19th-placed with only three wins from 20 games and 15 points, Nîmes are not currently in a position of comfort in Ligue 1. Despite managing to force themselves into the mid-table of Ligue 1 in their first season after getting promoted last season, Nîmes havent been able to replicate the same success in 2019/20.
Bernard Blaquarts side have lost their pillars but are they really what caused Nîmes current struggles?
In this tactical analysis/scout report, were going to take a closer look at why Nîmes are having a disastrous campaign in Ligue 1 this season.
Summer transfer analysis
Nîmes lost most of their key players from the previous season this summer. Wide playmaker Antonin Bobichon and athletic winger Sada Thioub both signed for league rivals Angers alongside Rachid Alioui.
Denis Bouanga, who was one of the most prolific players at Nîmes last season, left for Saint-Étienne. Meanwhile, Téji Savanier who finished the season as the top assist provider in Ligue 1 left for a decent fee for Montpellier after a fantastic season with Nîmes.
Jordan Ferri also proved to be a rather important figure in the side. The Lyon loanee provided stability in the midfield, allowing Savanier to unleash his creativity in and around the middle and final third of the pitch.
Nîmes did manage to bring in several replacements over the course of the summer, but are they really the players they needed this season?
Nîmes brought in Lamine Fomba, Sidy Sarr, Haris Duljevic, Lucas Deaux, Romain Philippoteaux, Pablo Martinez, Zinedine Ferhat, and Vlatko Stojanovski this summer.
Ferhat looked to be a rather similar player to Bobichon, a wide player with very good playmaking ability. Though Bobichon was mainly played as an 8 last season, he also got a decent amount of time playing as a wide midfielder, mainly on the left side. Ferhat can also play centrally though hes mainly a wide midfielder. Both players arent exactly very explosive and pacey but both have very good eyes for a pass and excellent technique on the ball.
Ferhat certainly hasnt been a disappointment this season. In fact, hes the opposite. The 26-year-old midfielder has registered a total of one goal and four assists in 20 matches in all competitions this season which is not bad. Ferhat also averages 2.5 key passes per game this season with a 55% success rate. Its safe to say that Nîmes have found a good Bobichon replacement in Ferhat.
Meanwhile, Duljevic looked quite likely to be a Thioub replacement. Both are highly athletic players with very good pace over long-range and great dribbling skills, quite suitable for a team that rely mainly on quick breaks and counter-attacks like Nîmes. However, so far the former Dynamo Dresden man mostly played as a centre-forward, pairing with Renaud Ripart upfront.
The Bosnian forward has been average at best so far at Nîmes though. He has been okay. Hes fairly creative with decent attacking output, but okay certainly wont be enough to take Nîmes to a higher level. Duljevic looks to be quite suitable for Nîmes when it comes to his style of play but he doesnt seem good enough for the current level of football.
Nîmes also brought in a technical dribbler in Philippoteaux. The right-footed left-winger has proven to be a pretty decent signing so far. Hes certainly not an upgrade to Bouanga though. While the latter was much more clinical in front of goal last season, Philippoteaux is just simply not as good when it comes to finishing chances.
Philippoteaux is also trailing when it comes to creating chances compared to Bouanga last season. This season, Philippoteaux registers an average of 0.83 key passes per game while creating an average of 0.43 chances per game. Bouanga, meanwhile, averaged 1.3 key passes per game last season whilst also creating 1.2 goalscoring chances per game.
Both players have some similarities in their styles. Both like to drive inside and beat defenders in the box before executing their next action (cross the ball or take a shot). Both are very good dribblers with close control of the ball. And both are explosive over a short distance, however, while Bouanga is also quick over long-range, Philippoteaux seems to have pretty limited top speed which doesnt make him as quick as Bouanga over longer distance.
Lack of Savanier (creativity) in the midfield
Losing most of their key players certainly affected Nîmes quite a lot this season, but theres one particular player whose departure is truly missed. Savanier was Nîmes best chance creator last season and he proved himself extremely vital in Blaquarts side, scoring six goals and providing 14 assists.
Savanier was an outstanding advanced playmaker, although its also not rare to see him being deployed in a deeper position last season. However, he liked to get forward a lot, sitting around the middle and final third and even roaming wide occasionally.
The 28-year-old midfielders playmaking ability was extremely crucial to Nîmes game. Hed often sit in the half-space when the ball was on the flank to offer an exit option if the ball-carrier was trapped and once he received the ball, hed utilise his excellent passing ability to switch the play towards the other flank.
His ability to play the ball forward accurately would be sorely missed as well. Savanier recorded an average of 20 progressive passes with a 68% success rate last season. No current Nîmes player has been able to replicate the same numbers this season. Deaux is currently quite close with 16 progressive passes per game on average with a 70% success rate, but hes definitely nothing like Savanier. Savanier also averaged around 1.92 key passes per game last season and no current Nîmes defensive/central midfielder has the same tally this season.
Not only a proficient distributor, but Savanier was also a press-resistant midfielder who can also drive forward with the ball due to his excellent ball control and dribbling skills. Savanier registered an average of 10 attacking challenges last season and completed 61% of them per game. His proficiency in dribbling can also be seen through his stats as he attempted an average of six dribbles per game with a 70% success rate. Savanier also averaged around 1.65 progressive runs per game last season.
Nîmes did bring in several defensive/central midfielders in the summer in Fomba, Sarr, and Deaux. Strangely enough, none of the three players really fit into the kind of profi
