Carlos Henrique Dias, left, leads AS Nancy in scoring this season with six goals. (Jean-Christophe Verhaegen/AFP/Getty Images)
Soccer: John F. Molinaro
AS Nancy is turning heads in France
Last Updated Friday, January 4, 2008
by John F. Molinaro, CBC Sports
If you polled sports writers in France prior to the start of the season who they thought stood the best chance of disrupting Olympique Lyon's march to an unprecedented seventh consecutive Ligue 1 title, chances are the most common responses would have been Paris St.-Germain or Olympique Marseille.
It would have taken a brave soul or a fool to have predicted that AS Nancy would be battling Lyon neck and neck, and provide the reigning champions with its stiffest challenge this season.
But Nancy has defied the odds, and currently sits in second place in the standings at the halfway point of the French league, a mere four points off the pace of Lyon.
This is no small miracle.
Nancy, or Association Sportive Nancy-Lorraine, has bounced between the first and second division since being founded in 1967, the team's only two major title victories coming in the 1978 French Cup and the 2006 League Cup.
Its biggest claim to fame is launching the career of Michel Platini – the three-time Ballon d'Or winner made his pro debut with Nancy in 1972.
Nancy, a modest club from north-eastern France, has also served as a training ground for up-and-coming managers. It was at Nancy where current Arsenal custodian Arsene Wenger first cut his managerial teeth from 1984-87. Prior to leading France to World Cup glory in 1998, Aime Jacquet honed his managerial skills at Nancy in the early 1990s.
Nancy spent five seasons in the second division before winning promotion back to Ligue 1 in 2005, but it struggled in its first campaign in the French top flight, finishing 12th during the 2005-06 season.
Last season saw Nancy stumble to an unspectacular 13th place finish and in a surprising move, president Jacques Rousselot and manager Pablo Correa did not make a single move in the summer transfer market, deciding to stick with the same group of players who managed to win only 13 of 38 games.
What's more, the club sold Senegalese Pape Diakhate, their best defender, to Ukrainian outfit Dynamo Kiev.
Meanwhile, the likes of PSG and Marseille dove headfirst in the transfer market pool, spending money hand over first on a slew of new players.
The results have been startling.
While Nancy is hot on the tail of Lyon, Marseille has flattered to deceive and sits an unremarkable 10th in the French league standings, while PSG is hovering just above the relegation zone in 16th place.
So, how has Nancy done it?
Nancy's success is a testament to the old adage that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Take a look at the club's roster and you won’t find a single superstar. Instead of individual excellence, Nancy has relied on hard work and team play from a collection of workmanlike players to scale the heights of Ligue 1.
Team spirit and a sense of community at the club have also played an integral part in Nancy's ascension. Indeed, the majority of the players have been with the team since 2003 when it was still toiling in the second division.
No one will ever accuse Nancy of playing "champagne football." Nancy's success is built on a solid defensive foundation – they have given up a league-low 11 goals in 19 games – and its defence has proven to be a tough nut to crack for even the league's most accomplished goal poachers.
Brazilian Carlos Henrique Dias, who goes by the nickname Kim, is the team's top scorer with a mere six goals. Nancy has relied on balanced scoring, and more often than not grinds out 1-0 victories, leading most pundits to wonder how dangerous this club could be if they had a first-rate striker up front.
Nancy has also show heart and plenty of determination.
Three days before Christmas, fans packed into Stade Marcel Picot for what turned out to be a memorable showdown between hometown Nancy and Lyon. Nancy took the action to Lyon's roster of superstars, as they hammered away at the champions.
Still, it was Lyon who took the lead in the 79th minute when Czech Republic striker Milan Baros slipped behind the defence and chipped his shot into the back of the Nancy net.
It was a crushing blow to a Nancy side that dominated proceedings to that point. Victory seemed to be at hand for Lyon, who would have opened up a seven-point lead over Nancy if the result stood.
But it didn't.
Nancy kept fighting and notched the tying goal with three minutes left in regulation when Francis Malonga Ntsayi's dipping volley from outside the penalty area skipped past Lyon goalkeeper Remy Vercoutre.
With that goal, Nancy not only earned a draw to keep the title race close, but it also fired a warning shot to Lyon that it shouldn't take seventh consecutive league title for granted.
Nancy's caution did not go unnoticed.
"Nancy is a good team and they will continue to do well," Vercoutre told French television. "I think they will be there at the end and finish behind us at the end. At least, I hope they're behind us."
John F. Molinaro is a reporter for CBCSports.ca whose chief love is international soccer. Contact John here.
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