PSG remain unbeaten in Ligue 1 but the chasing pack are improving

PSG’s meetings with Marseille have produced one-way traffic in recent years and, based on their encounter at the weekend, we’re likely to see more of the same in the near future. PSG’s 3-1 win at the Parc des Princes on Sunday night was their seventh straight victory against Marseille in the league. The dominance has been near total in the last decade; Marseille have only won one of their last 25 league matches against PSG.

Despite sitting fairly comfortably in second place, spurred on by several flashy additions in the form of Amine Gouiri, Adrien Rabiot and Mason Greenwood, Roberto de Zerbi’s side were no match for their opponents. If anything, Marseille required several fine stops from their goalkeeper Geronímo Rullí to keep the margin between the teams respectable.

Of course, critics will use this as a stick with which to beat Ligue 1 — if PSG can do this to the second-placed side in the league, especially after a challenging and tiring tie against Liverpool in the Champions League, what hope does the rest of the league have? After all, Marseille are now 19 points behind the leaders, who remain unbeaten after 26 matches. But does that really tell the story of the season? One could argue, in fact, that PSG’s strength is a rising tide that is lifting all boats.

PSG needed to move away from the superstar era to progress in Europe while dominating domestically. When the team was built on a haphazard set of attacking stars, they would fall short in Europe when the chips were down. They were also vulnerable in France as well, liable to have an off-night in the Coupe de France or lose their way if they suffered an extended injury to a key player. But the current vintage is made of sterner stuff, even while the teams below them are going from strength to strength.

The other French clubs in Europe this season have largely acquitted themselves well, showing just how good PSG have been. Lille finished in the top eight in the Champions League group and were narrowly beaten by Borussia Dortmund in the last 16; Monaco beat Barcelona in the group stage and will have regrets about their elimination by Benfica; and Brest, darlings of the competition, were only eliminated by the capital side themselves.

Lyon are still flying the flag for France in the Europa League. Photograph: Pauline FIGUET/SPP/REX/Shutterstock

Lyon have hardly put a foot wrong in their European sojourn. They thrashed Steaua Bucharest 7-1 on aggregate in the last 16 of the Europa League to set up a quarter-final against Manchester United, all while bringing along a deep cadre of young players and handling their domestic obligations impressively. The suspension of Paulo Fonseca may yet hold them back but, if their recent form is anything to go by, his lengthy ban seems to lit a proverbial fire under his players.

With Marseille likely to replace Lens in Europe next season, ​a club with more resources will replace one operating on a shoestring (witness the sales of Elye Wahi, Kevin Danso and Brice Samba from last year’s impressive side). So, while critics will ​argue that PSG’s unbeaten run shows how weak Ligue 1 is, the truth is that, with competition for European places more closely fought, the quality of the teams ​c​hasing the leaders is also increasing.

Talking points

Mika Biereth was hardly the splashiest signing in France in January. In terms of moving the news needle, the forward’s move from Sturm Graz to Monaco ranked below PSG signing Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Rennes splashing the cash on Thiago Almada or even Amine Gouri moving to Marseille, but it’s becoming increasingly difficult to ignore his form. He has scored 11 goals in just two months, helping to take Monaco up to third in the table.

One reason why Lyon have come on so strongly in the second half of the season is Georges Mikautadze. The Georgia international – who was born in France and spent some of his youth at the Lyon academy – was one of the breakout players at the Euros last summer so much was expected of him when he joined Lyon for €20m, but his start to the season was middling at best. He failed to nail down a starting spot ahead of Alexandre Lacazette and was even left on the bench in some matches. Since the appointment of Paulo Fonseca, though, Mikautadze has sprung to life. He turned the match around for Lyon against Le Havre on Sunday, with two assists and a goal in 13 minutes. In the equivalent of just over full matches of playing time under Fonseca, Mikautadze has five goals and five assists. If Lacazette does depart this summer, Lyon’s attacking future is in good hands.

Finally, Strasbourg could join the aforementioned teams in Europe next season. Despite missing the influential winger Dilane Bakwa and captain Habib Diarra, they extended their unbeaten run to six games with a 2-1 win over Toulouse on Sunday, with Andrey Santos scoring a stunning winner. Santos (and goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic) are likely to return to their parent club Chelsea next season, but Strasbourg have more than enough young talent on the pitch – and on the sidelines in the form of the excellent manager Liam Rosenior – to turn some heads next season in Europe.

This is an article by Get French Football News