The context of this season was difficult for Reims, and that was made evident by their disappointing early results. They were given an early start and juggling European football and league commitments proved to be too much as they tried to recapture their excellence of last season.
A defeat on penalties in Hungary in the Europa league saw them knocked out of that competition but also saw the staffing knocked out of their confidence. There was a definite hangover in the league, in which they were given a nasty start that saw them face the three sides that would finish on the podium in their first three matches.
Scoring goals was especially problematic for Reims, who did not get the offensive production they would have expected out of players like Arber Zeneli and El Bilal Toure. Instead, Boulaye Dia shouldered their scoring burden, which he did excellently for long periods in the middle of the season.
Towards the end of the campaign, Nathanael Mbuku grew into a legitimate threat, which was something that Reims lacked too much.
With their attackers playing, there was a huge onus on their defence to be flawless. It had underpinned their success last season but it was not at that standard for much of the campaign. Even goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic, who had been so influential last term, was not at his absolute best.
Reims started to improve around Christmas time, though, and showed the type of form that saw them excel last term. They pinched some close games against teams around them in the table and moved steadily up the standings into virtual safety. They could even afford to lose four of their last five games.
Head coach David Guion will step aside this summer, meaning that Reims will return next term with a new philosophy.
