Angers had few big problems securing their place in Ligue 1 for next season, though they were given a scare at the start of the campaign as they lost their opening three matches to plunge them into the relegation zone. Once out of the bottom three, however, they would spend much of their time in the lower part of mid-table.
Stephane Moulin’s side had carved a niche in Ligue 1 largely off the back of their excellent defensive record, though they moved away from that to some extent over the last year, managing an average tally in this regard. A stunning collapse on the opening day against Nimes hinted at problems ahead, but while these never truly manifest, they were certainly weaker in the rearguard than in previous seasons.
Romain Thomas was a key player when the club arrived in the top flight but there is no doubt his level has dipped somewhat over the past 18 months and that Mateo Pavlovic and Ismael Traore are not key in the defence. Indeed, so concerned was Moulin with this area, he even shifted briefly away from his four-man rearguard, which he has used almost exclusively as a his time as a coach.
The midfield also did not work quite as well as hoped, with the return of Cheikh Ndoye something of a flop. The giant midfielder did not impose himself physically as before when fit and ended the season seriously injured.
Baptiste Santamaria was a solid performer and the key man in this sector.
Something of a solution to the club’s midfield troubles was found thanks to Jeff Reine-Adelaide, who had been disappointing on the wing. Asked to play as a box-to-box midfielder, he started to contribute goals and assists, something that had previously been missing from his game.
Going forward, Angers leaned heavily on just two players. The first of those was wide attacker Flavien Tait, who mustered five goals and seven assists, and was the club’s major creative force. When it came to scoring goals, meanwhile, Stephane Bahoken was essential. Had he spent a long period out of the team, they could really have struggled as they had no other centre forward who came close to impressing.
Moulin has signed a new contract with Angers, and while the loss of key players such as Tait is inevitable, they are in as stable a position as they might have hoped for approaching the summer.
