French Soccer League Predictions and Discussion Thread (Ligue 1)

[Palakka]

Snip

Previously PSG was very dependent on Mbappe and it was natural to remember the performance and sharpness that Mbappe has had so far, but we no longer see a dependence on one player at PSG this season after they did not get a replacement for Mbappe, but if this season Osimhen they managed to get, wouldn't PSG be very dependent on Osimhen?
I think there's nothing wrong with relying on individual players as long as it doesn't interfere with the cohesiveness and also the stability of the team, because so far we can see how the other teams in Europe have one or two players who are considered quite crucial for them, I think without Mbappe in the squad of course PSG is still quite stable at the moment in the league because after all they have a better squad than the other teams that exist, But is there a guarantee that they can be stable when playing in the Champions League later?
But in my opinion, losing Mbappe will be very visible if they play in the Champions League, because they no longer have players who can be the differentiator and also the opponent's concentration breaker later in a match.

I think PSG was not dependent on Mbappe once Enrique joined this team because he made PSG to have much better teamwork than they had before and he was the one who made this team to fill the place of Mbappe in PSG without even hiring any other expensive superstar player while the whole team was worried about Mbappe leaving PSG.
However, the fact about PSG is that we should see the performance of this team in the Champions League because that's the tournament where they could never get any achievement.
 

In this case I dare to argue with you because you said that if Enrique arrival no longer makes PSG dependent on Mbappe, if you remember before Enrique once said that Mbappe is the life of the PSG squad so it shows that Enrique has a dependence on Mbappe, even Enrique once said that he was trying to build PSG without dependence on Mbappe and it was done when last season was almost over,PSG performance when their not playing its mainstay player is actually in poor condition by winning draws and losses to rival teams, although it no longer affects PSG position at the top of the standings but from the match it actually we can saw if Mbappe has a very big role in PSG so far.
PSG this season will have their first Champions League match without Mbappe, so we do need to see what will happen to them by no longer having one of the greatest attackers in their current squad.

[rahmad2nd]

The harmony of PSG players on the field is more important than having a star player in the squad. They did not achieve the success they wanted in the Champions League when Mbappe was at PSG. Becoming champions in the French league should not be considered a success for PSG because the expectations from the club are very high and the fans want the club to be successful in the Champions League. We will see how the team will be with Mbappe's departure in difficult matches.

The matches of the big teams playing in the Champions League are always a difficult test for the clubs and we will evaluate PSG's football at the end of difficult matches.

When PSG is filled with several star players, at the same time there are several weaknesses in their team squad. previously, PSG prioritized the sharpness of their front line. however, for several sectors they are lacking. Mbappe's departure did not belittle Paris Saint-Germain, in fact they appeared much more compact and several other players were able to explore their abilities. in addition, Enrique also brought in several newcomers that they needed even though there were still some lacking. ideally, they recruited Osimhen. however, PSG is still good in Lique 1 even without Osimhen. Asensio and Kolo Muani can take turns as center forwards, these two players can be relied on even though they are not yet stable enough. in the middle sector, now Vithinha has an ideal partner, namely Joao Neves, a young midfielder with potential. as well as Warren Emery, he is always included in Enrique's main starter squad. today we will watch Paris Saint-Germain host Girona, the first match of the Champions League group stage. before talking further to fight other teams, it would be nice if we saw PSG's performance in this match.

[Docnaster]

PSG has always been a strong team in the French league. Winning the France League title for another club is a big dream because the same team has been winning the France League title consecutively for a long time. Big star players come to PSG and leave PSG but PSG's performance is never bad. Several key players have left PSG this season and after leaving I thought they might have a poor performance in the local league but they have been consistently performing there so far. Dembele has now become a regular scorer and is contributing well for the team. Even if players leave this team, this team will still be champions of the French league.

We've never doubted that Paris Saint Germaine are going to continue their dominance of the French league but I don't think the only motive of the club owners in investing hugely in the club is for them to continue to dominate locally while underperforming in European competitions. Ousmane Dembele like you rightly said have been impressive this season but the French forward and his other teammates must replicate their impressive start to the season in the UEFA Champions League competition.
PSG's first UCL game of the season kicks off in less than 20 minutes from now and I expect them to start their campaign with a win against Spanish side Girona

[LUCKMCFLY]

PSG's first UCL game of the season kicks off in less than 20 minutes from now and I expect them to start their campaign with a win against Spanish side Girona

This will be super interesting because everyone is waiting for PSG to show how prepared they are, I'm curious, but relatively now what I see that is also interesting is the game between City and Inter, although of course PSG is marking a new era, I'm intrigued by how they will go out to play after having an impeccable classification, they have to face a team that is very good, Girona has made mistakes but really things are getting better with this team, the League is getting tough, and at PSG everything will remain the same for me, I think the level will be very good.

[Weawant]

I think PSG was not dependent on Mbappe once Enrique joined this team because he made PSG to have much better teamwork than they had before and he was the one who made this team to fill the place of Mbappe in PSG without even hiring any other expensive superstar player while the whole team was worried about Mbappe leaving PSG.
However, the fact about PSG is that we should see the performance of this team in the Champions League because that's the tournament where they could never get any achievement.

This will be quite relative to talk about actually and that's because there where points where mbappe was the savoir for PSG, I mean there were points he literally restored hope to them during his stay at PSG, o in those vulnerable days, it would be right to say that PSG did depend on mabappe at such moments for victory but that was enough to think that his exit would be the fall of PSG so probably there was some forms of relativity with his dependence. Lest not forget that PSG still has most of its fantastic key players intact after the exit of mbappe, so it will be crazy to think they would be doing any worse just for the absence of a single player even though we know how much of an importance he was to the team. Teamwork was what PSG lacked long ago that made them appeared like they had much dependence on mbappe but Enrique seems to be eliminating that already and the absence of mbappe now amplified the effort and now it feels like they had no form of dependence on him during his stay at PSG. Actually they did at some point but not anymore.

[TelolettOm]

PSG's first UCL game of the season kicks off in less than 20 minutes from now and I expect them to start their campaign with a win against Spanish side Girona

Yes, they did the win, they won the UCL match against Girona with only score 1 - 0.

But unfortunately in that match, it was quite obvious that PSG's front line seemed to be less effective and sharp. even though they had 26 shots there, they could not score a single goal against Girona. in fact, the only goal was due to Girona's mistake, yes it was OG that was created. but anyway it was still a victory for PSG. honestly, they were really lucky this time.  

Sad History for Girona first UCL, and luck for PSG because of that.

Source: Girona's Paulo Gazzaniga

[Farma]

PSG's first UCL game of the season kicks off in less than 20 minutes from now and I expect them to start their campaign with a win against Spanish side Girona

Yes, they did the win, they won the UCL match against Girona with only score 1 - 0.

But unfortunately in that match, it was quite obvious that PSG's front line seemed to be less effective and sharp. even though they had 26 shots there, they could not score a single goal against Girona. in fact, the only goal was due to Girona's mistake, yes it was OG that was created. but anyway it was still a victory for PSG. honestly, they were really lucky this time.  

Sad History for Girona first UCL, and luck for PSG because of that.

Source: Girona's Paulo Gazzaniga

An interesting match for me because PSG played very openly by controlling the match completely even though it only ended with a score of 1-0 but this match showed that PSG is better at this time, Enrique managed to give good instructions to this team so that the combination of the game is very balanced with each other, by controlling the match of course I think Girona's pressure is decreasing compared to last season which made them one of the strong competing teams in Laluga and this season they are back to their initial performance.
And in my opinion PSG showed the stability of their team's performance and Girona got nothing in this match and in my opinion Girona will end up relegated from the Champions because they are not very strong in this competition, and PSG deserved the first 3 points and showed that they can play more optimally without Mbappe.

[Rampagoe004]

PSG's first UCL game of the season kicks off in less than 20 minutes from now and I expect them to start their campaign with a win against Spanish side Girona

This will be super interesting because everyone is waiting for PSG to show how prepared they are, I'm curious, but relatively now what I see that is also interesting is the game between City and Inter, although of course PSG is marking a new era, I'm intrigued by how they will go out to play after having an impeccable classification, they have to face a team that is very good, Girona has made mistakes but really things are getting better with this team, the League is getting tough, and at PSG everything will remain the same for me, I think the level will be very good.

This will be an exciting match at the UCL event. PSG will play with a new strategy at the start of the competition. The match between PSG and Girona is eagerly awaited by PSG fans with satisfactory results, they can get full points from Girona, while Girona players have made mistakes, I think they will play well against the big teams in the French league. PSG is very perfect with complete players. makes it easier to control the match until the second half considering their level is very good.

[tusandii]

I seem a little doubtful about PSG in the Champions League how they could almost get a goalless draw in the match against Girona even though PSG is very favored to get an easy win against Girona considering this is the first season for the Spanish club PSG should have played better and the victory achieved by PSG was caused by Girona making a mistake by creating an own goal which became an advantage for PSG.

For League 1 I must admit PSG appeared tough with the players they have and were able to create many opportunities but in the Champions League everything is not easy for PSG they have to prepare a strong mentality to face the next tough opponents.

[Lidger]

PSG has always been a strong team in the French league. Winning the France League title for another club is a big dream because the same team has been winning the France League title consecutively for a long time. Big star players come to PSG and leave PSG but PSG's performance is never bad. Several key players have left PSG this season and after leaving I thought they might have a poor performance in the local league but they have been consistently performing there so far. Dembele has now become a regular scorer and is contributing well for the team. Even if players leave this team, this team will still be champions of the French league.

It is not new when Ligue 1 seems to belong to Paris Saint Germain, because they are the only team that has everything to be able to win the title. They are financially strong, in terms of player composition they are the team with the best player composition and so on.

Maybe this sounds excessive, but I agree with you that it is a big dream for other teams to be able to stop the dominance of Paris Saint Germain, it is not something impossible but it is a very difficult task. This is an unbalanced competition, for now there is no team that can match the strength of Paris Saint Germain in any way, especially in terms of finance.

We have seen in previous seasons how financially sound the PSG club is. But in their obsession with buying quality players they forgot that their club did not have a quality manager, by the time they realized this it was too late and a lot of money had been spent. Currently there is no significant star in PSG but we are not noticing much change in PSG's performance. 

Mbappé was there last season, so the strength of their team last season was slightly higher than this season, but considering the performance of the matches PSG has played so far this season, there is no chance to say that PSG is performing worse this season than last season. PSG will continue their performance in the local league but the Champions League tournament could be a problem for them. Because the Champions League tournament is not as easy as the local tournament, if you want to survive there, you have to compete hard, which may not be possible with the current team of PSG.

[mammusu]

I seem a little doubtful about PSG in the Champions League how they could almost get a goalless draw in the match against Girona even though PSG is very favored to get an easy win against Girona considering this is the first season for the Spanish club PSG should have played better and the victory achieved by PSG was caused by Girona making a mistake by creating an own goal which became an advantage for PSG.

For League 1 I must admit PSG appeared tough with the players they have and were able to create many opportunities but in the Champions League everything is not easy for PSG they have to prepare a strong mentality to face the next tough opponents.

Against Girona is not a game that worries me about PSG performance, although Girona was a team that surprised us last season in La Liga but their squad has undergone many negative changes, losing a lot of players in the transfer market this season made Girona downturn and even in La Liga they are in a completely inconsistent condition,  so indeed a 1-0 victory over Girona is not a proud thing if you remember the difference in the quality of the two teams today, Girona who was in poor condition and performance was still able to hold PSG to a draw until the 90th minute although they finally lost 1 goal after an own goal due to happen in the match by Gazzniga who failed to anticipate Mendes kick properly,  when facing a team like Girona,  PSG must need lucky with an own goal from the opponent, then what can be expected from PSG when they must to face Arsenal, Bayern Munich and Manchester City later?

[wmaurik]

This will be an exciting match at the UCL event. PSG will play with a new strategy at the start of the competition. The match between PSG and Girona is eagerly awaited by PSG fans with satisfactory results, they can get full points from Girona, while Girona players have made mistakes, I think they will play well against the big teams in the French league. PSG is very perfect with complete players. makes it easier to control the match until the second half considering their level is very good.

PSG only won by one goal when facing Girona in the UCL competition this season and that was an own goal from Gazzaniga although it was certainly a very good step for PSG because they were able to win directly in the UCL even though it was only an own goal which generally immediately benefits PSG. I think PSG still have to play as well as possible when competing in the UCL because they all have to be strong and able to score goals without expecting uncertain luck like that in the upcoming matches.

[len01]

PSG's first UCL game of the season kicks off in less than 20 minutes from now and I expect them to start their campaign with a win against Spanish side Girona

Yes, they did the win, they won the UCL match against Girona with only score 1 - 0.

But unfortunately in that match, it was quite obvious that PSG's front line seemed to be less effective and sharp. even though they had 26 shots there, they could not score a single goal against Girona. in fact, the only goal was due to Girona's mistake, yes it was OG that was created. but anyway it was still a victory for PSG. honestly, they were really lucky this time.  

Sad History for Girona first UCL, and luck for PSG because of that.

Source: Girona's Paulo Gazzaniga

The main mistake I see in PSG is just lack of focus and too hasty. We can see again how PSG always fails in front of Girona goal while PSG had a lot of opportunities but did not dare to take the risk to try to get closer to the goal.
However, I admit that PSG was very lucky to get 1 score and also very lucky to have a very solid defense because Girona attacked several times but PSG defenders were able to withstand the attacks.
Enrique must evaluate the weaknesses of PSG attack line. Because for me it was a bad performance at home and especially in the attack line that used a very bad playing style.

[Plaguedeath]

The main mistake I see in PSG is just lack of focus and too hasty. We can see again how PSG always fails in front of Girona goal while PSG had a lot of opportunities but did not dare to take the risk to try to get closer to the goal.
However, I admit that PSG was very lucky to get 1 score and also very lucky to have a very solid defense because Girona attacked several times but PSG defenders were able to withstand the attacks.
Enrique must evaluate the weaknesses of PSG attack line. Because for me it was a bad performance at home and especially in the attack line that used a very bad playing style.

It's obvious that they need Mbappe, they should sign back Mbappe.

I don't see a problem in PSG, if you check the eleven players, they're all great players. Their squad are better than Manchester United, Chelsea, Leverkusen, Udinese, Dortmund etc, so if they can't win in Champions League, it means they have a bad chemistry or bad manager.

[Docnaster]

Paris Saint Germaine were able to secure a 1:0 narrow win against Spanish side Girona last night in their UEFA Champions League opener - a result that ensured they join the list of other clubs that picked all three points from their first match in the competition. Considering how Barcelona convincingly defeated Girona last weekend in Girona's home turf, should we say PSG's narrow win against their visitors last night was a poor result? Will the kind of performance we saw from the French champions last night be enough to help them go far in the UCL this season? Or are we expecting another poor European campaign from Luis Enrique's men

[ginsan]

Paris Saint Germaine were able to secure a 1:0 narrow win against Spanish side Girona last night in their UEFA Champions League opener - a result that ensured they join the list of other clubs that picked all three points from their first match in the competition. Considering how Barcelona convincingly defeated Girona last weekend in Girona's home turf, should we say PSG's narrow win against their visitors last night was a poor result? Will the kind of performance we saw from the French champions last night be enough to help them go far in the UCL this season? Or are we expecting another poor European campaign from Luis Enrique's men

It should not be too much of a benchmark because every match depends on the conditions and does not mean that when Barcelona won against Girona with a landslide score and PSG only managed to win with a thin score it indicates that PSG is still below Barcelona. This concept does not apply in modern football as it is today. We realize that in the end Barcelona have a very good performance now and of course being in the same league makes Barcelona know better when facing Girona than PSG.

When Barcelona are considered higher than PSG because they can beat Girona with a bigger score maybe there should be another comparison where previously Monaco won badly against Barcelona and that is inversely proportional to Monaco's dominance which is still below PSG in Ligue 1 every season.

[bitcampaign]

I think PSG was not dependent on Mbappe once Enrique joined this team because he made PSG to have much better teamwork than they had before and he was the one who made this team to fill the place of Mbappe in PSG without even hiring any other expensive superstar player while the whole team was worried about Mbappe leaving PSG.
However, the fact about PSG is that we should see the performance of this team in the Champions League because that's the tournament where they could never get any achievement.

Yes At least it can improve the quality when PSG and maintain their quality in the Domestic League and the Champions League because PSG is no longer dependent on their star players who previously had to focus on Mbappe, Enrique will definitely need a figure who can provide a role that is at least prominent and able to bring good changes in any aspect, the victory over Girona that without Mbappe PSG was able to win this important match to continue to be consistent at least PSG still has Ousmane Dembélé and Asensio, B. Barcola..

[beerlover]

We have seen in previous seasons how financially sound the PSG club is. But in their obsession with buying quality players they forgot that their club did not have a quality manager, by the time they realized this it was too late and a lot of money had been spent. Currently there is no significant star in PSG but we are not noticing much change in PSG's performance. 

Mbappé was there last season, so the strength of their team last season was slightly higher than this season, but considering the performance of the matches PSG has played so far this season, there is no chance to say that PSG is performing worse this season than last season. PSG will continue their performance in the local league but the Champions League tournament could be a problem for them. Because the Champions League tournament is not as easy as the local tournament, if you want to survive there, you have to compete hard, which may not be possible with the current team of PSG.

Yeah, they are getting better results without Mbappe right now, but that doesn't mean that Mbappe was a problem for them, it's clear that Enrique didn't play Mbappe in some games to see what they should do, and they are still spending 100+ million more than other teams and they are still more than twice than any other team in valuation as well. So, it is not really a big deal at all.

I believe that the best thing to do for them is to keep spending money to stay the best and they build a good team and they could do fine. Plus, getting UCL is a very important thing and they are aiming for that, they had a very tough win but they did get a win and that is getting a great result, right now it is clear that we are seeing them getting the win so it wouldn't be a big problem at all.

I believe that they are going to do better this season, Mbappe wasn't an issue, but just because he is missing that doesn't mean that they are going to have any trouble.

[Jody.Drummer]

Paris Saint Germaine were able to secure a 1:0 narrow win against Spanish side Girona last night in their UEFA Champions League opener - a result that ensured they join the list of other clubs that picked all three points from their first match in the competition. Considering how Barcelona convincingly defeated Girona last weekend in Girona's home turf, should we say PSG's narrow win against their visitors last night was a poor result? Will the kind of performance we saw from the French champions last night be enough to help them go far in the UCL this season? Or are we expecting another poor European campaign from Luis Enrique's men

They dominated the game, but they couldn't penetrate deeper into Girona's defense. Just imagine they made a total of 26 attempts and only 5 of them were on target, that's a percentage that I think is bad for Paris Saint Germain. Even if Girona's players didn't score an own goal I think they would have drawn. They were lucky enough in this match because they managed to secure 3 points even though it was an own goal. I'm starting to feel that they are not fully ready to be in this Champions League. They will face a better club, if they do the same thing again as in this match, I don't think they will be free from the bad results they will receive. I don't mean to belittle them, but this is my assessment when watching their first match in the Champions League.

[Awaklara]

Yes At least it can improve the quality when PSG and maintain their quality in the Domestic League and the Champions League because PSG is no longer dependent on their star players who previously had to focus on Mbappe, Enrique will definitely need a figure who can provide a role that is at least prominent and able to bring good changes in any aspect, the victory over Girona that without Mbappe PSG was able to win this important match to continue to be consistent at least PSG still has Ousmane Dembélé and Asensio, B. Barcola..

so far they are still performing well. not only Barcola and Dembele who are currently the top goal scorers for PSG this season. but there is also Joao Neves who is currently the top Assist in Ligue 1.
maybe it won't be easy for PSG in UCL. but I have high hopes for Enrique's tactics in every match to maximize every opportunity to win. they will still be able to compete.