Operation Ligue 1: USL Dunkerque's Historic Bid for Promotion
Ligue 2's surprise package have dazzled playing some of France's most stylish football.
The exploits of Jean Bart are an integral part of Dunkerque's history. The most legendary of its notorious Dunkirkers (commerce raiders in the service of first the Spanish crown and later the Kingdom of France), Bart would enter naval folklore following the Battle of Texel. Capturing a huge convoy of Dutch ships filled with grain and wheat, it is said that he saved Paris from starvation, heroics which were rewarded by Louis XIV when Bart was raised into the French nobility. Triumphantly brandishing his sabre, his exploits are commemorated in a statue which reminds the Dunkerquois of his daredevil, encouraging them to demonstrate the courage which fuelled his maritime exploits in their everyday lives.
Sporting the famous corsair on their home shirt, USL Dunkerque have answered Jean Bart's call to arms in their football this season, playing with swashbuckling panache evocative of the dramatic sea blues and sandy beaches of the Côte d'Opale on which the city lies. Currently in third place tied on points with Paris FC, Les Maritimes are mired in a 'David versus Goliath' battle for promotion. Despite pitting the tiny coastal club against the Louis Vuitton handbags and Dom Pérignon bottles of Bernard Arnault, as well as the top-flight know-how of clubs such as Lorient and Metz, fans at the windswept Stade Marcel-Tribut are growing in their belief that the club can secure a historic first promotion to Ligue 1.
A New Dawn
Dunkerque is famous for its carnival - a colourful celebration of the city’s fishing heritage - but under ex-president Jean-Pierre Scouarnec, the club's mismanagement was carnivalesque. Having farcically allowed suspended players to fulfil multiple reserve team fixtures, Scouarnec also plunged USL Dunkerque into serious financial trouble. Having secured a €820,000 payment from mayor Patrice Vergriete in July 2021 to help reduce USLD's deficit, it would later transpire that Scouarnec had falsified the club's financial records, causing major legal issues leading to his resignation (and angry demands for repayment from the city's town hall).
USL Dunkerque was staring into the abyss of an uncertain future; but as the city's fishermen and sailors know all too well, fortunes can change like the tide from being destructive to bountiful within an instant, with the arrival of Turkish businessman Yüksel Yildirim in the summer of 2023 transforming the club. Quickly dissipating the club's financial and legal troubles, Yildirim has installed ex-Premier League striker Demba Ba as director of football, with the former Senegalese international spearheading an ambitious sporting project which has dramatically reconfigured USL Dunkerque. With a long-term goal intent on professionalising every aspect of the club, Ba has looked to make fast-paced, possession-based football an essential part of Les Maritimes identity:
"The idea was to define the sporting project and to develop the club's competencies at every level. The long-term goal is the footballing project. We must respect Dunkerque's history, but 'wetting the jersey' and playing beautiful football, it is compatible".
Previously under the tutelage of Ralf Rangnick who taught him to surround himself with "the best in their field", Ba replaced Mathieu Chabert with Portuguese manager Luis Castro in September 2023. Having managed Benfica's youth teams, Castro has helped develop current Ligue 1 stars João Neves and Gonçalo Ramos, with his experience of nurturing young players a major reason as to why he was hired. Despite initial struggles - losing 9 of his first 13 games in charge - Ba chose to stick with the 44-year old, aware that Dunkerque's squad needed a revamp to adjust to both, the quality of Ligue 2 and Castro's preference for exciting, attacking football.
Having made 25 new signings across the last two transfer windows - with 10 of these made between November 2023 and January 2024 - Dunkerque's squad has been sufficiently bolstered, leading to a huge upturn in results. The club boasts Ligue 2's best record in 2024 with 64 points accumulated and are particularly formidable at home. Dunkerque held a reputation as an impregnable fortified town in the era of Jean Bart; having won their last eight games at the miniscule 4,933 seater Stade Marcel-Tribut, Les Maritimes are quickly replicating this history with impressive performances which have swept away visiting teams.
Opting to set up in a 4-3-3- formation, Luis Castro's side have become renowned for their mastery of the offside trap and their ability to play a high defensive line. Recruiting experienced players with strong technical qualities such as Abner Felipe and Vincent Sasso this summer, training sessions in the North of France often focus on fine-tuning the defensive set-up, with goalkeeper, defence and midfield all working in tandem to perfect their strategy for match day. A high-risk, high-reward approach in a division where teams are adept at playing transition football and attacking into space, but which Castro has stated is integral to his philosophy:
"With a high defensive line, perfectly co-ordinated and connected, combined with high pressing, we offer little chances to our opposition to exit correctly with the ball, but also to attack into space".
A gutsy approach which has been exposed at times (USLD have failed to beat any of the current top six so far this season), but a gutsy approach reminiscent of the city's legendary corsairs which has thoroughly entertained football fans across France.
Decool, Calm & Collected
Alongside this tactical transformation has been an impressive revolution in the club's approach to recruitment. Operating with one of Ligue 2's smallest budgets, the large majority of Dunkerque's signings have been either free transfers or player loans. With recruitment headed by Romain Decool, the club have looked to sign players who possess the technical qualities appreciated by Castro and the confidence needed to play attractive, front-footed football. The result has led to Les Maritimes playing some of l'Hexagone's most exciting, attacking football. Defence is marshalled by the imperious Vincent Sasso whilst midfield has been anchored by talented Lille loanee Ugo Raghouber. Having contributed 4 goals and 3 assists, former Toulouse prodigy Naatan Skyttā is the team's creative catalyst, veteran strikers Yacine Bammou and Gaëtan Courtet have proved a reliable source of goals and ex-Saint-Étienne attacker Maxence Rivera has provided an X factor on the left-wing.
The two players who best represent Dunkerque's success this season however are central midfielder Enzo Bardeli and the talented Gessime Yassine. Bardeli is the heartbeat of this Dunkerque side. Joining the club on a free transfer from Lille in 2021, the 23-year old controls and dictates play with his brilliant game-intelligence and ability to play sumptuous line-breaking passes; whilst 19-year old right-winger Yassine provides a stellar example of the club's excellent recruitment. Discovered whilst playing for Marignane's under-19 team, Decool quickly noticed his qualities and the player has made a seamless transition to life in Ligue 2, with his slick dribbling and fluorescent on-ball trickery particularly eye-catching. Blending youth with experience on a shoestring budget, Ba and Decool have built an exceptional squad who have wholeheartedly bought into Castro's approach, with Bardeli having told journalists in August that:
"The philosophy of the coach corresponds perfectly to our group. It's a style of play which hinges on possession, with constant pressing and a desire to play on the front foot. It's fun to play. It is essential that we respect the instructions of Luis Castro so that it works".
With Dunkerque's carnival set to begin again in mid-January, the streets will be lined with residents singing the Cantata Jean Bart in veneration of their hero; but if USL Dunkerque can maintain their current run of form, new hymns of local pride will need to be written. There is genuine faith amongst players, fans and management that the club's new approach can achieve something groundbreaking at a time when the city itself is greatly innovating (Dunkerque having become the largest commune in the European Union to provide free public transport for its residents in 2018). Promotion may not eclipse Jean Bart's heroics and ennoblement, but playing in Ligue 1 next season would mark a historic admission into French footballing nobility.
Great piece
Is Pau v Dunkerque the longest Ligue trip?