Amiens achieved their aim of Ligue 1 survival, ultimately finishing the season four points clear of the drop zone in 15th, punching above their weight financially to boot.
The club had approached this season with a sense of great optimism, having surprisingly avoided the drop the campaign before. Their budget was inflated and they sought to recruit more ambitiously. It was in this regard that they irked excellent head coach Christophe Pelissier as they did not sign the profile of player he wished. The coach complained that integration was a problem because they had a group of players who did not speak French thrust upon him.
Consequently, Amiens’ ‘star’ summer arrivals largely flopped. Rafal Kurzawa and, more notably, Ganso, were both shipped out by the end of January, wasting valuable resources for a club that has to cut its cloth carefully.
Amiens had other problems to attend, such as serious injuries to Moussa Konate and Saman Ghoddos, one of the few summer arrivals who seemed capable of making a positive difference. This limited them offensively and indeed they would finish the campaign with just 31 goals scored, one of the poorest tallies in the league.
Konate and Ghoddos combined for 11 goals in 54 matches, but their other attackers failed to contribute in such a positive manner.
The midfield can be a source of greater satisfaction, particularly from a defensive standpoint. Thomas Monconduit had perhaps his best season to date with a string of solid displays in the heart of the midfield, while Alexis Blin had a very strong campaign, albeit one that was interrupted by injury – a theme for Amiens’ best players. Strongest in this area of the field in terms of his attacking contribution was Eddy Gnahore, who was on loan from Palermo.
Swedish full-back Emil Krafth proved a strong addition to the defence, but there was a good deal of chopping and changing otherwise in the side. Once Erik Pieters was signed in January, that helped to steady things, but a lack of consistency centre-back pairing did not help the Amiens cause, although once again Regis Gurtner had a season to be proud of, despite a couple of high-profile errors.
Amiens’ biggest worry is that they have lost Pelissier to Ligue 2 side Lorient, and without their inspirational coach they could face a struggle for survival. Their transfer work will have to be smarter.
