Grenoble enjoyed a strong season in which they finished fourth in Ligue 2, though they were ultimately found wanting in the playoffs as they were thumped by a superior Toulouse side.
It was clear where Grenoble’s strength was this season as they picked up 42 of their points at home, suffering just a single defeat in the process, compared to a losing record on the road. Indeed, the contrast between these two figures was stark.
Nevertheless, they spent the majority of the season in the top five, overcoming a succession of early hiccups away from home, where they struggled desperately to find a scoring touch. One of Grenoble’s biggest issues over the course of the campaign was not controlling matches, but it was making their dominance count.
It was telling that their top scorer for the season was central midfielder Jessy Benet and, while they did tend to get goals from across the frontline, they lacked someone who was going to find the net regularly. Indeed, they did not have a single player make double figures for the season in all competitions. This lack of efficiency came to bite them towards the end of the campaign, particularly as they grew fatigued towards the end of the season.
Furthermore, their midfield players were not the most consistent. This was an area of the side where the personnel changed regularly due to players fading in and out of form. Manuel Perez suffered an injury in the spring, which deprived them of one of their few consistent presences.
In defence, meanwhile, Loic Nestor remained their main man along with Adrien Monfray. The full-backs, meanwhile, resembled the midfield in that players faded in and out of favour throughout the season.
Ultimately, it was a more than satisfactory campaign for Grenoble, but they lacked a big weapon to allow them to compete at the very top of the table.
