On the first leg, the L1 posted a ratio of 2.79 goals per game, against 2.77 in 2020-2021, 2.5 in 2019-2020, and 2.35 ten years ago on the whole of the 2010-2011 season.
And what goals! The incredible strike from Stéphanois Wahbi Khazri from 68 meters against Metz, the acrobatic kick from Marseillais Bamba Dieng in Strasbourg, the missile from Parisian Idrissa Gueye against Montpellier, the free kick inspired by Téji Savanier (Montpellier) in Metz…
If the figure does not yet reach the German and Italian averages, over 3 goals per game, Ligue 1 titillates the English Premier League (2.92 goals per game) and far exceeds the Spanish Liga and its 2.5 goals.
At a time when the L1 is trying to remedy its international underexposure and to attract investors for its future commercial subsidiary, these achievements are hopeful.
We were waiting for Messi, we had Mbappé. The French striker, just 23 years old, whose talent was obviously no longer to be demonstrated, seized the leader’s costume of a sometimes dying Parisian team, often disappointing, but undeniably carried by his jewel which disputes, perhaps , his last season in France. In 17 matches, Kylian Mbappé scored 9 goals and delivered 8 assists, making him the most decisive player in the championship, far ahead of Laborde and Payet (13). The international tricolor is the one that allows Paris Saint-Germain to prance, even without shining, leading the championship with 13 points ahead of its Nice dolphin.
For many weeks, Franck Haise’s Racing Club de Lens stood out for their licky and offensive game, with pistons that turned out to be Jonathan Clauss or Przemyslaw Frankowski. For several days, the Sang et Or have marked time, but they still point in the first half of the table and can rely on the 4th best attack in the championship.
In Strasbourg, the other Racing, now coached by Julien Stephan, is also distinguished by its flamboyant attack (34 goals scored in 18 days) thanks to an Ajorque-Diallo doublet still so prolific and supported by a Thomasson in great shape.
Angers – Marseille, Montpellier – Marseille, Lens – Lille, Nice – Marseille, Marseille – Paris or, more recently, Lyon – Marseille and even Paris FC – Lyon, in the Coupe de France this time, last weekend. So many meetings which were marked by violence in the stadiums which even led to the interruption of certain meetings. These serial incidents led the government to announce, last week, several measures such as the systematic and definitive stopping of a match if a player or a referee is injured by a projectile.
Behind Paris Saint-Germain, the places for the podium are contested by a trio of teams which alternate the good and the less good. Olympique de Marseille in the lead. Third with a late match to play against Olympique Lyonnais, the Phocaeans have only been beaten three times this season and want to return to the Champions League. But the ambitious Rennais (4th) and Niçois (2nd) also intend to invite themselves on the podium to find a taste for the most prestigious of European competitions. The fight for the first three places promises to be fierce, especially as some clubs like Montpellier, 5th, hope to invite themselves into the dance.
Whether it is the reigning French champion, Lille, or the usual contenders for the very first places Lyon or Monaco, several Ligue 1 teams are on AC. If the European Cups, in which the three clubs are involved, can partly explain their lack of continuity in the results, none of the three clubs has managed to start a series this season which explains their ranking in middle of the table: 6th (Monaco), 8th (Lille), 13th (Lyon).
While arbitration decisions have been singled out more than ever at the start of the season, several meetings bringing together the Professional Football League (LFP), the French Federation (FFF) and the Technical Department of Arbitration (DTA) have been held. place to launch projects in order to develop French football. The subject of the sound system for referees in Ligue 1 has in particular been put on the table so that there is more transparency in their decision-making.
Behind Olympique de Marseille (72), these are the two clubs with the highest number of seasons in Ligue 1 (69). And it is above all two monuments of the French championship that are in danger. Last in Ligue 1 with only 12 points, AS Saint-Étienne ended up separating from Claude Puel, replaced by Pascal Dupraz.
The Girondins de Bordeaux do little better: 17th with 17 points, they pay their defensive largesse since with 43 goals conceded, they have never managed to keep their clean sheet during a match. For both teams, winning the maintenance will certainly be anything but a long quiet river.
Since the start of the season, only one coach has taken the door, Stéphanois Claude Puel, replaced by Pascal Dupraz. A rarity in a championship in which the coach is the first fuse to blow in the event of poor results. At the same stadium last season, five coaches had taken the door, Thomas Tuchel (PSG), fired the evening of the last match of the calendar year, Christian Gourcuff (Nantes), Patrick Vieira (Nice), Vincent Hognon (Metz) and Stéphane Jobard.
