The AS Saint-Étienne is going through an unprecedented defensive crisis in the recent history of the League 1. After 29 days of competition, the team conceded sixty-seven goals, placing its record among the lowest in the past 45 seasons. This alarming performance, which represents an average of 2.31 goals conceded per game, is unfortunately second in the worst defences, ahead only of the Girondins de Bordeaux in the 2021/22 season, who had conceded seventy goals at this stage of the competition. This sad record, which had resulted in the relegation of Bordeaux to Ligue 2, now seems to threaten the future of AS Saint-Étienne.

Defensive weaknesses were evident in the 3-3 draw against Stade Brestois, where investment, concentration and coverage errors were particularly costly. Despite some promise from the offensive sector, structural deficiencies in defence continue to undermine the efforts of the entire team. Winter recruitment failed to reverse this trend, and the tactical adjustments implemented by coach Olivier Dall’Oglio struggled to bear fruit, revealing unbalanced defensive animation and an inability to contain adverse transitions.

With five remaining days, it is very likely that the AS Saint-Étienne will be on the way to the eighty goals, even approaching dangerously the total of ninety-one goals conceded by the Girondins de Bordeaux in the 2021/22 season. Such a balance sheet would put the Stéphanois club in the darkest annals of Ligue 1 and could seal its destiny, even in case of equal points with its direct competitors. The difference in goals, therefore, will prove to be a decisive factor in the fight for the maintenance, and an immediate reorganization and consolidation of ranks, from the very next crucial match against Olympique Lyonnais, are necessary to avoid a historic and regrettable descent.