What impact do coaching changes have on teams in Ligue 1 McDonald's?
Nearly half of the clubs changed coaches mid-season (8). What impact did these changes have on the standings of these teams—50% of which were sitting in the top half of the table at the time (OM, Monaco, Rennes, and Strasbourg)?
With six matchdays remaining in the season—and still many questions left to be answered in Ligue 1 McDonald’s—the current assessment reveals that the majority of clubs that have changed managers since Matchday 1 have failed to improve their position in the standings, even if both Antoine Kombouaré (Paris FC) and Habib Beye (Olympique de Marseille) recorded victories today.
This was also frequently the case last season; most notably with OL, who retained their 6th-place finish despite switching from Pierre Sage to Paulo Fonseca, and with Stade Rennais, whose two mid-season managerial changes (Sampaoli and Beye) ultimately resulted in a climb of just one spot following Julien Stéphan’s departure (rising from 13th to 12th). Furthermore, neither Montpellier nor Saint-Étienne were able to avoid relegation, despite making managerial changes early in the season.
Roy’s Brest and Sage’s
OL: The Most Recent Major Turnaround
The most recent major turnarounds date back to the 2023/24 season. The first instance involved FC Nantes: with just eight matchdays remaining and the club sitting in the relegation playoff spot, the appointment of Antoine Kombouaré enabled Les Canaris to climb back up the table, ultimately finishing in 14th place.
That same season, OL had already gone through two managers by the end of Matchday 13 (Blanc and Grosso) as the club endured a major crisis, languishing at the very bottom of the table. The arrival of Pierre Sage spectacularly turned their results around; over the remaining 21 matchdays, the Lyon side matched PSG’s performance point-for-point, ultimately finishing the season in 6th place!
Prior to them—during the 2022/23 season—Frédéric Antonetti (RCSA) and Michel Der Zakarian (MHSC) had stepped into the role of savior, taking charge in February of teams threatened by relegation. It was a season that would be remembered above all for the resurrection of Stade Brestois! The successful half-season orchestrated by Eric Roy—which saw him save the team—had, above all, set the stage for the great adventure that followed: a third-place finish the very next season, securing Champions League qualification for the Breton side! It is a prime example of success that, no doubt, every club dreams of replicating whenever they set out to appoint a new head coach.
Olympique de Marseille: BACK TO third under Beye
Record of the former manager: Roberto De Zerbi
21 Ligue 1 McDonald’s matches: 12W, 3D, 6L (1.86 pts/match)
The Marseillais sat in 4th place in the standings—three points off the podium—at the time of the Italian's departure following a heavy 5-0 defeat against PSG on February 8th (Matchday 21). OM boasted the league's second-best attack, averaging 2.2 goals per match, but only the 7th-best defense (1.28 goals/match).
Furthermore, OM had been eliminated from the Champions League (3 wins in 8 matches) but remained in contention in the Coupe de France (quarter-finals), having lost the Trophée des Champions earlier in 2026.
Record of the current manager: Habib Beye
7 Ligue 1 McDonald’s matches: 4W, 3L (1.71 pts/match)
Since the new coach took charge, OM have moved provisionally back into third place after today's win over FC Metz
Stade Rennais: Gap to the podium narrowed, but one place dropped
Record of the former manager: Habib Beye
21 Ligue 1 McDonald’s matches: 8W, 7D, 6L (1.47 pts/match)
At Stade Rennais, Beye ended his tenure with a run of four consecutive defeats across all competitions. At the time of his departure for OM, the Breton club still sat in 6th place in the standings with a negative goal difference (-3), 11 points adrift of the podium and 2 points outside the top 5. The "Red and Blacks" boasted the 8th-best attack and the 13th-best defense in Ligue 1 McDonald’s.
Current Manager's Record: Franck Haise
6 Ligue 1 McDonald’s matches: 4W, 1D, 1L (2.16 pts/match)
Haise’s Rennes side has recorded 4 clean sheets in 6 matchdays, propelling SRFC to the 3rd-best record in the league since Matchday 23. Offensively, the Rennes squad has fielded the league's second-most potent attack under his leadership. However, the club currently sits in 7th place in the overall standings, albeit with a reduced gap to the leading pack (just 3 points off the podium).
AS Monaco: In the same position as in October, but with the podium now within reach
Former Manager's Record: Adi Hütter
7 Ligue 1 McDonald’s matches: 4W, 1D, 2L (1.86 pts/match)
At the time of his departure after 7 matchdays, AS Monaco occupied 5th place in the standings, just two points shy of the podium.
In the Champions League, the club from the Rock had yet to secure a victory after two matchdays (1D, 1L).
Current Manager's Record: Sébastien Pocognoli
21 Ligue 1 McDonald’s matches: 11W, 3D, 7L (1.71 pts/match)
Under the Belgian tactician, ASM briefly slipped to 10th place before mounting a late sprint back into the race for European qualification; the Monegasques now sit just one point away from the podium. After their streak of 7 consecutive victories was snapped today, Monaco remain in fifth place in the standings.
RC Strasbourg Alsace: Change Within Continuity
Record of former manager Liam Rosenior:
17 Ligue 1 McDonald’s matches: 7W, 3D, 7L (1.41 pts/match)
Under Liam Rosenior, RCSA sat in 7th place after Matchday 17, having recorded an equal number of wins and losses in the league—notably boasting the 6th-best defense. Momentum was flagging, however, with a five-match winless streak following a period earlier in the season (Matchdays 7–8) when the team had occupied 3rd place.
In Europe (Conference League), Rosenior’s RCSA side posted 5 wins in 6 fixtures.
Record of current manager Gary O’Neil:
11 Ligue 1 McDonald’s matches: 5W, 4D, 2L (1.72 pts/match)
Since the arrival of the Englishman, RCSA has held the 4th-best record in the top flight, while maintaining the 6th-best defense. However, the club has slipped one spot in the standings (to 8th). While Strasbourg was just 5 points adrift of the top 5 when O’Neill took charge, they now trail by 6 points.
In cup competitions, O’Neill has built upon the team's strong start to the season, guiding them to the semi-finals of the Coupe de France and the quarter-finals of the Conference League.
Paris FC: Kombouaré Pulls Team Clear of Relegation Play-off Zone
Record of former manager Stéphane Gilli:
23 Ligue 1 McDonald’s matches: 5W, 8D, 10L (1 pt/match)
With this managerial novice at the helm, the newly promoted Parisian club sat in 15th place in the standings after 23 matchdays, possessing the 15th-ranked defense and the 13th-ranked attack. His tenure came to an end following a winless streak of five matches…
Current Record under Antoine Kombouaré:
6 Ligue 1 McDonald’s matches: 3W, 3D (2 pts/match)
The experienced coach has revitalized Paris FC, who remains unbeaten under his command after beating Monaco today. Over this short period, the Parisians boast the 6th-best record in the league. This has allowed them to climb two spots in the standings (to 13th place) and breathe a little easier, sitting 9 points clear of the relegation playoff spot—a significant improvement over the six-point cushion they held prior to Kombouaré’s arrival.
OGC Nice: Following a similar trajectory…
Record under former coach Franck Haise:
16 Ligue 1 McDonald’s matches: 5W, 2D, 9L (1.06 pts/match)
In addition to a disappointing European campaign, the French coach departed OGC Nice following a six-game losing streak… leaving *Les Aiglons* in 13th place in the standings, five points clear of the relegation playoff spot, and with the league’s 16th-ranked defense (conceding 1.8 goals per match). A far cry from the 8th position they occupied after Matchday 10.
Current Record under Claude Puel:
12 matches in Ligue 1 McDonald’s: 2W, 4D, 6L (0.83 pts/match)
The former coach—a French champion with Monaco and the savior of "Les Verts" in 2019/20—recorded just two victories in 12 matches at the helm of "Les Aiglons." Under his leadership, OGCN holds the 16th-best record after 12 matchdays, featuring the worst defense in the top flight. Consequently, Nice has slipped from 13th to 15th place in the standings, with their lead over the relegation playoff spot reduced to a mere one point (4 pts).
FC Nantes: A delicate operation for Coach Vahid
Record of former coach Luis Castro:
15 Ligue 1 McDonald’s matches: 2W, 5D, 8L (0.73 pts/match)
FCN was on a six-match winless streak when the Portuguese coach departed on December 11th; at that time, they sat in the penultimate position (17th)—tied on points with the bottom-placed team (Metz, 11) and just one point ahead of the relegation playoff spot (Auxerre). All this amounted to a win rate of just 13%.
Record of former coach Ahmed Kantari:
10 Ligue 1 McDonald’s matches: 2W, 8L (0.6 pts/match)
Under the former Valenciennes coach, Nantes failed to gain any traction, remaining stuck in 17th—the penultimate—position. Kantari posted the 17th-best record during his tenure on the Nantes bench, achieving a win rate of 20%... The gap separating the team from the relegation playoff spot widened from one point to two.
Record of current manager Vahid Halilhodzic:
2 Ligue 1 McDonald’s matches: 1 Draw, 1 Loss (0.5 pts/match)
In 2018/19, Coach Vahid got the FC Nantes machine running again by arriving much earlier in the season (Matchday 9), ensuring a much smoother campaign for the Canaries (who finished 12th). This time around, the mission is more complex, and time is running short. The Bosnian had 8 matches to save the club, which sat second-to-last at the time of his appointment—just 2 points clear of the relegation playoff spot. It is now five points adrift of 16th place... with a game in hand (vs. PSG).
FC Metz: No Takeoff for LES Grenats
Record of former manager Stéphane Le Mignan:
18 Ligue 1 McDonald’s matches: 3 Wins, 3 Draws, 12 Losses (0.67 pts/match)
The Grenats were sitting in last place at the end of Stéphane Le Mignan’s tenure—albeit tied on points with Auxerre (12) after Matchday 18—having posted a win rate of just 0.16% and possessing the worst defense in the top flight (conceding 2.22 goals per match).
Record of current manager Benoît Tavenot:
11 Ligue 1 McDonald’s matches: 0 Wins, 3 Draws, 8 Losses (0.3 pts/match)
Benoît Tavenot’s appointment has failed to improve the club’s situation; they remain rooted to the bottom of the table. FCM has picked up only 3 points during this period—the worst record in the league—while continuing to concede goals at the same rate (2 per match). Metz now sits alone in last place, 8 points behind the team occupying the relegation playoff spot.
