After six seasons in Ligue 2, Brest will be back in the top flight come August. Jean-Marc Furlan brilliantly masterminded the promotion push, which looked unlikely after the first seven competitive matches, which saw the Bretons lie 10th in the table and out of the Coupe de la Ligue.
In retrospect, they had actually had a very tough fixture list early in the campaign and once they gained some momentum they proved tough to stop. Between August 17 and March 8, they would lose on a single league match – away to Lens – while they showed that when they were not at their best going forward, they were capable of grinding out results due to a solid defensive corps. Ultimately, they left themselves too much ground to make up in the title race, in part due to a March that saw them draw three times and lose once, but they stormed to the finishing line in excellent style, scoring two or three in each game and rarely conceding.
Brest leaned heavily upon striker Gaetan Charbonnier, who enjoyed a career year as he scored 27 goals over the course of the campaign to finish as the league’s leading marksman. Beyond him, Furlan’s offensive scheme revolved primarily around Mathias Autret and Yoann Court, whose campaign was interrupted by frustrating injury issues. At their best, this trio were excellent.
Goals did not readily come from elsewhere in the team, with the midfield and defence acting in mainly a negative capacity. Had Jessy Pi spent more time fit, they might have got some production from him; he had a promising two goals and three assists in 21 outings.
Both full-backs got forward but their main offensive function in the 4-2-3-1 system was to get crosses into the box and not much more. The defence, though, was well capable of doing its job, with Anthony Weber a strong performer beside Jean-Charles Castelletto. Goalkeeper Gautier Larsonneur, meanwhile, continued his promising development.
Nevertheless, if Brest are to survive in the top flight next season, they are likely to have to improve in several domains, even the ones they were strong in.
