Antoine Kombouaré Steers Nantes in the Right Direction

Even though Kombouaré joined Nantes late in the 2023-24 season, he's since managed to guide them to the 14th position in the league table. They're currently four points above FC Metz, who are sitting in the playoff relegation spot.

Nantes have had two consecutive draws recently as the squad secures points to create a distance between themselves and the relegation positions. Since Kombouaré came back, they've been winning more often with a 33 percent win rate, and they're also conceding fewer goals on average per game, just 1.33.

Pierre Aristouy started the 2023-24 season as the manager for Les Canaris. Throughout the first 13 matches under his helm, the team only managed to secure a win in 31 percent of their games while conceding 1.77 goals per game.

After Nantes made the first managerial change of the season, Jocelyn Gourvennec took over the position from Aristouy. Gourvennec also managed the squad for 13 matches and while the team conceded fewer goals (1.38), he only managed to have a 23 percent win percentage.

Since Kombouaré has returned, Nantes have earned eight points in Ligue 1, surpassing their tally from the 12 games prior. Notably, all these points were secured in away matches, positioning Nantes as the third-strongest team on the road in this timeframe, trailing only Montpellier (ten points) and Toulouse (nine points).

La Maison Jauneare ahead of notable teams like Paris Saint-Germain (six points) and Stade Brestois (six points) for the most away points since appointing the 60-year-old as their manager.

Nantes now have two games left on their schedule to ensure they remain in France's top flight as Kombouaré and his team will face LOSC Lille and AS Monaco.