Ten titles in the last 12 seasons – Paris Saint-Germain is a force in Ligue 1, that is nothing new. But does the fact that Kylian Mbappé is no longer on Parc des Princes open a chance for other clubs to end a winning streak in Paris?
Mbappé was top rated Ligue 1 player last season, based on Sofascore Ratings, he finished the campaign with an average rating of 7.89. He was also the league’s top goal scorer with 27 goals. PSG was the top rated team with most goals scored, most accurate passes, highest ball possession, they were on top of the list for the most statistical categories. So naturally, most of the results of this season as well, will depend on their form.
PSG is still rather quiet on the transfer market. 60 million euros spent on 19-year-old midfielder João Neves, centre-back Willian Pacho was bought for 40 mil. and they spent 20 more on reserve goalkeeper, is a calm summer based on PSG’s standards. Coach Luis Enrique still didn’t get a big-name successor for Mbappé but other names in his roster, led by attacking forces Ousmane Dembélé and Gonçalo Ramos, guarantee that PSG is still the biggest favorite for the Championship trophy.
But behind their backs, a big battle is expected to take the throne, or at least, finish second best.
Monaco was closest to PSG last season. But even Monaco will be without its top striker this season. Wissam Ben Yedder left the club after five seasons and left a gap in offense. He scored 16 goals last season as Monaco had the second most efficient attack of the league.
It is only natural that Aleksandr Golovin takes over most of his attacking duties as the Russian was the second highest rated player of the whole league, with 7.64 average Sofascore Rating. Monaco didn’t sell a lot and bought one player per line, so their hopes are they can push PSG even harder this season.
Stade Brestois, or simply Brest, was probably the biggest surprise last season, with 3rd place at the end, their best result in history. It is a question if they can repeat a season like that. They weren’t among the most active ones this transfer season, so the main part of their team is still here. Good news for Brest is that their highest rated player from last season, Jordan Amavi, stays at the club. After being loaned from Marseille, he is now transferred to Brest.
With all due respect to Brest, some big names of French football are obviously a little bit upset with last season’s results, so they are looking to come back to the top. First being Lyon who spent the most this summer so far.
With 134 million euros spent on new players, it is clear that Lyon wants to play a more important role in Ligue 1. Moussa Niakhaté and Orel Mangala are brought for Nottingham Forest for a total of nearly 55 mil. € and Ernest Nuamah is the new right winger from Belgium Molenbeek. Don’t think that Lyon sold a lot to match the expenditure. So far, they have sold only two players for nearly 25 million euros, so with more than -100 million € on transfer balance, they are going ”all-in” this season.
Marseille is always a candidate for big results and 8th place last season is definitely beneath their status. They have been active on the market and some big names like Aubameyang, Guendouzi, Sarr, Vitinha and Ndiaye left the club. It is a big question if newcomers can not only fill their shoes but surpass last season’s result.
Mason Greenwood is the biggest new name in the dressing room. The 22-year-old English right winger came from Manchester United for 26 million euros.
Regarding goals per match statistical category, Ligue 1 is just under Premier League and Bundesliga with 2,63 goals p/g. So, there is a foundation for attractive matches and interesting season. But if PSG makes a big gap at the early part of the season, the attractiveness of the whole league will probably decline.
Monaco and Lille are so far the only ones who managed to beat PSG in a Championship race, since Qatar owners took over the club. Time to find out if this list can grow or we will witness another Parisian party.