One To Watch: Ibou Sane
The obvious answer, as things stand, is last season’s Ligue 2 top scorer and player of the year, Georges Mikautadze. But it is unfortunately probably safe to assume that he will no longer be in Lorraine by the end of the month. Although unlikely to be a regular starter, Ibou Sane could be fun to watch. The latest player to join the club through Metz’s successful partnership with Generation Foot (which has produced Sadio Mane, Ismaila Sarr, and Pape Matar Sarr, among others), the 18-year-old Senegalese U20 Africa Cup-winning forward, announced his arrival in Lorraine with a brace on his debut vs Troyes. It’s not fair to put too much pressure on him, but he could provide some fun moments this season and could be another for the future.
Signing To Watch: Maxime Colin
Although not the most exciting arrival, Colin’s experience and nous gained at the Championship level should bring some stability and level-headedness to the back line. But Metz’s prospects may well turn on how well new striker Simon Elisor, signed from Belgian sister club Seraing after eight goals in the second half of last season on loan to the Ligue 2 side Laval, takes to the top flight.
Squad Analysis:
So far, there haven’t been a huge number of ins and outs since last season, which saw Metz recover from an inconsistent start to go unbeaten from October onwards, quietly creeping up the table to snatch second place in the last two matches of the campaign. An unbeaten pre-season (albeit not against the strongest opposition) has maintained that positive dynamic. That could take a hit, however, with opening matches against Rennes and Marseille.
Strengths:
Despite those tough opening fixtures, a lack of wholesale changes since last season should help the team begin the campaign with ‘automatismes’ already in place, rather than waiting for a new team to bed in, by which time they’re already playing catch up. A relatively experienced back line (particularly Ismael Traoré) and midfield will hopefully be able to keep things tight at the back, even if the attack blows hot and cold. And in Lazslo Boloni, Metz has Ligue 1’s oldest and arguably the most wily of coaches. The positive spirit that he built around the club last season will hopefully continue into this.
Weaknesses:
The flipside of the strengths, basically. Although the defence and midfield have experience, they are not necessarily hugely versed at the very top: captain and local hero Udol, for example, has missed swathes of top-flight experience due to multiple knee ligament tears; and even those with bigger clubs on their CV (such as defender Fali Cande, Kevin N’Doram, formerly of Monaco, new signing from Nice Jean N’Guessan) struggled to establish themselves before moving on. A very green Grenat attack will have a lot of pressure on it to come up with goals, and at the other end, goalkeeper Alex Oukidja is never too far away from blowing a fuse. And does Boloni still have the heart and energy for another top-flight campaign?
Verdict:
Metz’s yo-yoing between the divisions is enough to give the fans whiplash – last year’s promotion was les Grenats’ fourth in the last 10 years (five in 11 if you add a promotion from the National to Ligue 2), indicating a club of good history and tradition, which remains a little too big for the second tier but struggling to adjust to having to sell its best products every summer. Speaking of which, Metz’s prospects can only be judged for certain after the end of the transfer window and once they know whether Mikautadze and playmaker Youssef Maziz will still be there and, if not, who will replace them. Assuming that they leave, Metz has a relatively experienced and solid defence and midfield to fall back on, but only calculated risks, untested at this level, in the forward line. Yet another season battling the drop awaits, and unless one of those strikers turns out to be a revelation, more yo-yoing may follow.
