Troyes’ season ended in disappointment as they were defeated in the second round of the playoff by Lens, despite playing at home and despite their opponents going down to 10 men at the end of the first half.
To finish third, and to do so comfortably, was an achievement in itself after a wretched start to the season under new coach Rui Almeida. By the end of August, Troyes were second from bottom, having lost five of their first six games.
Slowly, they began to turn their season around, based largely on a strong defensive effort. At first, it meant shifting Jimmy Giraudon into an unfamiliar defensive midfield position but, by the end of the campaign, Troyes had evolved into a side playing 3-5-2 very effectively.
Almeida made the change halfway through the season and in the second half of the campaign no Ligue 2 side could boast better form than them. Indeed, at one point they won 12 of 13 matches, barely conceding in that run.
Offensively, they became increasingly strong, too. Bryan Mbeumo was dubbed the Kylian Mbappe of Ligue 2 for his contribution out wide and then in attack, while Yoann Touzghar was an effective centre forward along with Kevin Fortune. This trio all scored double figures, although there was sometimes a sense they were standing on each other’s toes a little.
There was a changing of the guard in midfield, where veteran Benjamin Nivet played out his last campaign largely as a substitute, while the creative Stephane Darbion was injured much of the season. As such, they were forced to play Bryan Pele as their most creative force – a move that worked satisfactorily.
Christopher Martins Pereira was an excellent loan pick up from Lyon to add steel to the midfield, though a lack of discipline on a couple of occasions somewhat soured his otherwise strong season. He and Rayan Raveloson were important shields to the defence.
Troyes will rue the first month of the campaign, which cost them so dearly in the end. Keeping their squad together will be tough but they should have enough strength in depth to remain competitive next season at the very least.
