Topic: French Soccer League Predictions and Discussion Thread (Ligue 1) - page 420. (Read 194326 times)

Honestly the United part is even funnier, it looks like we are talking about a team that spent so much and did nothing, Chelsea too. Monaco at least managed to do something, they played a bit and did something and that is usually a lot better for them.

The thing about PSG is that the yare the only club that was willing to sell the team to a rich person, if other teams did that they would be good too but for some reason that never happened. All in all, I think it's quite normal for PSG to be champions all the time, in fact I can go as further as saying they deserve it more than others. If other teams ever want to be in competition with PSG then they should at least act like, it has an owner that can spend billions for the club.

As it stands, the French side, PSG are safely tagged as the only team qualified for the Ligue 1 title this season. Although it's testifiable that there are uprising teams who can in their best space contest hard and out heated competition for the cup. In the league table, PSG so far seems to be doing well. The fans can also have much confidence in them to deliver and they've in no situation failed, even if they have, it's not so tangible as one may think it to be. Winning this season's UCL may be quite challenging though being that they're in the contests with good and better teams in respective leagues too. It's only a situation of the best of all the qualified teams being displayed.

 Their round of 16 second leg isn't easy either but if they manage to scale through, maybe hopefully, they'll get to the semi finals or finals because currently, they should have in their minds always that there's strong fold of competition in the tournament. We'd definitely await the qualifications determinant from the second leg game this week and the odds of PSG advancing is high nonetheless but football can't be so predicted as it once used to. But i don't see PSG going to the finals, they might be doing fine in their league but with the teams still remaining in the tournament, reabching the finals would be a tough one, it would be so suprising if they do.

In the next round the most interesting game will be PSG's game against Rennes, despite PSG having a 13 point advantage over the team that is currently in second place, I think it's still too early for PSG to feel comfortable, so In my opinion, PSG should play in such a way as to win all the games they have in front of them and in the next game they will play against an opponent who in the last 7 games they played in the league1 had no defeat, and is not an opponent who has a good defense, which means that PSG has a great chance of scoring a goal and winning the game, but they could also concede a goal, which means that this will be a game in which PSG's defense will be greatly tested

When I saw the odds for this game I was a little shocked because there is a huge favoritism for PSG, the odds for PSG to win the game are 1.50@ and I thought it would be higher, something like 1.80 but I was shocked by this odds. 1.50 in favor of PSG, it seems that Rennes is a very weak team, it is true that Rennes was humiliated by Milan in the European Champions League and it is also true that PSG is superior to Rennes, but in my opinion the value odds could be higher, I'm going to wait for the odds value to rise to at least above 1.60 so I can bet on PSG and I'll only place a bet when I see the squad that will play, this is because with the rumors regarding Mbappe, it's possible that the PSG coach starts to opt for mbappe to be on the bench so that the team gets used to playing without depending on him

Just keep in mind that high spending doesn't necessarily mean quality players, Chelsea is a good example of this, maybe Manchester United if you pick some players who are underperforming or a flop based on their transfer price. Obviously, I don't expect a massive recruitment issue from PSG in the near future but just because you have money doesn't mean you'll always monopolize the league. AFAIK, when Monaco wins the league they don't outspend PSG by a massive amount of money either, don't they? Finding a talented kid might work for one or two seasons until PSG tried to buy them too.

The stats suggest that Brest is more dangerous and has more goalscoring opportunities compared to Marseille[1]. Their xG is also quite low, with some individual errors being their weakness on that match according to this data. So maybe the tactics are not working correctly, hence why do players make mistakes and have low morale? But well, they just sacked Gattuso anyway so it looks like the owner made up their mind already. 6 months is really short to make any changes though. CMIIW.

[1] https://www.whoscored.com/Matches/1741158/MatchReport/France-Ligue-1-2023-2024-Brest-Marseille

I think this reason doesn't quite apply to a team like Marseille and after all they are one of the big teams in Ligue One. However, if we put aside his performance this season, it is far from what we expected and losing against Brest is something we still understand this season. But I hope it all ends this season regarding Marseille's poor performance and they can be better prepared next season.

Well, especially if you see that the hosts only played with 10 players since the 60th minute, it is clear here how weak Marseille was in taking advantage of their advantage. I think it's only fitting that after this match Gattuso was fired by Marseille because in circumstances like this they still couldn't win and instead conceded in the last minute by Brest. I feel like there won't be much time for Marseille to get back to where they should be and finishing in mid-table is a rational target that they can achieve later.

If you pay attention to the player spending table above, you can see that only Monaco, a team from Ligue 1 apart from PSG, is included in the top 20 list. This proves that PSG has everything to monopolize the League. They have money and can take any player by offering a very large contract. This will certainly make it difficult for other teams to find the players they need to beat PSG. If Mbappe officially leaves next season I think other teams still have no chance of beating PSG's dominance in the league. Unless other players can find talented players like hidden gems.

Away matches are quite difficult for some teams because they don't have the full support of their supporters on the field, which makes teams like Marseille lose their enthusiasm to win. Moreover, Brest is in strong form this season and they are playing at home so they are still trying their best. perhaps so as not to experience defeat and Brest succeeded in doing so even though he only won by a narrow scored.

Brest played with ten players since Steve Mounie left the field in the sixtieth minute and neither team had scored a goal, Marseille itself could not put much pressure on Brest until finally Brest was able to score the only goal to bring them victory in that match, now Brest position is right under PSG replacing Nice because Nice lost their last match.

Luis Enrique tries to do his best for the team and players who have been his mainstay, his courage to rotate in several positions because he has studied the depth of the Nantes squad which is not too strong in Ligue 1. PSG was able to dominate the match well in the first half, but not a single opportunity was converted into a goal. Luis Enrique immediately moved quickly in the second half by replacing several players to increase his team's attack power. He looked dissatisfied when his team took a 1-0 lead which forced him to play Mbappe to replace Marco Asensio.

Luis Enrique is trying to give opportunities to players who have found it difficult to enter the main line-up. PSG will not experience any problems as long as the line-up is filled with core players, especially against a team like Nantes. The players' fitness needs to be maintained ahead of the next match, they still need a win to keep their position safe and also try to maintain their chances of qualifying for the next round in the UCL.

Even though they have found several selected players to replace the departed Kylian Mbappe, these players are doesn't have the potential that Mbappe has because Mbappe has a game with different characteristics from other players. Moreover, Mbappe is a player with extraordinary potential, if PSG wants to recruit a striker that potential is as good as Mbappe then has In my opinion, Victor Oshimen is more suitable to replace Mbappe at a club like PSG because Napoli is currently experiencing a decline and Victor Oshimen certainly doesn't want his potential to decrease further, which is why his club is better off if he is at PSG, where PSG is the biggest club strong in League 1.

I also think like that because only Real Madrid is the strongest candidate for the club that Mbappe has been linked with so far, after all, Mbappe once said that his dream was to be able to play with Real Madrid, not Manchester City, even though both clubs are equally big, but still Real Madrid is king of Europe so it is natural that Mbappe prefers Real Madrid, but again if Mbappe is thinking about salary and Manchester City offers a bigger salary than Real Madrid then the decision is up to Mbappe where he decides to live.

Last three winning matches in Ligue 1, Lyon faced with top standings teams such as Marseille and Nice except Montpellier are lower standings team.
Its good achievement for Lyon managed to get out of the relegation zone and their points not too far away from its top standings behind 5 points with Marseille on 9th standings with Marseille and left 6 points with the standings 8th team Reims.
Since joined with Lyon last window transfer, Nemanja Matic had played three matches with Lyon and success won all matches, excellent transfer for Lyon after arriving Matic their performance keep stable and consistent. Actually for securing from relegation zone, Lyon must reach above 41 points and left 16 points behind Lyon's points right now.

This is quite a suitable replacement even though the quality of the three players involved does not have anything in common with Mbappe's playing style, because each player definitely has their own advantages. Rashford has also been linked to the Saudi Arabian league following his lackluster recent form but I don't think he will be released. There is an opportunity that PSG could give Osimhen or Rafael Leao because these two players will be much easier to approach by being given big offers to their respective clubs.

If Mbappe leaves then I am sure he will go to Real Madrid because that is his biggest dream and Manchester City is not the club he dreams of. PSG needs a front line figure if Mbappe really leaves. If they don't prepare options at this time, it is feared that it will cause problems, especially since they are playing in the Champions League so they really need a striker who has an instinct for scoring goals.

We know how difficult it is for clubs that lacks essential qualities to lift themselves to the top. However, if we watch Paris Saint-Germain phase, we can see how Luis Enrique is lifting the performance of the club and enabling them to remain competitive in all round competition. Perhapes its impressive stats and credits from Olympic Lyon to see them growing to good standards on the Ligue One table. Every team needs that special motivation from headcoach and the supporters because winning is streaky for the consistent teams.

Without a doubt, Mbappe is one of the best players PSG has ever had, and his presence on the team makes them unstoppable in their quest to win the Ligue 1 title yearly.  The league has become a training ground for them because they continue to win it, as evidenced by them already winning the title with numerous matches away before the final match is played.

Mbappe's departure will have a significant impact on the team's playing ability, but I don't see a team that can match them and challenge them for the Ligue 1 title even after Mbappe leaves. They still have good players, and after Mbappe leaves, they will sign a big player to replace him, so I don't see their performance declining even after that.

Champions League has always been the focus of every PSG coach because they can easily triumph in Ligue 1 than in the Champions League, where big teams up to their match are present to give them a difficult time and prevent them from reaching the competition's final. Enrique's focus will remain to win the champions league trophy.

Lyon, which is already in 11th position in the standings, makes me a little happy. Lyon got 4 wins in a row even though the score was very close.
Marseille, Lille, Montpellier and Nice something that changed things. I think Pierre Sage as the current coach has been able to save Lyon's position.
Another role player who succeeded in boosting Lyon's performance is Nemanja Matic. Joining in January, Matic's role in the middle is very good.
Now, 25 points have the opportunity to increase and enter the top 10.

Honestly, they should take advantage of this as much as they can because next year they will not have Mbappe. I am sure that they can get a lot more players later on when the salary cap from Mbappe is wide open, which means that they could get someone great or a multiple great guys but still they would be closer. I think other teams may have  slight chance next year, depends on the players they will get of course, if they get amazing players then maybe it won't be really needed anymore.

I think it Is quite important for PSG to figure out what went wrong there too, because if Mbappe and the president had a deal, and then Mbappe decided to leave, they should see what was the problem and if they did anything wrong at all.

Last season Lens came close to winning the Ligue One when they gathered about eighty-four points but they lost the Ligue with just a point. It is getting tougher for any club to stop them from the 2023/2024 season since they are thirteen points above the second-placed Brest. The Champions League is still the major target and I am guessing that Kylian Mbappe will remain in PSG if they win the Champions League. It will boost his chance of winning the Ballon d'Or
 or next year.

Chelsea is clear proof that money alone can't win trophies and PSG have begun to understand this fact. This is why they have reduced their spending on players in recent times and have focused on growing younger players. It is possible that Mbappe can lead them to UCL victory because he is the current best striker in the world.    

Actually, he is right to not be happy with any narrow lead especially when he has the best team in the league. And let's not kid ourselves. PSG is definitely the best team in the league. So if they cannot dominate, how does it make sense?

I think he definitely did the right thing and I also believe that it is the right decision from him to make those changes. Because PSG should not have had any problems against a team like Nantes. And I also believe they did not have any major problems.  In the end, all that matters is that they were able to get the three points that they needed and they also were able to keep a clean sheet as well.

Oh this is definitely correct and PSG has outcompeted Manchester City over the course of the last ten years, but to my surprise I found some interesting data which I totally overlooked. I thought that PSG is the #1 investor either next to Chelsea or slightly less, but here is some breakdown:

10. West Ham United – €526m
09. AC Milan – €545m
08. Tottenham Hotspur – €609m
07. FC Barcelona – €663m
06. Newcastle United – €671m
05. Manchester City – €856m
04. Arsenal FC – €872m
03. Paris Saint-Germain – €1.01bn
02. Chelsea FC – €1.033bn
01. Manchester United – €1.39bn

But keep in mind that this is the net spend! This would be the overview for the total expenditure:



Here you can see that Monaco is the only club in the top 20 and is at about 50% of total expenditure. There is no competition at all for PSG in Ligue 1.

Like I've always said in the thread, I don't think there's anything that's gonna stop Paris Saint Germaine from winning the French Ligue 1 this season and that's because of the quality of players in the team when compared to the rest of the clubs in the French league. Since the current owners of Paris Saint Germaine took over the club, they've been the highest spenders in the transfer market by a French team and one of the highest spenders in the whole of Europe so it's almost impossible to stop them from winning at least the French league title. At the end of the current season, I expect Paris Saint Germaine to win the French league which will be their 8th consecutive win of the league but their most challenging issue is winning the UEFA Champions League title.

We've seen some of the best players in football of the last two decades play for Paris Saint Germaine since the new owners took over the ownership of the club but the closest they came to winning the European Cup was in the 2019/20 season that they played in the final against eventual winners Bayern Munich. I think the best time for Paris Saint Germaine to win the UEFA Champions League title is now because at the end of the current season, their best player Kylian Mbappe will be leaving the club.

Evidently, Marseille is really the worst team this season for away matches because after all, in the match against Brest even though Brest only played with 10 players but Marseille still lost. Even though yes, Marseille can still play well when Brest is still playing with 11 players but strangely enough, Marseille still fails to take advantage of the advantage of the number of players like that, instead of winning in fact Marseille suffered a defeat in this away match. But indeed, basically Brest position is also not completely safe because it only has a gap of 1 and 2 points with the 3 teams below it in positions 3, 4 and 5. But yes, the great thing is that Brest is still making great efforts to get points despite only playing with 10 players, and the results are really obtained by Brest with three points.