We spend a day with the surprise package of the Première Ligue to find out how they have taken the top flight by storm
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here is one video that is on repeat on the Nantes players’ phones: Lucie Calba’s goal in last weekend’s 3-0 win against Strasbourg, an exceptional passage of play in which eight players touched the ball to move it up the entire pitch in just 18 seconds. “It’s very satisfying because we’re able to reproduce everything we work on in training in matches,” says Camille Robillard, the team’s No 10 and a product of the club’s academy, clearly fascinated by the goal getting so much attention. A goal “in the Nantes style,” referring to the men’s team of the 1990s, known for their attacking, fluid play and constant movement.
The goal is the result of a philosophy championed by Nicolas Chabot, head coach of the women’s team since the 2022-23 season. The 31-year-old says he has always believed in “a style of football based on combinations and teamwork, where technique and tactics come before athleticism”.
Chabot has enjoyed tremendous success since taking over: immediate promotion from Seconde Ligue to Première Ligue followed by a very respectable seventh-place finish in their first season in the top flight. This season they have outdone themselves again, sitting second in the top flight behind OL Lyonnes, although that is partly to do with a nine-point penalty handed to Paris St-Germain for a paperwork error.
