Guingamp are heading back to Ligue 2 after a six-season stint in Ligue 1, limping back to the second tier with their tails between their legs after finishing bottom of the pile with a disappointing 27 points.
The previous campaign had finished with much promise, but while Antoine Kombouare seemed to have assembled a competitive squad this time around, things simply did not work out for the Breton team. The coach was sacked in the autumn and Jocelyn Gourvennec recalled to the club after two years away. Even their iconic boss was not able to inspire them out of their pickle.
It was a campaign that started badly, with six straight defeats, though in these fixtures they would play four of the teams that would make up the top six at the end of the season. Having failed to hit the ground running, confidence was lost in the players, but also from the board towards the coach, exacerbating the situation.
Around Christmas, it seemed that they had got things together, winning away at Monaco and even knocking PSG out of the Coupe de la Ligue. A chastening 9-0 league loss in Paris followed, dealing another critical blow to their fragile morale.
The damage had been done. Although Guingamp only lost five of their last 15 Ligue 1 matches, they did not have enough firepower to win any more than two of these games, the draws mounting up and slowly consigning them to relegation.
Marcus Thuram shouldered greater responsibility than is healthy for such a young player, and while he enjoyed a fine season, ending on nine goals, a late penalty miss in the derby against Rennes was ultimately what saw Guingamp relegated. His vivacity on the wing was priceless for a team that otherwise struggled offensively, despite adding Nolan Roux, prolific at Metz last season, and Ronny Rodelin, a workmanlike forward for this standard, to their ranks.
Guingamp also finished the season with the worst defensive record, although that collapse in Paris accounted for nearly 15% of the 68 goals they conceded. Individual errors from all parties proved to be costly.
Gourvennec has announced he will leave the club, leaving them in something of a state of limbo heading into the summer. With experienced of climbing back into the top flight, they stand a chance, but Ligue 2 is notoriously difficult to escape positively.
