After their meeting in Brest (4-0) but also in Nice (8-0), several journalists and observers of French football pointed out the lack of experience of the Saint-Etienne squad.
On the one hand, the youth of the squad, while the Forez club is far from having the youngest squad in the division and on the other hand, the lack of experience of the players in Ligue 1. Olivier Dall’Oglio has often mentioned this inexperience in Ligue 1, this was particularly the case after Nantes: “We focused on that this week. In terms of tactical discipline, I liked the team but not in the duels. We talked about naivety, we don’t have a lot of experience, we know that, but we have to learn quickly on a throw-in at the corner point, we can’t let the player out, there was a lack of rigor and naivety.”
Is relying on a squad seasoned in Ligue 1 a guarantee of success? The official Ligue 1 website publishes a study on the average experience within the first division among the current squad. The squad with the most experience in the division is Stade Brestois 29, author of an exceptional 2023-2024 season which led the Breton club to the Champions League for the first time in its history. Within the Finistère squad, there is an average of 4.41 seasons in Ligue 1. The Football Club de Nantes comes in second place (4.33 seasons) and Montpellier Hérault completes the podium (4 seasons). The current red lantern, SCO Angers, however, relies on an experienced workforce (3.16 seasons).
And Saint-Étienne in all this? The Greens are not the most inexperienced. A promoted player must deal with a squad that lacks even more experience: AJ Auxerre. The Greens’ recent opponent has a season average of 1.70 compared to 1.97 for AS Saint-Étienne. Between the two promotions, we also find the Racing Club de Strasbourg (1.83 season) which is having an attractive start to the season. Toulouse FC also slots in with 1.83 season average. We will also note the presence of the big surprise at the start of the season, Stade de Reims just ahead of Saint-Étienne with 2.29 Ligue 1 seasons on average within the Champagne squad.
Unsurprisingly, on the Saint-Étienne side, it is Yunis Abdelhamid who has the most seasons in the elite (8). Steve Mandandathe Stade Rennais FC goalkeeper is far ahead of everyone with 17 seasons in Ligue 1. Strasbourg’s most experienced player has only 5 seasons in Ligue 1, it is Thomas Delaine.
The Ligue 1 website paints a typical portrait of a player in the division. He has three seasons of presence and 53 matches played, including two seasons for 28 appearances in the colors of his current club.
Related News :