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French Ligue 1 special: Montpellier defying all odds

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After winning their first-ever Ligue 1 Championelle, Montpellier have indeed achieved a remarkable feat considering their annual budget and popularity level
Before the 2011/2012 Ligue 1 campaign kicked off, not many people outside of France knew anything about Montpellier Herault Sporting Club. Those who did, just knew that this was a club that had gained promotion back to Ligue 1 a few years ago and last season,
were involved in a scrappy relegation tussle for most part of the campaign.
However, winds of change were blowing and would have far reaching consequences.
League consistency
In the first game of the season, Montpellier destroyed http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/AJ-Auxerre-c38247 and it was only befitting for Rene Girard’s men to end the season they way they started back in August 6, 2011.
What’s so remarkable about Montpellier’s season is that La Paillade rarely struggled against inferior opposition, a fact that many coaches and players have now come to acknowledge is important in order to become champions.
In a long and arduous journey, Montpellier never gave a poor performance except for that 3-0 home defeat at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain, a team that was destined for glory last summer. That defeat happened back in Week 8 of the Championelle and Montpellier
slipped to 4th place after that.
However, Rene Girard’s men showed how to make a comeback in style as they kept on winning consecutive games up till the 18th week where they were held to a 1-1 draw against Toulouse at the Mosson.
In their next game, Montpellier lost 4-2 against Evian TG who have just finished their first-ever Ligue 1 campaign. Many expected the club’s title assault to fall away after such a demoralising defeat. However, that defeat was perhaps what the southerners
needed as they once again went on a match-winning run that ended with a 1-1 draw to Dijon in Week 26.
African Cup of Nations
During the African Cup of Nations, key player Younes Belhanda and striker http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/France-c2899 to represent their countries for almost a month. Many expected that the absence of the African contingent would derail La Paillade’s title challenge.
However, Rene Girard trusted his academy players as Remi Cabella and Stambouli stepped up to the plate and made sure that their title challenge is not derailed.
Montpellier, an antithesis of Paris Saint-Germain
Last summer, the Qataris took ownership of Paris Saint-Germain with a view to make the club a strong proposition in Europe. The likes of http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Salvatore-Sirigu-c32282 were brought to the Parc des Princes. With more or less
90 million Euros spent in one transfer window session, many expected PSG to sweep over Ligue 1.
Not many people gave La Paillade a chance to turn the odds especially if one looks at the club’s modest budget. The annual budget of the Southerners is around 36 million Euros, an amount that is far less than what PSG paid Palermo in order to get their hands
on Javier Pastore.
Shrewd investment
Montpellier have never really been a huge club in France. Last season, they were constantly hovering above the relegation zone and finished three points clear off it to spend another year in Ligue 1.
The likes of Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa, Jamel Saïhi, Younes Belhanda, Karim Ait-Fana and Remy Cabella are all home-grown talents and did not cost the club a fortune. This season’s topscorer, Olivier Giroud was bought for ‘peanuts’ from Ligue 2.
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Olympique-de-Marseille-c40127 outcast, were signed to add experience to the defence and the duo really helped Montpellier’s cause.
What just happened last night in Burgundy indeed defies modern day logic. In a time when the more you spend, the better you get policy is adopted by the club’s, Montpellier’s handling of the club is like a breath of fresh air and shows that money is not
the only option a club has if it wants to rub shoulder with the big boys.
Disclaimer: Views and opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect bettor.com’s editorial policy.

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