Ligue 1 Review | Nantes edge towards third-ever top-flight relegation | OneFootball

Like water swirling around the plug hole, FC Nantes have, in circles, drawn increasingly closer to the drop. For the past few seasons, it has looked to be only a matter of time before they finally plunge and fall out of Ligue 1. 

Narrow escapes have been the name of the game in recent campaigns, with Antoine Kombouaré repeatedly acting as a relegation firefighter. There will be no rescue act from the former Paris Saint-Germain head coach after he was released in the off-season in favour of Luís Castro. Instead, Kombouaré has taken charge of Nantes’s relegation rivals Paris FC. 

Castro, who joined from Ligue 2 side USL Dunkerque, was meant to be a fresh start for La Maison Jaune. He was brought in to improve the pathway between the academy and the first team and bring a more attractive style of football to the club than the more functional Kombouaré. He had impressed at Dunkerque, leading the club to the Ligue 2 playoffs and the Coupe de France semi-final on a shoestring budget. 

However, Castro wasn’t able to replicate that same success at Nantes. And soon found, like most managers who have taken the hot seat at the Stade de la Beaujoire, his project was over before it had truly begun. He lasted only until December before he was given his marching orders. 

No improvements for Nantes

His record at Nantes was poor, with only two wins in 15 games. The 11 points he had collected left the club second last in the standings, and level on points with bottom-of-the-table FC Metz. The challenge to escape this situation was left to Kombouaré’s former assistant, Ahmed Kantari, who was promoted to interim until the end of the season. 

Results have not improved under Kantari. The result on the weekend, a 1-0 defeat to Angers SCO in the Derby de l’Ouest, means that, after 10 league games, Kantari has the same win-loss record as his predecessor, having won twice and lost the remaining eight fixtures. The only difference between the two is that Castro, at least, was able to collect some points from draws. 

With each passing weekend, the threat of a third-ever relegation from Ligue 1 looms a little larger. With only nine games left of the season, two points separate the club from AJ Auxerre and the relegation playoff spot, while a further seven points separate them from OGC Nice and safety. 

A need to act fast

The pressure is growing on Nantes’ management to act fast to avoid disaster. Reports from France suggest that Kantari’s time in charge of the club is coming to a swift end, with the derby defeat likely to be his last game as head coach. Ouest-France and L’Équipe write that a change looks to be in the works and, in truth, looks long overdue. 

One wonders why Kantari was even seriously considered for the role in the first place, when his only other experience as a first-team head coach was when he led Valenciennes FC to relegation from Ligue 2 in the 2023/24 season. It gives the impression that the club have not seriously considered the threat of relegation despite their perilous position. 

Perhaps this is the byproduct of the Kita ownership that has become used to narrow escapes; there is a sense that they’ve always found a way to get out of trouble, and they’ll do it again. The supporters are far less convinced. On Saturday, they sang songs that bitterly embraced a fate they feel certain will come to pass: that Nantes will be playing football in Ligue 2 next season. 

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GFFN | Nick Hartland