Good finish saved the season
Last season was one of the most difficult ones in their recent history, as the team was in the relegation zone until the 31st round. Great finish managed to save a very difficult season, and the one they will be eager to forget as soon as possible. The departure of Alan Perrin to Lyon meant that Frederic Hantz became the coach. And also key players Ziani and Leroy left the team before the start of last season, which was a big blow for the team. Hantz proved to be bad choice, and he was sacked in December, with Francis Gillot taking control of the sinking ship. And he did a great job by leading Sochaux to nine games without losing near the end of the season, and thus ensured survival. Gillot is still at the helm, and he did not make too many changes over the summer. This can be an advantage as he will not have to spend time helping new players adapt to his style of play.
Santos is back at Sochaux
The club was not very busy in the transfer window, but there have been some changes in the squad. There were some important departures in defense as N’Daw joined Nantes, and Brechet left for PSV. These two were members of the starting eleven and they might be hard to replace. Jacques Faty arrived from Marseille to fill the void, but he had a couple of bad seasons, and it remains to be seen if he will be good replacement. Damien Perquis was signed after loan deal from Saint Etienne, but he was part of the team last season. Santos returned to the club where he had made his name after two years in Toulouse. If he repeats the performances from last time in Sochaux, the team will have no problems ensuring survival. Grax was sold to Saint Etienne, while Pancrate returned to PSG. Carlao arrived from Corinthians while Dagano continued his career in Qatar.
In
Francileudo Santos (Toulouse)
Jacques Faty (Marseille)
Carlaõ (Corinthians)
Alvaro Santos (returned from loan at Strasbourg)
Valery Mezague (returned from loan at Le Havre)
Hakim El Bounadi (returned from loan at Clermont)
Robin Previtali (returned from loan at Beauvais)
Damian Perquis (StEtienne)
Out
Guirane N'Daw (Nantes)
Sebastien Grax (St-Etienne)
Mamouni Dagano (Alkhor, QAT)
Jeremy Bréchet (PSV)
Lionel Mathis (on loan at Guingamp)
Fabrice Pancrate (returned to PSG)
Kandia Traoré (on loan at Strasbourg)
Benjamin Genghini (free)
Gonzalo Vargas (returned to Monaco)
Maxime Josse (on loan at Angers)
Boukary Dramé (on loan at Real Sociedad)
Badara Sène (on loan at Guingamp)
Another difficult season for Sochaux
Sochaux will be looking to improve from last season, when they feared for survival whole season. Their keeper Teddy Richert has been one of the best in Ligue 1 last couple of seasons. The defense suffered by the departures of Brechet and N’Daw, but Perquis, Afolabi and Pichot should be enough for this competition. It appears that the weakest area is midfield. Dalmat and Isabey are both proved Ligue 1 players, and together with Pitau, they should orchestrate the centre of the park. But if someone of these players gets injured or suspended, the team will not have good enough players to fill in. this can be a big problem in the strong competition as Ligue 1. The attack is spearheaded by great Turkish striker Mevlut Erdinc, who is a natural goalscorer. Francileudo Santos is back, and he can help Erdinc in scoring important goals for the team. The squad is not a bad one, but they seem to be lacking strength in depth. We expect them to fight for survival, but also to avoid relegation.
Our tip: Sochaux to avoid relegation
Odds
Bookmaker: Bet365
CL
CLQ
UEFA
RELEG