Olivier Frapolli has been managing Stade Lavallois since the summer of 2019 — pre-pandemic, which seems a lifetime ago for some of us now!
In that time, the 51-year-old coach has guided the Mayenne-based club to promotion from Championnat National as league winners (2021/22) before securing Ligue 2 safety last season, ensuring the club would enter the 2023/24 campaign as a second-tier side.
Frapolli deserves plenty of credit for the stability and success hes brought to Les Tango, who had been absent from Ligue 2 since 2016/17 before he oversaw their promotion.
In this tactical analysis piece, well analyse Frapollis performances over the last year and a bit within the context of what hes had to work with in Laval compared with his competitors before looking at the tactics and tactical identity hes stamped on his side.
Well finish up our analysis by highlighting three key players within his Lavallois team who you need to keep an eye on this season and why those individuals, in particular, could elevate Frapollis team in 2023/24 beyond what they achieved last term.
Overachieving this season and last?
One could quite easily argue that Frapolli has overachieved in a major way with Les Tango over the past couple of seasons. Firstly, lets take a trip back to Lavallois first Ligue 2 campaign in six years, one season ago.
Fresh off their Championnat National triumph, the club ended up in the second tier, competing with squads far more potent than theirs. Per Transfermarkt, Les Tango had the lowest squad value of any second-tier side in 2022/23 by a fair distance.
This would suggest lower quality in the squad and more difficulty for all involved when it comes to achieving their aim of avoiding the drop straight back down to the third tier.
However, avoid the drop they did — despite four teams being relegated from Ligue 2 last season; Lavallois ultimately ended up finishing 15th — two places (though just one point!) clear of the relegation zone.
Due to Sochaux-Montbéliards off-the-field issues
