Brest can consider themselves very fortunate to still be a Ligue 1 club after a miserable second half to the season that only saw them avoid going into a playoff because Nantes lost a fixture on the final day of the season against a Montpellier side that had nothing to play for.
Early in the campaign, though, Brest had been bright and one of the best teams to watch. They claimed some notable victories, defeating Monaco and Lille at home – becoming the first team to defeat the eventual champions in any competition this season. At that point, confidence was high, with Romain Faivre and Romain Perraud excelling, while Irvin Cardona and Steve Mounie linked well in attack.
Brest’s form fell away inexplicably after Christmas. It started with a couple of disappointing results but soon became something they failed to stop. Head coach Olivier Dall’Oglio started tampering with his side on a regular basis as confidence dropped, and so too did the chemistry between the players. By the end of the season, they were lucky to still be afloat. Injuries to Paul Lasne and Christophe Herrelle were problematic.
The Bretons had players who excelled at different points in the season, but they had no-one who shone throughout. Perhaps the greatest disappointment was goalkeeper Gauthier Larsonneur, who had been a bright young shot-stopper last term but lost confidence behind a defence that was porous and never able to align in its strongest state.
Perraud was exciting down the left for long periods while Faivre was classy in midfield at times. In attack, the goals were shared out relatively well, though Mounie was the standout performer by netting 10. Winger Franck Honorat also gave a good account of himself.
Brest know they had a lucky escape and they will have to build back stronger next term.
