French Soccer League Predictions and Discussion Thread (Ligue 1)

[aylabadia05]

<snip>

One of PSG's problems is the incompatibility between the squad and the manager. Mbappe's departure to Real Madrid is an important loss for PSG, but the technical director's inability to match the squad is a bigger problem in my opinion. A team like PSG should have had a coach like De Zerbi, a high tempo coach who pushes the players to their limits, but they wasted time with coaches like Pochettino and Tuchel who stuck to their own tactics. Even Luis Enrique couldn't cure this team. Those who come to PSG are trying to rediscover football.

The obsession with winning the Champions League has put a lot of pressure on the team and I think everyone in the team has lost their identity. Also, the efforts to build a team on Mbappe have failed PSG. They couldn't find a top class striker and the team's confidence dropped. Maybe it would be better for PSG if Mbappe leaves PSG.

Ancelotti, Tuchel, Pochettino and Luis Enrique have failed to lead PSG to win the Champions League title so far, even when they are considered the top coaches in Europe. PSG basically has a good squad to compete for the Champions League title, but this team has not found success due to a lack of luck and mentality. It was the same as Manchester City several seasons ago, but Pep Guardiola finally managed to win Manchester City's first title.

It seems very unfair to only blame the squad and coach, but PSG management in particular must be responsible. Many of their recruits are not very reliable, even this season's transfers. Their transfer activity tends to seem like good business for the player's agent or someone else with an interest, that's been the case with Chelsea too so far.

[rahmad2nd]

With their performance in UCL, it shows that PSG is not improving in performance because the farthest they can go is semifinals. PSG is only having a big name because they are the best in France and they have no rival.

If PSG wants to show that they are improving they need to qualify to the finals and from there we can have hope in them that they might win the finals but when you have not reached the finals how do you want to win UCL.

Talking about PSG in UCL last season, they played very energetic and aggressive during the semifinal match against Dortmund, they were even much better than Dortmund. Unfortunately, Dortmund was luckier and qualified for the UCL final. In addition, PSG is no longer strengthened by two other stars, namely Neymar and Messi. Enrique only has Mbappe, but they were able to advance to the semifinals. In fact, PSG was not favored to reach that stage. So, I see that under Enrique PSG has improved. Although, some of their players did not perform well in every match. In fact, reaching the Champions League final is not easy for other strong teams. For example, Bayern Munich has Kane and is even architected by Thomas Tuchel. However, they still failed and were unable to advance to the Champions League final phase. Currently, PSG is in the process of rebuilding their squad, especially since Mbappe has left. Which means, in order for this team to remain competitive, Enrique is trying. But it's not easy, because bringing in players who are needed by the team always has obstacles. although PSG has abundant finances, the fact is that not every player they are targeting is willing to join the French League giants. Under Luis Enrique, he is currently evaluating his team by recruiting several newcomers. Unfortunately, Luis Enrique has not yet found the striker they are targeting so that his team can be competitive again.

[Weawant]

I think right now the management of PSG will not be expecting the coach to turn things around overnight with the current squad but they have higher chances of winning the Ligue1 and coming closer to the champions league competition but winning it next season means they will gather all the experience they have got and the team will need to prove themselves wrong to get things right if they must break betrayals of not winning the Champions League for the club. The current manager Enrique is a good coach who knows how to make use of his tactics very well he will definitely want to prove himself next season in the champions league people should not underestimate the PSG team yet.

Turning things around especially overnight is something no one should be expecting of the PSG coach and I don't think even their managers should be thinking in this direction as it's almost not possible, this period is one in which PSG is gradually trying to get back their form and seeing if its going to be possible they get much better than the ahv been so its honestly not an easy work for their coach and he's trying so hard already, thw best thing will be to lower the expectations and give him some more time.

[Josefjix]

With their performance in UCL, it shows that PSG is not improving in performance because the farthest they can go is semifinals. PSG is only having a big name because they are the best in France and they have no rival.

If PSG wants to show that they are improving they need to qualify to the finals and from there we can have hope in them that they might win the finals but when you have not reached the finals how do you want to win UCL.

Ligue One have comes with surprising results although there's stable outcome for most of these elite clubs. We're talking about PSG, they're always Champions and it have become a seasonal routine for PSG. The UEFA Champions League have to do with formidable clubs, it's really a tough tournament. We're tired of watching the same old Paris Saint-Germain. They've nothing to prove over the past years, and this have become one of the disturbing stats for Les Parisiens.

[imamusma]

Hopefully these 3 clubs can do a lot in the Champions League this season, the first is Paris Saint Germain, of course this club is the club that is most expected to be able to achieve an achievement in the Champions League, because of the 3 clubs they are the strongest and have the potential for it. The second is Monaco, they have played well in the Champions League several times, hopefully this time they can repeat that and even be better. the third is Brest, I don't remember if they have ever been in the Champions League or not, but hopefully they can talk a lot.

PSG have been targeting to win a Champions League title for ages. Whatever they have done so far still didn't help them make it. Maybe something is wrong with the management of the team generally? But let's see what Luis Enrique will do this season. 

It is good to see Monaco there again. After having a horrible season they have made progress for sure. But we will see whether this will reflect onto the Champions League as well. Maybe they would progress through league phase by finishing at a position from 9th to 24th.

Lastly Brest... They were the biggest surprise in the Ligue 1 last season. I didn't expect them to be that consistent. But I don't have good expectations from them there. They are quite probable to get eliminated in league phase already due to lack of experience. 

In my opinion, of the three Ligue 1 representatives, only PSG has the most potential to go further in the Champions League, without meaning to underestimate Brest and Monaco. Luckily, all three can talk a lot, but if you look at the new format, Brest and Monaco seem to be eliminated faster. Even PSG, who have a more capable squad depth, have difficulty competing there, referring to last season, Enrique squad almost failed in the group stage. Each contestant will face 8 different teams in the League stage, we can imagine if they face more elite teams. However, everything can change and surprises can happen, every team has the opportunity to achieve success. Another challenge is, maintaining stable performance when faced with higher pressure, it will clearly make a team difficult if they do not have experience.

[Raflesia]

It seems very unfair to only blame the squad and coach, but PSG management in particular must be responsible. Many of their recruits are not very reliable, even this season's transfers. Their transfer activity tends to seem like good business for the player's agent or someone else with an interest, that's been the case with Chelsea too so far.

PSG's way from the beginning is actually wrong where they emphasize more on making PSG as galacticos in Ligue 1 by bringing in players who have enormous popularity regardless of the age of the players they bring.

They tried Ronaldinho, Bekham and even Messi and Sergio Ramos but it was a move that only wanted to gain popularity not trophies.
For now there's a difference in that by releasing Mbappe they're indirectly trying something new and Enrique wants to make this different in that he's not going to try the old schemes and rather make some policy with the players available.
It's a good move even though the first season will be difficult but I think PSG can play better without one player who is considered meritorious and considered the backbone of their squad because after all it's about a team game not an individual.

[Leviathan.007]

So far, Olympique Marseille has managed to bring in 7 new players for the team, either paid, loan, or transfer fee.

This really interesting, just when I taught Marseille is done signing for the season, they are adding yet another to the squad. Last season they didn't do much so maybe they are getting prepared already, they have to strength the team because a possible opportunity avails it self ahead in this new season and they may have the chance to be amongst the top team especially if they are able to win trophies or finish well by the end of the Season in their domestic league. PSG that has been trying to fix their team aswell, the teams will trying to increase the competition in the league as they are seeing that most likely the dominance of the top teams may not be there again.

It's still not stopping.
Already Marseille have signed 8 players including loan transfers. Actually they have been quite successful in selling some of their players for a good price, so far their Current transfer record is still plus, in +€20.50m.
https://www.transfermarkt.com/olympique-marseille/startseite/verein/244

And now, they are bidding Arsenal Striker, Eddie Nketiah (CF/25YO)
Arsenal set £25 million as deal worth, but Marseille not yet agree, last bid £17m.
Negotiations still ongoing. Personal agreement done. Nketiah happy to join OM.

Source: Olympique Marseille have sent new bid to Arsenal for Eddie Nketiah!

I can't wait to see what Marseille is going to do by next season, because the number of players they have signed already is such that I'm even surprised they such capacity, I least expected this form them as we see PSG to be the richest in the ligue 1 but here's Marseille showing much capacity already with the signing this season, what really interest me with this particular signing is that even the Arsenal star is very much willing and wants to move over except for the Clause Arsenal is attaching to the deal and the ongoing discussion that has seemed back and forth and Marseille even thinking of exploring other options, indeed the competition in the ligue 1 this new season is good to be very competitive than it used to be hopeful.

Unlike you, I think there won't be anything special in Marseille for the next season and we can't expect to see a miracle from this team considering the performance they have and the players they hire.
We just know PSG lost Mbappe and this can maybe help Marseille to have a closer race with PSG but Marseille itself didn't hire many players to get the team improved and we can't have hope on this team yet. In fact, I still think nothing in the French League can be installed to watch no matter if we are talking about PSG or Marseille.

[Docnaster]

I think right now the management of PSG will not be expecting the coach to turn things around overnight with the current squad but they have higher chances of winning the Ligue1 and coming closer to the champions league competition but winning it next season means they will gather all the experience they have got and the team will need to prove themselves wrong to get things right if they must break betrayals of not winning the Champions League for the club. The current manager Enrique is a good coach who knows how to make use of his tactics very well he will definitely want to prove himself next season in the champions league people should not underestimate the PSG team yet.

Luis Enrique isn't a magician and I'm very sure Paris Saint Germaine management knows that before appointing him as the club manager so there's no way they'll expect him to turn things around overnight. Enrique in his first season like you rightly said, won the league title and every other domestic competition and also reached the semi finals of the UEFA Champions League competition. The club management will be expecting a better result than that of last season which is for him to take the club to the finals of the UEFA Champions League and if possible, win the European Cup but should he fail to do that and still do well in the domestic competitions, I wouldn't expect the club to sack him considering the fact that the club's best player in the last six seasons left the club this summer.

[LUCKMCFLY]

Well at PSG they have a team that I don't see much potential in , to be honest, they have a coach who has had to change a lot of things, and for me a team like PSG needs to make a lot of Changes because their biggest star is gone, is there someone like Mbappé to look for? It's difficult, but they have to do something to make them perform. PS has always been first in Ligue 1, but in Ligue 1 , in the UCL, not even when Messi was there did they Manage to win the UCL, so this is one of the goals they have to set themselves.

In the UCL this season there are still many who still doubt PSG, especially with Mbappe's departure to another team, there are still no other players that PSG have got who are on par with Mbappe. Besides, it also makes sense to say that now because even when Messi was there PSG couldn't win the UCL trophy, especially when all the star players have left PSG like now. But it would be very surprising if this season PSG could perform well in the UCL and successfully win the title because now PSG does not have more star players in its squad even though that is not what many people are thinking about PSG.

Every time a new coach joins Paris Saint Germain, there are so many things they have to fix and it takes a long time to change it to be really very good. This is not an easy job for a coach, because they have to start from the bottom. Not only in strategy, but it will be comprehensive such as to the depth of the squad and others. Chemistry between players will also be a task for the coach to create, because I see Paris Saint Germain as a team that has chemistry between players that is not too good. Now almost everyone hopes that Enrique can provide a good touch so that Paris Saint Germain can be even better. But I hope expectations are not excessive because it is not easy for him to do that, especially if it is expected to bring Paris Saint Germain to achieve more in the Champions League. Their opponents are not small teams and even some teams are better than them.

I want to see PSG triumph, things are always like that when you have a team that has to survive on its own, things change, even the coach has to change the psychology of the players, because they lost a very good one, a scorer, a very famous one, but they have to move forward, and as a team, for me now Luis Enrique has a double job, that of directing and that of changing the way the PSG players think, we have seen what some players want, but it is a matter of Waiting.

According to a report from L’Équipe, Paris Saint-Germain have rejected multiple offers for their third-choice goalkeeper Arnau Tenas (23) after RC Lens and clubs in La Liga approached the French champions for the Spaniard.

Tenas spent last season as the understudy to Gianluigi Donnarumma (25) making only six appearances across all competitions. Three of these came when Donnarumma was suspended due to a reckless red card against Le Havre AC.

Opportunities in the capital are only going to decrease with the arrival of Matvei Safonov (25) this summer providing the main competition to Donnarumma. However, PSG are currently unwilling to allow Tenas to leave despite believing that he does not have the current experience to take over from Donnarumma.

Source:https://www.getfootballnewsfrance.com/2024/psg-reject-lens-approach-for-olympic-gold-medallist-arnau-tenas/

[klidex]

I think right now the management of PSG will not be expecting the coach to turn things around overnight with the current squad but they have higher chances of winning the Ligue1 and coming closer to the champions league competition but winning it next season means they will gather all the experience they have got and the team will need to prove themselves wrong to get things right if they must break betrayals of not winning the Champions League for the club. The current manager Enrique is a good coach who knows how to make use of his tactics very well he will definitely want to prove himself next season in the champions league people should not underestimate the PSG team yet.

Luis Enrique isn't a magician and I'm very sure Paris Saint Germaine management knows that before appointing him as the club manager so there's no way they'll expect him to turn things around overnight. Enrique in his first season like you rightly said, won the league title and every other domestic competition and also reached the semi finals of the UEFA Champions League competition. The club management will be expecting a better result than that of last season which is for him to take the club to the finals of the UEFA Champions League and if possible, win the European Cup but should he fail to do that and still do well in the domestic competitions, I wouldn't expect the club to sack him considering the fact that the club's best player in the last six seasons left the club this summer.

Well that will be the main problem for PSG next season because they don't have a productive striker like in previous seasons so it's quite difficult to bring PSG to reach the Champions League final or semifinals like last season unless PSG looks for a player who has almost the same performance as the previous striker, I don't really expect PSG to appear impressive in the UCL more than last season, but I just wonder if PSG can defend their title without Mbappe next season if PSG can survive then it's true they are still quite strong in the domestic league.

[TastyChillySauce00]

It seems very unfair to only blame the squad and coach, but PSG management in particular must be responsible. Many of their recruits are not very reliable, even this season's transfers. Their transfer activity tends to seem like good business for the player's agent or someone else with an interest, that's been the case with Chelsea too so far.

PSG's way from the beginning is actually wrong where they emphasize more on making PSG as galacticos in Ligue 1 by bringing in players who have enormous popularity regardless of the age of the players they bring.

PSG never understood if there was a process. They seemed motivated by what Madrid did with their Los Galacticos. That's why PSG bought many superstars. But, they kept failing because PSG was not Madrid.

They tried Ronaldinho, Bekham and even Messi and Sergio Ramos but it was a move that only wanted to gain popularity not trophies.
For now there's a difference in that by releasing Mbappe they're indirectly trying something new and Enrique wants to make this different in that he's not going to try the old schemes and rather make some policy with the players available.
It's a good move even though the first season will be difficult but I think PSG can play better without one player who is considered meritorious and considered the backbone of their squad because after all it's about a team game not an individual.

It's not PSG releasing Mbappé. It's Mbappé who rejected their contract extension. Enrique tried something new. But, Mbappé has been very consistent at PSG. He contributed the most to the club.
I think PSG won't be as aggressive as last season when Mbappe was there. I see none in PSG will be able to score more than what Mbappe did last season.

My prediction PSG will be less productive in their first season without Mbappe.

[mamesso]

~Snip~

Turning things around especially overnight is something no one should be expecting of the PSG coach and I don't think even their managers should be thinking in this direction as it's almost not possible, this period is one in which PSG is gradually trying to get back their form and seeing if its going to be possible they get much better than the ahv been so its honestly not an easy work for their coach and he's trying so hard already, thw best thing will be to lower the expectations and give him some more time.

Everything needs a process, Luis Enrique cannot make PSG perform well in every match in a short time. Luis Enrique job is not as easy as turning the palm of your hand, it takes effort, time and patience to achieve the desired results. PSG have tried to do something that no other team has ever done or even found difficult, they once had a luxurious squad with a series of stars, but still failed in the UCL. Luis Enrique job is to make PSG capable of winning the UCL trophy and he also needs to maintain his dominance in Ligue 1, Management must give Enrique space and time to bring PSG to success in the UCL.

[rendravolt]

Marseille continues to cook until now it is the goalkeeper's turn to be their concern. Marseille has secured Gero Rulli from Ajax for only 3m euros with a contract duration until 2027. He is not a young goalkeeper but a goalkeeper who is quite old at 32 years old but at least his appearance with Ajax can be brought here and help secure Marseille's goal so that it is not easily conceded.

There have been countless players who have joined Marseille this summer and almost every position has new players who will improve Marseille's performance next season. Now maybe only the striker position is still incomplete and as we know they are still trying to convince Arsenal to release Eddie Nketiah.



Source: https://twitter.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1822696007907336396

[Farma]

~Snip~

Turning things around especially overnight is something no one should be expecting of the PSG coach and I don't think even their managers should be thinking in this direction as it's almost not possible, this period is one in which PSG is gradually trying to get back their form and seeing if its going to be possible they get much better than the ahv been so its honestly not an easy work for their coach and he's trying so hard already, thw best thing will be to lower the expectations and give him some more time.

Everything needs a process, Luis Enrique cannot make PSG perform well in every match in a short time. Luis Enrique job is not as easy as turning the palm of your hand, it takes effort, time and patience to achieve the desired results. PSG have tried to do something that no other team has ever done or even found difficult, they once had a luxurious squad with a series of stars, but still failed in the UCL. Luis Enrique job is to make PSG capable of winning the UCL trophy and he also needs to maintain his dominance in Ligue 1, Management must give Enrique space and time to bring PSG to success in the UCL.

In my opinion, pressure is clearly something that exists in a job, indeed this is not a matter of turning the palm of the hand but rather the demands of the fans that Enrique must be able to turn the palm of the hand, moreover what they expect is that Enrique has also felt his time there so it is impossible for PSG who are very thirsty for Champions to marry him longer if he cannot give his best next season I think he should leave and think about his future at another club, because basically the pressure of PSG is to be a Champion if Enrique can solve PSG's problems with trophies I think he deserves to be given a big bonus for him but if not I think PSG should find a replacement. In this preseason I saw PSG not so good, they played twice and the results were drawn twice, I can't imagine how this job happened to Enrique he can't just use good player factors to bring victory he must have good tiki taka that is fresh to win the match not because of his players, I think if PSG doesn't start the season well I think PSG should find a replacement because Enrique is not a coach who is ready to handle PSG's problems.

[Weawant]

Well that will be the main problem for PSG next season because they don't have a productive striker like in previous seasons so it's quite difficult to bring PSG to reach the Champions League final or semifinals like last season unless PSG looks for a player who has almost the same performance as the previous striker, I don't really expect PSG to appear impressive in the UCL more than last season, but I just wonder if PSG can defend their title without Mbappe next season if PSG can survive then it's true they are still quite strong in the domestic league.

You are right their striking force at this time doesn't appear productive enough but they have got a really fair midfield and defense, their attack needs few adjustments too, I was expecting they would use this transfer window to make up for the strikers but it appears they still have some resentments holding them back in making the appropriate moves for the strikers at this time. The most I have seen from PSG has been them linked to one striker or the other and still end up not properly sealing up the deal at this time. Most likely Enrique has got his plans and a strategy that can work anyways.

[Cryptmuster]

Everything needs a process, Luis Enrique cannot make PSG perform well in every match in a short time. Luis Enrique job is not as easy as turning the palm of your hand, it takes effort, time and patience to achieve the desired results. PSG have tried to do something that no other team has ever done or even found difficult, they once had a luxurious squad with a series of stars, but still failed in the UCL. Luis Enrique job is to make PSG capable of winning the UCL trophy and he also needs to maintain his dominance in Ligue 1, Management must give Enrique space and time to bring PSG to success in the UCL.

This is what everyone who talks about PSG repeats, the coach needs to be given more time, maybe it is so at least it worked for Guardiola at City, he came close to this goal many times until one day he did it. PSG by the way also often come very close, but there is always something missing, and when Enrique was in the semi-finals, I will say that it was noticeable that PSG needed to strengthen the attack, even despite the fact that they had Mbappe, although in the last matches he most likely thought about Real more than about matches for PSG, because his performance has noticeably decreased.

You are right their striking force at this time doesn't appear productive enough but they have got a really fair midfield and defense, their attack needs few adjustments too, I was expecting they would use this transfer window to make up for the strikers but it appears they still have some resentments holding them back in making the appropriate moves for the strikers at this time. The most I have seen from PSG has been them linked to one striker or the other and still end up not properly sealing up the deal at this time. Most likely Enrique has got his plans and a strategy that can work anyways.

PSG have strengthened their midfield and defense, but for some reason Enrique is in no hurry to transfer new forwards, perhaps this requires special selectivity in order to buy the best forward, or Enrique has a different vision and perhaps he only counts on the forwards he already has in the team. I would like PSG to have a good forward, especially considering how much the PSG attack line has lost in recent seasons...

[Pandorak]

[...] There have been countless players who have joined Marseille this summer and almost every position has new players who will improve Marseille's performance next season. Now maybe only the striker position is still incomplete and as we know they are still trying to convince Arsenal to release Eddie Nketiah. [...]

It seems they are ready to fight this season with all their preparations, with the condition of the squad now i think they can fight for the top 3. Moreover, they already have Mason Greenwood in the squad, + Vitinha, who has also finished his loan period from Genoa, they don't need another striker, so not being able to get Nketiah isn't a problem.

[slapper]

Well at PSG they have a team that I don't see much potential in , to be honest, they have a coach who has had to change a lot of things, and for me a team like PSG needs to make a lot of Changes because their biggest star is gone, is there someone like Mbappé to look for? It's difficult, but they have to do something to make them perform. PS has always been first in Ligue 1, but in Ligue 1 , in the UCL, not even when Messi was there did they Manage to win the UCL, so this is one of the goals they have to set themselves.

In the UCL this season there are still many who still doubt PSG, especially with Mbappe's departure to another team, there are still no other players that PSG have got who are on par with Mbappe. Besides, it also makes sense to say that now because even when Messi was there PSG couldn't win the UCL trophy, especially when all the star players have left PSG like now. But it would be very surprising if this season PSG could perform well in the UCL and successfully win the title because now PSG does not have more star players in its squad even though that is not what many people are thinking about PSG.

We cannot doubt Enrique ability in terms of building a squad, but for now we cannot expect too much from PSG ability to compete in the Champions League, the squad that PSG has is very good, especially with the arrival of several new players at the moment, this will not exclude them as candidates for champions in Ligue 1, but if we talk about PSG then for now we will no longer talk about their abilities in Ligue 1, because after all PSG main target has been bigger (UCL trophy) than just to get the domestic league trophy, losing Mbappe clearly makes a lot of changes to their current squad, so it directly reduces the percentage of their chances of winning the Champions League trophy next season because at the moment we haven't seen many changes in their front line.

Since Mbappe left, PSG's chances of making it to the Champions League got worse. It's a real blow to lose a talent like Mbappe. PSG isn't a shady team, though. They are good at what they do even without him. Yes, they still haven't taken over Europe. But having big names isn't the only way to be successful. You need to work together, plan ahead, and have some luck. Enrique knows how to build a squad. He has shown that many times

PSG might find a new rhythm and character without Mbappe. They've never won the Champions League WITH him, so they might need to try something new. Also, don't forget that next season the UCL will be different. That might make things interesting and give PSG a chance to shock everyone. So don't write them off. You should still be careful around PSG. They could really shock everyone

[hyudien]

[...] There have been countless players who have joined Marseille this summer and almost every position has new players who will improve Marseille's performance next season. Now maybe only the striker position is still incomplete and as we know they are still trying to convince Arsenal to release Eddie Nketiah. [...]

It seems they are ready to fight this season with all their preparations, with the condition of the squad now i think they can fight for the top 3. Moreover, they already have Mason Greenwood in the squad, + Vitinha, who has also finished his loan period from Genoa, they don't need another striker, so not being able to get Nketiah isn't a problem.

The preparation made by Marseille for this season is quite promising, they have brought in many quality players who are expected to be able to improve Marseille's performance. With what they have done in this transfer market, it is hoped that they can provide competition to the teams that dominate Ligue 1. Now it's just a matter of how the coach can take advantage of what they have, because in terms of the composition of the players they have, it is quite luxurious and that brings a breath of fresh air for them. One of my notes for them is that they must be able to maintain their game consistently after they can display a good game. The reason is that almost every season I see the problem that the teams in Ligue 1 have is that they cannot maintain consistency well so that it makes other teams able to shift them. If only they could play consistently, I'm sure Paris Saint Germain would also get heavy pressure to defend the title.