Auxerre continue impressive unbeaten run against France’s elite | OneFootball

AJ Auxerre have been punching above their weight in Ligue 1 this season. Having been promoted from Ligue 2 last season, Christophe Pélissier’s side have not been included in the relegation conversation all season, against expectations. Not only that, there is a slim chance of some form of European football coming to the Stade de l’Abbé-Deschamps next season. Otherwise, a mid-table finish exceeds expectations for L’AJA.

Auxerre have been particularly strong against Ligue 1’s elite. Against the current top three (Paris Saint-Germain, Olympique de Marseille, and OGC Nice), they are unbeaten. Pélissier’s side have beaten Marseille home and away by an aggregate score of 6-1, beat Nice at home and then drew away, at the Allianz Riviera, on Friday night thanks to Florian Ayé’s 94th-minute equaliser (1-1). Auxerre also held PSG to a draw but will have to face them again before the end of the campaign.

Auxerre go for broke

“11 points out of 15 (against the top three) is not bad but, unfortunately for us, there are other matches,” joked Pélissier in a post-match press conference, attended by Get French Football News.

Auxerre’s defensive solidity and ability to hit in transition has been key to their success. Guile and audacity were key ingredients against Nice as they went for broke in the second half. “I decided to change because I that we didn’t make them struggle at the start. We went from a 4-4-2 to basically a 4-2-4 because there were just forwards up front,” said Pélissier, referencing the raft of changes made in the 76th minute. It was a change that allowed Auxerre to keep up their unbeaten run against Ligue 1’s top three and enhance their “giant-killer” reputation this season.

GFFN | Luke Entwistle – reporting from Nice