“Ligue 1 only has 12/13 games left to decide a domestic champion, something that in the past two years was as easy a question to answer as whether the sky was blue. Paris Saint-Germain is the two time defending champions, a club that have won the last two French domestic titles by an average of 10.5 points. A club filled with stars amongst stars in Ligue 1 and Europe: Edinson Cavani, Thiago Silva, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Marco Verratti and more.” backpagefootball

“Wins for both of France’s deadliest rivals on Friday and Saturday helped to reignite the Ligue 1 title race this weekend, as PSG and OM moved within two points of the current league leaders Olympique Lyonnais. In the weekend’s first encounter, Paris Saint-Germain won their third game in a row against Stade Rennais at the Parc des Princes with a one-nil victory. On Saturday afternoon, OM entertained Évian Thonon Gaillard in a game in which they were red-hot favourites to win, but in the end just one goal separated the two sides, with the one-nil victory helping extend Marseille’s unbeaten run at home to twelve games.” backpagefootball

Yannick Ferreira-Carrasco (AS Monaco)
“The Ligue 1 season is over 50% completed this season, around the point where team and individual success at least for that particular season starts to lose out its novelty act, for both good performances and bad performances. With the financial restrictions that Ligue teams not named PSG have, more times than not Ligue 1 has gotten the reputation of being a league where the majority of their top players develop and leave at a young age to other European leagues. In a season where the goal scoring rate in Ligue 1 has increased from last season’s rate, it’s given way for numerous talents to show their work and in certain case, blossom under a much heavier workload. Let’s take a look at how the ten players have fared so far.” backpagefootball

“He’s came. He’s saw. He’s in prime to position to conquer. The idiosyncratic Argentine Marcelo Bielsa has guided his Marseille side to the top of the tree midway through the Ligue 1 season. And boy has he done it in style. After picking up a solitary point from their opening two league fixtures, fortunes have changed dramatically in the south of France. Marcelo Bielsa has introduced a brand of scintillating attacking football, yet simultaneously maintained a resolute defensive style, catching the eyes of millions around the globe. As it stands, Marseille sit second only to Lyon in goals scored (38) – averaging two goals per-match – and top the table in attempts (308). But how exactly has Bielsa’s methods made the dismal seventh place finish of last season a mere memory?” backpagefootball

“After dropping what may prove to be a valuable two points at Lorient during the week, Marcelo Bielsa’s Olympique de Marseille side logically overcame Metz by three goals to one, with a victory which sees them extend their winning streak at home to eight games. Les Olympiens maintained their point advantage at the top of the table, thanks to goals from their influential trio of André-Pierre Gignac, André Ayew and their star of the season far, Dimitri Payet. Metz have impressed at home this season, losing just one game at home so far against Paris-Saint Germain, but Les Grenats’ form away from the Stade Saint-Symphorien has not been as impressive, as Albert Cartier’s side have picked up just four points out of a possible total of twenty-four.” backpagefootball

“Rarely do footballers come around that experience a whirlwind trip to the top of the heap, get embroiled in a dirge of controversy, and somehow maintain a level of play that allows them to weather the massive storm. Franck Ribery is no ordinary soccer story, and his play is always anything BUT ordinary. The Bayern Munich winger, now 31, has amassed every success possible at the club level, and has accomplished all of this while being a huge part of the French national team that has not found the success that Ribery experienced in 2006. So, when a player like Ribery decides to lower the curtain on his international career, the process would seem relatively simple.” SoccerPro

“The drought continues – Paris Saint-Germain go three away games without a victory. PSG fans ‘It’s a problem’ replied an abrupt and clearly agitated Salvatore Sirigu in his Canal + post-match interview. The problem of course that the Italian international, who signed a new four-year contract with PSG this week, was referring to is his club’s lack of conviction on away trips this season. So far, PSG have performed impressively in their opening matches of the season, however they have failed to do better than drawing in their first three away matches.” backpagefootball

“The French league has gotten some good P.R. of late (thanks to a certain player on a certain club), but it’s still a long way from Europe’s elite. If some segments of the soccer press are to be believed, Paris Saint-Germain, with its record transfer fees, big-name stars, and Zlatan-mania, is leading French football into a new, vibrant era. Despite the club’s undeniable glamour, though, Ligue 1 is still not ready to crack Europe’s big four: the Premier League, Bundesliga, La Liga, and Serie A.” Fusion

“Every summer, the internet is set ablaze with speculation, rumours and counter-rumours of potential transfers once the window opens in July. Of course, with all the ‘on the verge’ and ‘set to’ headlines, the only stories that truly matter are the completed transfers. This summer has been no different in ushering in another breed of exciting young Europeans that will surely help keep the drama of the Premier League alive. Despite having only been officially open for a couple of weeks, some Premier League clubs have wasted no time in getting ahead of their rivals as manager’s study scouting reports from every corner of Europe before setting about strengthening the squad. Alan Pardew is eager to improve on last season’s 10th placed finish and has signalled his intentions of furthering the French revolution on Tyneside with the double acquisition of Remy Cabella from Montpellier and Emmanuel Riviere from Monaco.” backpagefootball