As our Parisiens prepare to travel to Nîmes for the conclusion of Liqui Moly StarLigue Matchday 27, we take a closer look at Nîmes, formidable opponents who have made no secret of their ambitions to qualify for European competition at the end of the season.
At the helm of USAM since last summer, David Degouy is impressing in his first season as head coach. With experience in various areas, including as director of the Dunkerque youth academy, coach of the Troyes and Toulouse U18 teams and even video analyst for the Argentine national team, it was after several years as assistant coach at Ivry and Montpellier that the Frenchman was offered the position of head coach at Nîmes. Despite a slump at the start of the season marked by six consecutive defeats, the team from the Gard region is now in excellent form, having conceded only one defeat since the end of November (in Nantes, 36-27). This is partly thanks to a quality squad.
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A solid back line
During a turbulent off-season, USAM decided to completely overhaul its goalkeeping duo. Dylan Soyez and the iconic Wesley Pardin now form a complementary partnership and are both enjoying a fine season, in line with the southern side's European ambitions.
In defence, David Degouy can rely on the experience of Jean-Jacques Acquevillo on the left, who is already enjoying his best season since arriving in the Gard region in 2019, as well as Luc Tobie on the opposite side, who will retire this summer after nine seasons with Les Verts. As backup, former Rouge et Bleu player Yoann Gibelin is bouncing back well at Parnasse after a final season in Paris that was unfortunately disrupted by injuries. Playing in the same position as his compatriot Yahia Omar in Paris, Mohab Abdelhak is confirming his status as one of the rising stars of the elite. At 22, he is capable of raising his game in big matches, as evidenced by his seven goals in the reverse fixture against Raul Gonzalez's men.
In the centre, Nîmes rely on two players - who are as consistent as they are talented - to energise their attacks: Lou Derisbourg and Jesper Konradsson. A product of the Nîmes youth academy, the former is one of the revelations of the season within the Green Team. At 23, he has already scored 42 goals and made 51 assists in the league. Although his Swedish teammate has been more decisive so far (62 goals), the 30-year-old centre midfielder is set to leave the southern sun for Denmark, where he will join Sonderjyske this summer.
A new French international to lead the attack
On the left wing, Guéric Vincent looks as comfortable as if he has already experienced everything at the highest level. However, at only 22 years old, the club's homegrown talent has established himself as the boss of the squad. With 121 goals in 26 matches, just two short of his record set last season, and fresh from his first call-up to the French national team during the last international break - and nominated at the LNH Trophies - the talented Nîmes player is having an idyllic season so far. On Sunday, the Verts' top scorer will undoubtedly be one of the biggest threats for Les Rouge et Bleu to watch out for. Thus the next generation is already in place as Julien Rebichon, also a product of the club's academy, gets set to retire at the end of the season, 18 years after making his professional debut.
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On the right wing, a third iconic member of the Green Team is preparing to bid farewell to his fans: Mohamed Sanad. After eight seasons of thrilling the Parnasse, the Egyptian international will leave the club this summer. At 34, he remains a crucial member of the squad, as evidenced by his 107 goals this season. These statistics leave big shoes for his replacement, Damien Gibernon (30 goals), to fill.
Finally, in the pivot position, David Degouy can count on a number of different players who bring variety to the team depending on the tactics used and the nature of the match. Hampered by numerous injuries since his arrival in 2022, Hugo Kamtchop Baril is finally enjoying a full season with the team. Used more in defence, young Sebastian Kaczor is finding his feet in the top flight after leaving his native Poland last summer, complementing his teammate's explosiveness.
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(Credits: T. Senmartin/PSG)