Toulouse win their first major trophy – and show a way to succeed in Ligue 1
“I have never seen a club prepare for a match as we did for this final,” said Toulouse president Damien Comolli after his team beat Nantes 5-1 in the Coupe de France final on Saturday. “Since the quarter-final against Rodez, we’ve gone into details that you can’t even imagine. We brought in consultants from all over Europe to help.” Toulouse’s victory shows that their considered approach is working, and there’s more to come. Not just from Toulouse – but the rest of Ligue 1’s new-age clubs too.
Playing in their first major final, Toulouse raced into a 4-0 lead in just over half an hour. Their stand-in centreback, Logan Costa, headed home twice inside the opening 10 minutes before striker Thijs Dallinga poached two more. Unlike Toulouse, Nantes were far from ready. L’Équipe scored two of their defenders, João Victor and Jean-Charles Castelletto, just one out of 10 for their performances.
Toulouse simply outmanoeuvred Nantes in every way. On and off the pitch. Before and during the game. “Our obsession is to progress every day in everything we do – to innovate, to be different,” Comolli said. Toulouse, whose €40m (£34m) budget is less than 6% of Paris Saint-Germain’s, are one of a number of clubs across France who have a philosophy that is helping them to compete.
While PSG’s dominance can result in one-sided title races, the higher standard and increased attention brought by QSI’s billions have pushed other clubs to grow and modernise. These clubs are reaping the benefits, as shown by a series of recent cup winners. Toulouse, Nantes and Rennes have all won the Coupe de France in the last five seasons, while Strasbourg won the League Cup in 2019, the year before it was abolished. PSG won both cups four seasons in a row between 2015 and 2018, but not any more.
The physical and overly pragmatic style adopted by Ligue 1 clubs just a few years ago is disappearing rapidly. The shortened 2019-20 season produced just 2.52 goals per game but this season has reached 2.81. Dynamic, progressive coaches have replaced dour journeymen, young talents are given more prominence and the league is increasingly open to modernisation. Toulouse, along with Reims, Lens, Lorient and others, epitomise Ligue 1’s new age.
Toulouse’s owners, RedBird Capital, rely on considered analysis in all areas. “We make all decisions with the help of data and statistics,” said Comolli last year. “We analyse our opponents, our team and our players on an individual level. We analyse how we should approach a season.”
That analysis has led to a host of young, surprising but successful signings. Goalscorers Costa and Dallinga, for example, are both just 22. Costa was plucked from Reims where he struggled for first-team chances, while Dallinga joined from the Dutch second tier. As Nottingham Forest fans will attest, Philippe Montanier’s career has been patchy, but his Toulouse team are unashamedly gung-ho and joyfully fluid in attack.
Even before the final, the club were planning for a European return. “We looked at how much European football was going to bring us – it’s not much but it’s better than a kick in the ass,” says Comolli. “We looked at how many additional players we have to sign and the positions that need reinforcing, by looking at the data and the probabilities of injuries while playing Thursday and Sunday.”
Agreeing contract extensions for their three starting midfielders, Stijn Spierings, captain Brecht Dejaegere and star man Branco Van den Boomen, will be the next task. Their deals expire this summer but the chance to play in the Europa League might convince them to stay despite attention from bigger clubs. All three players were signed from unfashionable leagues when Toulouse were in Ligue 2, yet all three have been success stories achieved by this analytical approach.
Although emphatic winners in the final, Toulouse’s triumph nevertheless has the caveat that they avoided playing any sides in the top half of Ligue 1. Their six opponents included Ligue 2 sides Rodez and Annecy, two Ligue 1 relegation battlers in finalists Nantes and Ajaccio, and fifth-tier Lannion. Reims, another of Ligue 1’s new wave, were perhaps their toughest test – and they are 11th in the top tier. Even Comolli admitted afterwards that the cup run was “welcome” but “random”.
Unusual winners, upsets and smaller clubs progressing to latter rounds are a feature of the Coupe de France, however, and the tournament itself was the biggest winner again this season. While English football is understandably proud of the FA Cup’s history and iconic status, recent seasons have proven that the Coupe de France is a strong challenger.
There were 7,292 clubs in the competition this season, from within France and its overseas departments, meaning delightful ties between Ligue 1 or 2 clubs and teams from Pacific Ocean territories or Caribbean islands are not uncommon. La Tamponnaise from the Indian Ocean island of Réunion made it to the last-64 stage, when Ligue 1 teams traditionally enter. Fourth-tier Belfort made the 16,000km away trip to face AS Venus in Tahiti.
This season will also be remembered for PSG’s defeat at a raucous Vélodrome before Marseille were swiftly embarrassed by minnows Annecy. Lyon have gone over a decade without winning the trophy – Marseille, beaten finalists three times this century, have not won it since 1989. Both wasted huge chances to end those run this year, having been clear favourites at one stage. Other notable upsets included Nice exiting to third-tier Le Puy, which ended Lucien Favre’s reign, and Clermont losing on penalties against sixth-tier Strasbourg Koenigshoffen.
Regardless of such “randomness”, Toulouse’s triumph shows that their obsessive innovation is working. Their progressive, modern style adopted by clubs such as Toulouse is changing Ligue 1’s identity. “The important thing now is to integrate ourselves in the top eight,” said Comolli after the final. “We don’t want to be a flash in the pan. We want to establish the club over the longer term.” Having redesigned Toulouse in less than three years since their abject relegation in 2020, it’s an attainable target. With the standard now set, Toulouse’s first major trophy could become the first of many successes for Ligue 1’s new trailblazers.
Talking points
• A distracted and complacent PSG continued to do their best to keep the title race alive on Sunday by losing at home to Lorient. Some lazy defending helped Enzo Le Fée slide in an opener for Lorient before Achraf Hakimi was dismissed for a rash challenge. Confusion between the officials and Lorient keeper Yvon Mvogo resulted in a bizarre equaliser for Kylian Mbappé but Romain Faivre’s balletic assist for Darlin Yongwa and a late counterattack gave Lorient a 3-1 win. PSG have now lost three of their last four home games, meaning Marseille are now just five points back.
• The weekend’s biggest surprise, however, came at Monaco. They were beaten 4-0 on Sunday by a resurgent Montpellier team who have picked up 23 points since coach Michel Der Zakarian returned in February – only Marseille have won more in Ligue 1 in that time. The frustrated Monaco coach, Philippe Clement, questioned the commitment of his players after the loss, saying: “If we continue to play like this, it will also be difficult for them to find good transfers, which are probably now on their minds.”
• This is an article from Get French Football News• Follow Adam White and GFFN on Twitter