The UEFA Champions League will be played among 36 teams from next season. All top teams are gearing up for the competition’s new format and become the champions of Europe. Each league has a limited number of entrants in the best competition in Europe. The Ligue 1 is allowed to have at most four teams in the Champions League. The top three teams make it directly into the competition and the team finishing fourth has to go through a qualification stage.
PSG are once again looking like the contenders to win the Ligue 1 title. They are 10 points ahead of Brest, who are second in the league table. Monaco have occupied the third spot and are facing competition from Lille. There is another top French team that is looking to make it into the top four.
After making a good start in the current season, Nice have dropped in the standings after some poor results. They have failed to win maximum points in most games and are sitting fifth. In the last 10 matches, Nice have only won two. As we head into the final phase of the season, here is a look at what is going wrong with this team.
Leaky defence
Nice have the best defensive record in the league. The team has conceded 22 goals in 28 matches and only averaged 0.8 goals per match. However, in the last nine games, Nice have conceded 11 goals and this average is more than a goal per game.
The above two visuals show how Nice have allowed their opponents to take shots. Most of the goals have been scored towards the right of the goalkeeper. The opponents have created more threats from the right side.
Goal-scoring struggles
Nice’s defence is not the only area of concern. The team has conceded around one goal a game. However, the real struggle has been the attack. Only eight goals have been scored in the last 10 games. The shot map above shows that Nice players have failed to penetrate the opposition penalty box and failed to take shots from in and around the six-yard box.
The xG rate per shot is also very low due to their failure to find space inside the opposition penalty box.
The above viz shows that Nice have created more chances down the left flank. In the last 10 matches, very few passes have landed around the six-yard box. The lack of creativity is a concern for the team.
Nice have a few matches to make it to the Champions League. They need to get into their early season form and play for three points in the remaining matches.
Visuals via TFA data viz engine