After today's draw at home against Paris FC (1-1), Nice's balance sheet so far this season reads as follows: two wins in nine games, sixteen goals conceded and a schedule that will see them clash with Fenerbahçe, Monaco and Lyon in their next three matches.
After a market judged by many not up to the club's objectives (they are playing in the Europa League again this year) and a start to the season made complicated by the multiple injuries of some key players, the scenario everyone feared seems to be materialising.
After two defeats in a few days, respectively against Brest in the league and Gasperini's Roma in the Europa League last Wednesday, the one against Paris FC was the Rossoneri's chance to bounce back at home. For more than an hour, Nice tried to play the game and managed to take the lead thanks to Sofiane Diop's goal, his first since February.
However, Haise's team was unable to maintain this rhythm and, above all, was unable to concretise by closing the game when they had the chance. In the final, an overly nervous and imprecise Nice cashed in on the Parisians' goal, a penalty transformed by Krasso (88′).
Yet another failure to win that has the taste of a defeat for those who expected a turnaround, starting with the coach, Franck Haise, who was keen to emphasise, however, that “when you have six defeats in eight games, you cannot say that you are immersed in joy and confidence. But the only thing I hold on to is the work and the corrections to be made. It is necessary for everyone to get to know each other better. If that happens in a fortnight, that's great, but I'm not a magician.
The statistics describe what appears to be the beginning of a possibly deep crisis and today's game provided no evidence to the contrary.
Although there are some positive aspects of this team that should be emphasised, such as the fact that they managed to take the lead and control the game well throughout the first half, it does not detract from the fact that there are also some alarming signs, such as the lack of incisiveness of the attack, the lack of ability to maintain control of the game for longer, and the management of pressure, including psychological pressure.
Nice has one of the most ineffective defences in Ligue 1 at this start of the season, characterised by avoidable individual errors and lapses in concentration due to a good deal of lack of experience, as in the case of Bah, a central defender on loan from Manchester City, class of 2006.
The fans' discontent is growing and even Franck Haise, a coach who enjoys great popularity in the south of France, despite his recent renewal until 2029, could see his position called into question if the team fails to adjust its stance
