelation, a game-deciding mistake in Caen aside. The 17-year-old has been given a great deal of responsibility in terms of starting attacks from the back – he has often been in the top three Nice players for passes per match – while his reading of the play (three interceptions per game, 6th in the division) belies his tender years.
Alongside him, Baysse, when fit, and the vastly experienced Dante have, in addition to showing great assuredness on the ball, done the majority of the defensive dirty work. L’OGC’s set-up has allowed them to force opponents to attack from wide, from where huge numbers of crosses have been delivered into their box (e.g. 30 v Montpellier, 29 v Angers). Until now, however, Baysse (7.4 clearances per match, 3rd in L1) and Dante (1.7 blocks per game, 1st) have been up to challenge.
Momentum building (and Baysse return?) key
The imminent return of Baysse will almost certainly signal a switch back to a three-man defence, the system which Nice have appeared most suited to (five wins and a draw, including victories over Monaco and Lyon) and which allows Favre to field both Balotelli and Plea.
For now, the question is how they will react to their first league defeat of the campaign. Sceptics will claim the bubble has burst – one game is all it seems to take these days, at least if the media are anything to go by. A tricky fixture at Saint-Etienne is up next and could be season defining; lose and their lead is likely to evaporate, win and the momentum builds once again as they look to push for an unlikely title. It’s only been 58 years.