If they continue on their alarming trajectory, Montpellier won’t be a Ligue 1 side for much longer

By Luke Entwistle for Get French Football News

Montpellier’s Stade de la Mosson is a metaphor for a club that has been allowed to drift into a state of dereliction. The stadium, renovated back in 1997, hosted knockout games at the 1998 World Cup, but now lies in a decrepit state, unable to withstand the elements, and as leaky as the defence that has conceded 13 goals in their first four Ligue 1 games.

In the space of 12 years, the time that has elapsed since they were crowned Ligue 1 champions, Montpellier’s decline has been slow but sure. Ambition has seeped away; pessimism has crept in. “Let’s be happy just to be in Ligue 1 … in a world where we don’t have big financial means, being in Ligue 1 is exceptional in itself. People should be aware of that and be happy to support us,” said the club president Laurent Nicollin earlier this month.