The 17th day of Ligue 2 begins Friday evening and marks the end of the first leg of the championship. Overview of the clubs and players who marked the first part of the season. And projections for the future.
The surprises
In the first part of the table, some clubs have had a surprising start to the season given their sporting and financial resources. The Haut-Savoyards ofAnnecy are currently 5th, a place synonymous with qualification for the play-offs. After a difficult last season ending in 14th place, President Sébastien Faraglia decided to focus on stability by continuing to trust his coach Laurent Guyot, in office since 2021. Despite an average budget and a young squad, Annecy can continue to believe in the rise.
Then, theUSL Dunkirk3rd in the ranking and current play-off, is the other surprise at the start of the season. On par with the Paris FCsecond in the championship, the Northerners have made a good comeback in recent weeks. 16th last year, the club, whose sporting director is Demba Ba (ex-Chelsea), is in its second season with the Turkish group Amissos as owner. He was able to make his first summer transfer window a few months ago. With a budget of only 10 million euros, the men of Portuguese Luis Castro are holding up sportingly. Despite difficulties against the best clubs in the championship, they have won four of their last five matches and can hope to play the climb even though they did not have this objective at the start of the season.
The disappointments
Among the clubs that disappoint, Clermont15th, is one of those whose ranking does not live up to expectations at the start of the season. Last in Ligue 1 last season, the Auvergne club changed coaches two months ago but has not yet managed to move up the rankings. Despite a solid budget and a squad which includes several experienced players, Laurent Battles' men have the means to remain in Ligue 2. Then, the SM Caencurrent dam operator, is also in a delicate position. Despite a budget of 15 million euros and a prolific scorer, in the person of Alexandre Mendy, the Normans, who also fired their coach during the season, also disappointed as they finished the previous year at 6th place. Finally, Guingampdespite an honorable 7th place, seems to have the budget and the workforce to hope to do better and get closer to a play-off place.
The favorites for the climb…
In a championship long dominated by Paris FCit is finally Lorient, current leader with 33 points, which should complete the first phase at the top of Ligue 2. Thanks to its consistency, the club of Olivier Pantaloni, who replaced Régis Le Bris this summer, is among the favorites for the rise in the elite. Behind, the other clubs are held in a pocket handkerchief. 2 clubs share the other two places on the podium with 31 points. Paris FC is in ambush. The club recently bought by the Arnault family started the season well but only won one match in its last six, which caused it to lose its first place. USL Dunkerque, current play-off player, was mentioned previously. Behind, Metzwhich has 29 points, and Annecy, which has 27, are also in a play-off position.
…and those for the descent
At the bottom of the table, the place of red lantern is occupied by the promoted Martigues with 9 points. Promoted at the start of the season, the Bouches-du-Rhône club has the lowest budget in the championship, tied with Rodez, and recently fired its coach Thierry Laurey, who joined the club in July. The Martégaux are 8 points from non-relegation and will have to work harder if they want to save themselves. In front of them, 6 clubs stand in 3 points between 12th and 17th place.
With 15 points and a difference of minus 6, Caen occupies 16th place, synonymous with the play-offs. While it remains on 4 games in a row without a victory, the Norman club dismissed Nicolas Seube, former glory of the club, from his position as coach a few days ago. He is replaced by the Portuguese Bruno Baltazar, who has had several experiences in Portugal, Cyprus and Poland, and who will take his first steps on Friday evening against Clermont. The club, owned by the Coalition Capital fund which belongs to Kylian Mbappé, seems to be sailing by sight but has the squad to survive at the end of the season. 17th with 15 points and a difference of minus 7, theAC Ajaccio is on the same dynamic as SM Caen. After the departure of Olivier Pantaloni for Lorient this summer, Mathieu Chabert does not seem to succeed in getting the best out of his squad, which is perhaps not calibrated to play better than maintenance. The Corsicans host Annecy this Friday (8 p.m.).
In front, Clermont is 15th with 17 points. With a young squad, the club called on the experienced Laurent Battles who came to replace the young Franco-Swiss Sébastien Bichard who had to leave the club at the end of last October after a start to the season punctuated by only two wins in 10 matches. Since its arrival, Battles has yet to do much better than its predecessor. He only pocketed five points out of 15 possible in the championship and was eliminated in the 32nd finals of the Coupe de France. The Auvergne club has the opportunity to beat a direct competitor for maintenance this Friday evening in Caen (8 p.m.). In front of Clermont, Grenoble, Troyes and the Red Star have 18 points and occupy 12th place in the standings.
The most prominent players
Among the players who marked the first part of the Ligue 2 season, the Grenoblois Pope Meïssa Ba is the top scorer in the championship. With 10 goals in 15 games, he has scored more than half of his team's goals and allows them to avoid falling in the standings. On the side of the Parisian dauphin, the circles Ilan Kebbal et Maxime Lopez as well as the attacker Jean-Philippe Krasso help their team to still believe in the climb. For his part, the Lorient leader can count on his attackers That is, Junior Kroupi et Sambou Soumanoauthor of seven goals, to keep the lead in the championship.
Among the offensive revelations at the start of the season, Jacques Siwea 23-year-old French player who plays for Guingamp, has scored eight goals in 15 matches. After a chaotic start to his career and stints in Dijon and Annecy, the young striker seems to be fully blossoming in Brittany. Helped by his right side Alpha Sissokobest passer in the championship and another revelation of the first half of the season, Siwe is already attracting the attention of certain European clubs.
