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The first third of a very competitive league campaign has now been played. Before attacking the final sprint of the first half of the season, here is a look at the stats for Le Gym in L1.

A poorly rewarded 17 points in the league table 

Since Nice returned to the top flight (in 2002/2003), no other team with 17 points has sat in 13th place or worseat this stage of the season.

Proof of the tight nature of the competition this year, given that the 2004/05 and 2017/18 campaigns saw sides with 17 points sit in 8th place after a third of the season. Of the last 17 season, a total of 17 points would earn an average league position of 11th in Ligue 1.

In the 2005/06 season, Antonetti‘s Nice sat in 13th place after a third of the campaign, with the same number of points. They finished in 8th place that season, just two points of fourth.  

Attack: Above the Nice average  

Les Aiglons have scored 16 goals in Ligue 1. They have only beaten this total on six occasions since their return to the top flight. The highest total at this stage of the season? In 2015/16: When Ben Arfa and co. had scored 27 times (for a fourth place finish). 

17 points: How do this year’s Aiglons compare? 

In only seven of the 17 seasons since their return to Ligue 1 have Les Azuréens recorded a better points tally after 13 games. The record was set during the 2016/17 campaign. Les Aiglons started that historic season with 32 points on the board, an average of 2.46 points per match (3rd place finish).

A particularly slim gap between second and thirteenth

Before the 14th game of the season which sees the Niçois travel to Lyon (Saturday 23 November at 5.30pm), Les Rouge et Noir sit just five points behind second place.

Since returning to the top flight, Le Gym have an average of eight points less than second place at this stage of the season (excluding the 2016/17 season during which the club was in first place).

During this period, only three campaigns have seen Nice separated from second place by less than five points after 13 matches. Something which guaranteed a top half finish at the end of the season (4th in 2015/16, 9th in 2008/09 and 10th in 2002/03).

It’s worth noting that the largest gap from second place over the period in question dates back to the 2011/12 season: Nice, at that point in 17th place sat 16 points behind the team in second. Les Aiglons managed to secure safety, largely due to the victory... at Lyon on the final game of the season (3-4, 13th place finish).

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