Football Season Guide

Red Star return to Ligue 2 after just one year spent in the third tier of the French football. Even though they stayed most of their past campaign in the promotion spots, the Parisiens only spent the last 6 weeks at the top of the Championnat National. Holding the third best attack and the second best defence of the league, they eventually closed the season 4 points clear of second-placed Beziers. Régis Brouard was the architect of their return to the Ligue 2 and he was duly confirmed at the helm of the team also for the new season. He is mostly famous for leading US Quevilly, who were then acting in the 4th and 3rd tier of the French football respectively, to the Coupe de France semifinal and final in the early 2010s. Brouard has had some mixed experiences in the Ligue 2 in the recent past. In fact, while he had a rather positive time as the manager of Clermont Foot, where he stayed for a couple of seasons, his stint at Chamois Niortais did not last long. He usually opts for a 4-3-3 formation but he displays some tactical flexibility, also opting for a hyper-defensive back 5, when needed. Red Star were not particularly active during the transfer campaign as they tried to leave the structure of the squad that achieved promotion last May unaltered. However, they certainly suffered one major blow as Abdoulaye Sané, their top scorer for the past season with 13 goals left them for Sochaux. Sejou Keita, who also contributed with 4 heavy goals despite often sitting on the bench, was also let join a Cypriot club. Due to the departure of the two main strikers, the 22-year-old Sekou Baradj should be given the onus of leading the attack. And this could represent a main problem, considering that there is not enough depth in the squad up-front. In fact, so far they did not add any new forwards. In terms of new signings, only the experienced Emmanuel Bourgaud, who arrived from Amiens SC, seems likely to be given relevant playing time while all the other arrivals seem doomed to life on the bench.