Season restart: Ligue 1 in focus
The feeling in France may be subdued following the nation’s World Cup final loss – but the restart of Ligue 1 may be just the thing to lift spirits.
France’s top flight is back underway, with Paris Saint-Germain resuming their title charge against relegation-threatened Strasbourg.
Beyond the Parisians, there are a plethora of exciting storylines ready to be resumed – at both ends of the table.
Powerhouse PSG
PSG are in imperious form this season and are one of just two clubs in Europe’s top five leagues that remain unbeaten, along with Serie A side Napoli.
Christophe Galtier has his side firing on all cylinders with an attacking trident to rival all of Europe in Neymar, Kylian Mbappé, and Lionel Messi.
The trio have been dominant in front of goal, having netted 30 of the Parisians’ 43 strikes – Rennes are the second-highest scorers in the division with 31.
Galtier’s side press relentlessly, eager to regain possession high up the pitch, and so far have won the ball back 437 times in the opponent’s half.
This comes at the cost of defensive solidity, however, though PSG have largely gotten away with it so far, conceding just nine times despite recording an expected goals against total of 16.67.
Their red-hot performances make them strong contenders to retain the league title – though any potential challengers will hope the capital club’s focus on the Champions League causes them to slip up.
Look out for Lens
RC Lens were in Ligue 2 three seasons ago, but this term the mining club have emerged in the spotlight as title contenders.
Their form has come as a surprise to many after losing key players such as Loïc Badé to Rennes, Jonathan Clauss to Marseille and Cheick Doucouré to Crystal Palace.
However, manager Franck Haise has stayed put and proven to be one of the league’s elite tacticians, bolstered by the attacking threats of Loïs Openda and Florian Sotoca.
Haise’s side boast the second-best defensive record in the division, conceding just seven non-penalty goals and winning five straight matches.
His attack have been slightly underperforming their 28.62xG, netting 26 times, which ranks joint-fifth in the league.
The real test will be against PSG, who they have yet to face this season.
With a second Ligue 1 title in their sights after their historic triumph in 1998, Lens will need to improve their ruthlessness in front of goal if they are to beat out the reigning champions.
European pursuit
Chasing the two breakaways are Rennes, Marseille and Lorient, who will be eyeing up the European spots.
Rennes are five points off the pace of Lens, led by the superb performances of Martin Terrier, who boasts eight goals and three assists.
They can be content with their attacking production so far, out-performing their 24.33 xG and netting 31 times from 206 non-penalty shots.
Marseille enjoyed a terrific start to the season, taking 19 points out of 21 from their first seven matches, but have since suffered a dip in form.
Still, Igor Tudor has done well to steady the ship and motivate his side after Jorge Sampaoli’s shock exit, with no team winning more duels than their 1,602.
Lorient – like Lens – have taken a surprising step forward this term, boasting a healthy blend of youth and experience under the guidance of manager Régis Le Bris.
However, there are question marks over how sustainable Le Bris’ style can be, with his side severely underperforming in key metrics.
Going forward, his side have attempted the fewest attacking third passes (636) and completed the fewest crosses (37).
Instead, they rely on individual duels, registering the second-most successful dribbles (247) – but rank 15th for xG, with 18.69.
While defensively active, Lorient have been prone to mistakes, losing the ball in their own half more times than any other side (115) and conceding the second-most non-penalty shots (206).
The relegation battle
With Ligue 1 reducing to 18 teams next season, four clubs are in danger of dropping into Ligue 2 at the end of the 2022-23 campaign.
Angers are rooted to the bottom with eight points – and for good reason, having scored just 15 times while conceding a league-high 34 goals and 83 non-penalty shots on target.
Strasbourg in 19th have been similarly poor in attack, scoring just 17 goals.
They have won just once, also recording a league-high eight draws.
Ajaccio sit 18th having scored the joint-second fewest goals (14) – with four coming from the penalty spot – while 17th-placed Auxerre have the lowest xG tally (15.51) in the league.
But all four have a chance of turning things around, with Brest, Nantes, Montpellier and Troyes all within three points of being pulled into the drop zone themselves.
Golden boot contenders
Unless he misses a significant portion of the season through injury, Mbappe is the firm favourite to claim the award and replicate Jean-Pierre Papin’s exceptional feat of winning the golden boot five times in a row.
The France superstar has 12 goals and has taken more shots (60) and touches in the box (112) than any player in Ligue 1.
Teammate Neymar is Mbappe’s closest competitor with 11 goals of his own, while surprise contestant Terem Moffi of Lorient sits on 10.
Mbappe’s eight-goal haul and subsequent World Cup Golden Boot will surely motivate him to stay ahead of the competition and add another individual gong to his collection, though.
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