Nicolas De Préville scored the Bordeaux goal against Nice. - Romain Perrocheau / AFP

  • The Girondins conceded a draw against Nice (1-1) at Matmut Atlantique.
  • Always at a distance from the European places, the end of the season promises to be without interest on the ground.
  • Behind the scenes, the case of Paulo Sousa is increasingly complicated to manage.

We could not get bored and make a nice copy-paste of our article of February 15 after the Girondins' draw against Dijon (2-2) at Matmut Atlantique. But we have a professional conscience even if two weeks later, there is nothing new under the sun in Bordeaux. Maybe a little more show against the Niçois this Sunday (1-1). But in the end, it's always the same catchphrase for Paulo Sousa's players. Players capable of very beautiful phases of play ... But victims of terrible air holes which prevent them from joining the race for Europe for the moment. And there are only ten games left.

Entangled in the soft stomach of Ligue 1 (12th), the Girondins really do not seem armed to hope for better today. In a context still as heavy with the supporters and now for a few weeks with a coach increasingly critical of his management, the end of the season could be very long in Gironde.

  • An increasingly precarious sporting interest

As the days go by, the Bordelais move away from Europe a little more. They are now at four points. It is little and at the same time a lot for this team which does not manage to stick to the right wagon despite many opportunities. " It's frustrating ! Draws don't move much. We will have to make a series at some point if we do not want to have a boring end to the season, ”admits Benoît Costil.

Bordeaux-Nice LIVE: More time to lose for the Girondins and the Aiglons in the race for Europe ... The match live from 5 p.m. https://t.co/u5AhSfX5Cj via @ 20minutesBord pic.twitter .com / TORj6B0Ro7

- 20minutesbordeaux (@ 20minutesbord) March 1, 2020

If he "does not despair and wants to be optimistic", the goalkeeper and captain of the Girondins is above all lucid about the level of his team. In the past with Poyet or Sagnol, the Marines and Whites had succeeded at the end of the season in cannonballs but the miracles do not happen every year. And above all, today, the extra-sport situation weighs more and more on the field.

  • The Paulo Sousa case

To see his energy on the bench, the Portuguese coach still seems to have his head in the Girondins. But for how long? For several weeks, Paulo Sousa multiple media outings to say the least explosive. The most recent in the Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport has something to call out to: "I am looking for ambitious and winning projects", he declared. Weird for a coach with a club contract. Moreover, the message has not been very well conveyed to supporters and his totem of immunity is increasingly threatened.

I really have the impression that the supporters have lowered their level of requirement ... with such a record for other coaches, you would have already asked for accounts.

Non. Why ? Does Sousa's beautiful com blind you to this extent? #Girondins #FCGBOGCN

- 🇵🇫 Thibaud FCGB 🇫🇷 (@Thibaud_GdB) March 1, 2020

Is he preparing for his departure as some people think? The clues accumulate in any case. Difficult therefore to evolve in this context for its players and to build for a club. Today, the sports project rests on him and Eduardo Macia, the director of football. If one of the two were to leave the ship, it would no longer rock but could sink sharply. The next few weeks promise to be decisive.

  • Fans on edge

This is in addition to the well-known situation now of the conflict between club management and supporters. If the latter have changed places due to the closure of the Virage Sud, their slogan remains the same, like the banner deployed this Sunday against Nice: "King Street Out". The Ultramarines still ardently wish for the departure of the American investment fund which owns the club.

The Ultramarines during Bordeaux-Nice. - Romain Perrocheau / AFP

In the event of a new season without relief, the tension could still go up a notch. And the off-season looks already very hot as the largest group of Bordeaux supporters promises new actions. In short, if the end of the season promises to be long and boring on the field, it should be animated behind the scenes. And that is the problem at the Girondins de Bordeaux today.

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