In the wake of OGC Nice's 2-2 draw away to Lille in Ligue 1 Round 34, it's time to take stock of a fine year for Le Gym. Standgings, points, goalscorers, playing time... here's what you need to remember about the Aiglons' 2023/2024 campaign.
Le Gym finish fifth

Le Gym finish fifth

OGC Nice ended the 2023-2024 season in fifth place in the Ligue 1 Uber Eats standings. With 55 points to their name, Francesco Farioli's men were two points ahead of nearest pursuers Olympique Lyonnais and four behind fourth-placed LOSC. This final position gives Le Gym a sixth top-five finish in the last twelve seasons and opens the door to the Europa League, a competition they will be contesting for the fourth time since 2016-2017. 

Having finished in the top five in 29 of the 34 rounds this season, Les Rouge et Noir have a positive record in the league with 15 wins, 10 draws and nine defeats. 

Consistency at home and away

Competitive at home and away, Le Gym finished the season in sixth place in both the home and away league standings. Slightly more at ease at the Allianz Riviera, Dante and Co picked up 31 points at home, with a total of nine wins, four draws and four defeats from 17 games played on the Plaine du Var. 

On the road, Nice collected 24 points from 17 games. Les Aiglons have picked up six wins, six draws and five defeats from their visits to the four corners of France, including several prestigious victories at Paris (R5, 2-3), Monaco (R6, 0-1) and Lens (R23, 1-3).

LIGUE 1'S BEST DEFENCE

After finishing joint-first with PSG two years ago and second behind Lens last season, Le Gym ended the 2023-2024 season alone at the top of the Ligue 1 defensive rankings. It is an achievement that rewards the collective efforts of the red-and-black squad, who have conceded just 29 goals in 34 league games, while managing 17 clean-sheets - a Ligue 1 record for the season. OGC Nice are also the only team to have conceded fewer than 30 goals in France's top flight this season, with closest pursuers PSG, Brest and Lille conceding 33 and 34 respectively. 

In attack, Les Aiglons scored 40 times over the 34 rounds, with two more goals scored in the second half than in the first (21 compared with 19). 

Moffi top scorer

Having arrived on the Côte d'Azur in the winter of 2023, Terem Moffi ended his first full season in a Nice shirt as the club's top scorer with 11 goals in 32 games across all competitions. With three doubles, one in Paris and two against Lens, the centre-forward left his mark on several of Le Gym's key matches of the season, although he missed a month of competition due to his participation in the Africa Cup of Nations. 

Behind Moffi is Evann Guessand, scorer of seven goals in 2023-2024, including a decisive goal in the win over OM (R9, 1-0) that the Rouge et Noir crowd will not soon forget. The podium (all competitions combined) is completed by the squad's third centre-forward, Gaëtan Laborde, who is credited with six goals. The number 24 scored the first and penultimate goals of Nice's season, both against LOSC, and is tied with Jérémie Boga for third place. Having enjoyed his first full season in a Nice shirt, the Côte d'Ivoire international impressed fans with his pace and technique, and above all with his exceptional goal in the dying moments of the derby at Monaco (R6, 0-1).

boga the king of goals

A veritable poison for opposing defences, 'Jerry', as he is known to his team-mates, ended the season as Nice's best passer, with five assists in the league (and six in all, including the cup). After scoring the free-kick that led to Guessand's goal against OM, the left-winger stepped up his game at the end of the season, providing three assists in the final four games of the year. Capable of baffling his opponents before serving his partners up on a platter, as he did with his passes for Moffi against Lens and for Laborde in Lille, Boga also shone with the quality of his set-pieces, notably setting up Dante's first goal of the season in Strasbourg thanks to a perfectly struck corner.

GAME TIME: An immovable defence

Francesco Farioli used a total of 30 players throughout the season. At the top of the list, of course, is last-choice defender Marcin Bułka, the only Aiglon to have played in all 38 of the Gym's games this season, clocking up 3,420 minutes. Just behind him is the evergreen Dante, the outfield player with the most appearances for the Côte d'Azur. The 40-year-old, who turned 40 on 18 October 2023, has started 35 games as a regular, playing 3,101 minutes. Fellow centre-half Jean-Clair Todibo came third with 2,908 minutes played.

The top five is completed by two other key members of Nice's defensive structure: Melvin Bard (34 games, 2838 minutes) and Pablo Rosario (34 games, 2365 minutes). 

Three youngsters also made their first professional appearances this season: Tom Louchet, Daouda Traoré and Amidou Doumbouya.

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Hugo Rondet