Strasbourg will return to Ligue 1 in the summer, having attained their goal of winning back-to-back promotions. It was a loft target, to be sure, but the Alsace side, under the guidance of proven winner Thierry Laurey, had the quality to push into the top tier by winning the division. Admittedly, this proved to be difficult in the end, with a couple of draws close to the finishing post ensuring it boiled down to the final seconds of the campaign. Laurey’s sides have been noted for their physicality and organisation in the past but, while this team certainly boasted a good deal of the former quality, it was not heavily reliant on the defensive strength of the collective. Instead, Strasbourg scored plenty of goals throughout the season and boasted a plethora of solutions when it came to finding the net. When it came to the crunch, they won seven of their last 10 games to secure top spot and promotion. Set pieces did prove to be something of a speciality for the Alsace side, with the delivery of Dimitri Lienard their greatest weapon in this regard. From open play, it was Khalid Boutaib who impressed in attack most regularly, with the striker netting 20 times. He will be eager for another crack at Ligue 1, while the other forwards in Strasbourg’s ranks have limited experience at that level. Baptiste Guillaume, who has nine goals, has a decent chance of staying at the club if they want him as he is unlikely to be welcomed back freely at Lille. The midfield is an area of solidarity, in which there was perhaps a slight lack of creativity and scoring power for the top level, although for this standard there was plenty of both. Each member of the squad was solid. In the rearguard, meanwhile, their star man was Ernest Seka, though fell out with the coach in the second half of the season and is not guaranteed to stay. Experience was crucial, with Felipe Saad and Kader Mangane both playing important roles, having known Laurey from before. Now the challenge is staying in the top flight, and while the team definitely needs a touch more quality, Laurey will have learned from his previous relegation with Gazelec Ajaccio and should feel confident about the challenge ahead.
