Ligue 1 Superthread 2020/21

Weekend results so far:

Strasbourg 0-1 Marseille
Bordeaux 0-2 Montpellier
PSG 3-0 Rennes
Brest 3-2 Lille
Lens 4-4 Reims
Lorient 0-2 Nantes
Nimes 1-5 Angers
Metz 1-1 Dijon
Nice 1-2 Monaco

PSG have extended their lead to 5 points Caught a bit of the game and Di Maria was the star man with 2 goals, as well as hitting the post. Lovely dinked finish by him for one of them. Really disappointing result for Lille, just days after winning 3-0 at Milan.

AVB was a bit snarky with the French media after their win. He got some flak for them only managing one shot on target. Marseille have looked dull of late, but they're now 4th with a game in hand and could move 2nd so I can see why he'd be a bit frustrated with the criticism. Good result for Tuchel's Monaco who leapfrog Vieira's Nice and go 5th with the win.

Highlights of Lens vs Reims sound like they're worth watching out for later. 7 of the goals came in the 2nd half and Reims led 4-2 going into stoppage time. Reims had the best defence in France last season with 21 goals conceded in 28 games. Now they have already conceded 18 goals in 10 games. Dijon sacked coach Stephane Jobard earlier in the week but still remain bottom and without a win. It could have been worse though as Metz had a penalty saved.

One of France's biggest derbies coming up at 8pm as Lyon host St-Etienne. A lot of pressure on Claude Puel whose side have lost the last 5 and haven't won since September. Lyon are going for the jugular with Toko Ekambi, Depay and Dembele all starting. Puel has decided to start 17-year-old midfielder Lucas Gourna-Douath. Don't know anything about him but that's a hell of a gamble to throw him in against Lyon's midfield of Caqueret, Guimaraes and Aouar. Lyon really should win this, although they do sometimes come unstuck against sides that park the bus, which I expect Puel will do. Game is live on BT Sport.

Half-time: St-Etienne lead 1-0 at the break after Lopes does really badly dealing with Bouanga's shot; his positioning was all wrong. He was doing well prior to that and made a few good stops. Puel is really fired up on the sidelines and he has his team playing well. Dembele had a goal narrowly ruled offside, and Aouar did poor when through one-v-one. Set up nicely for the second half.

Full-time: Lyon turn it around to win 2-1. Puel got the better of it in the first half but it was Garcia's substitution of Kadewere for Dembele that proved key as he bagged two goals, the second one quite similar to Bouanga's in the first half. St Etienne could have got something from the game but Bouanga missed his pen, the shot shaving the post. Lyon move up to 5th now as St Etienne stay 15th. I think there were positives for Puel's side but whether the fans can find any after yet another loss remains to be seen.

Great 3-2 win for Monaco tonight over PSG after being 2-0 down at half-time. Very much a game of two halves as Paris dominated the first 45; Mbappe with both goals and looked a big threat. Second half Kovac put on Fabregas and he changed the game, being involved in all 3 goals including the winning penalty, while Volland got a brace. PSG's defending was really poor: Kurzawa asleep for the equaliser, and Diallo got himself sent off after Volland got in behind him. Worrying stuff for Tuchel ahead of the Leipzig game on Tuesday. If they fail to win that, they'll find it tough to progress. The win tonight moves Monaco second, 4 points behind PSG.

Rennes could have closed the gap as well but they were surprisingly beaten 1-0 by Bordeaux at home. Ben Arfa got the winner against his former side with a nice goal. Rennes unlucky not to at least get a point as they hit the woodwork twice.

https://twitter.com/Bergwijns/status/1329858310317764612

PSG dropped more points tonight, held 2-2 at home to Bordeaux. Neymar and Kean goals cancelled out by an O.G. and a lovely strike from former PSG player Yacine Adli. Entertaining game and Bordeaux well worthy of something. They even had more shots. Ben Arfa with a great showing for Bordeaux and he must be up there for wasted talents in recent times because when he is up for it, he's top class. Sadly, that's not always the case. Another unimpressive performance from Tuchel's side and they're starting to remind me of Emery's PSG when things were coming to a close. Some tricky games coming up too: Man United, Montpellier, Lyon and Lille in the coming weeks.

It would be nice if the others could take advantage. Lille can go level with Paris on top if they beat St. Etienne in tomorrow's evening game. That should be an interesting one with Galtier and Puel facing former sides. Marseille will go top if they win their two games in hand. They beat Nantes 3-1 earlier. Lyon, Montpellier and Monaco will cut the margin at the top to 2 points if they can win against Reims, Lorient and Nimes. On paper, that looks doable.

Not surprised Vieira got the chop as results haven't been good enough. Interested to see who Nice replace him with. I'd like to see Leonardo Jardim back in the game.

Elsewhere, Marseille beat Nimes 2-0 to move a point behind PSG with a game in hand. They're going well domestically, but two tricky games coming up against Monaco and Rennes. Two games in particular I'm keen on this weekend: PSG travelling to Montpellier tomorrow which could be challenging; and Lille at home to Monaco on Sunday, which could have a few goals in store.

Lille gone top tonight by a point after beating Dijon, while Lyon were held to a 2-2 draw with Brest.

Things going well for Lille on the pitch but off the field they're a mess. They're heavily in debt and owner Gerard Lopez is to sell the club. Puts Galtier's future in doubt, and could result in players being sold in January.

Impressive 4-1 win for Lyon at Nice that sends them top for the time being. They're doing really well so far. Marseille will be disappointed to draw 1-1 with Reims.

Big game tomorrow evening as Lille host PSG. Winner will go top of the table. I'd love to see Galtier's side pick up the 3 points. Neymar is out, and Mbappe is said to have a knock, so is a doubt. Paris have lost 4 times already and this should be a test for Tuchel.

It's confirmed now he's gone. PSG's form wasn't good this season but it feels like Leonardo used that to oust him. Tuchel and him weren't on good terms.

Overall, I think Tuchel's reputation will come out intact. He dealt with the egos in the dressing room very well. He got quite a lot out of players such as Kean and Choupo-Moting. Bernat originally looked a poor acquisition yet he turned him into one of the best LBs in Europe, prior to his unfortunate injury.

Pochettino seems the favourite to replace him. That makes sense given his ties to the club. Also if they are after Messi next summer which Neymar has been lobbying for, having an Argentinian at the helm might help in that pursuit. Pochettino has previously said he'd like to work with him.

Tonight's results:

Strasbourg 5-0 Nimes
Brest 2-0 Nice
Nantes 0-0 Rennes
Metz 0-0 Bordeaux
Lorient 2-5 Monaco
Marseille 3-1 Montpellier
St. Etienne 1-1 PSG
Lille 1-2 Angers
Reims 0-0 Dijon
Lyon 3-2 Lens

Lyon the big winners as they go 3 points clear at the top, with Depay grabbing a brace. Poch's first game in charge ends with what looks a disappointing result. I would have expected a win there. Lille slip to third with their loss against tricky Angers. Good win for AVB's side over Montpellier. Strasbourg out of the bottom three with their thumping victory. Habib Diallo has been a very good signing for them and got another goal. Surprised bigger clubs didn't take a chance on him. Saliba started for Nice as they lost to Brest. Bit surprised they played him already, although it doesn't sound like he was at fault for either goal.

Rennes vs Lyon looks the pick of the weekend games.

It's the halfway stage of Ligue 1 so here's my team of the half-season. I'm going with a 4-1-3-2 to squeeze in as many attackers as I can. I still feel bad for a few names that miss out.


Goalkeeper: I feel Keylor Navas deserves this spot. He's carried on his good form from last season and makes few mistakes. I think Anthony Lopes has done well for Lyon too and would be a decent shout also. Mandanda has had another good campaign with Marseille.

RB: Going to go for another PSG player here in Alessandro Florenzi. I thought he was a rather underwhelming signing when PSG bought him but he's been a big threat in attack. Can't think of too many others as a contender for this spot. Maybe Junior Sambia at Montpellier.

CBs: I think Jose Fonte has been a key part of Lille's strong season. His partner Sven Botman is worth a mention too, having had a great start being so young, but I think Fonte's experience is more important. Alongside him I'll go for who I believe is the best defender in the league, and maybe the best one of 2020 anywhere, Presnel Kimpembe. He's a rock at the back and pulled off the best tackle of the year, injuring himself in the process in what was a big match against Lille.

LB: Going to choose the Brest full-back Romain Perraud. He reminds me a bit of Lucas Digne as he's eager to bomb forward and is quite calm when under pressure. He's managed 3 goals and 5 assists so far. Can't think of too many other candidates. PSG's young LB Mitchel Bakker looks a very good prospect.

DM: I'll give it to Lille's Benjamin Andre who has impressed me whenever I've seen them. Thiago Mendes has done well for Lyon too and deserves an honourable mention. Camavinga looked a cert for this team at one stage but his form has dipped a bit. That's not a surprise in fairness, given his youth.

AMR: I'm going to give this spot to Florian Thauvin. He's joint-top for assists and has chipped in with 6 goals. If he was playing alongside a better striker than Benedetto, I'd be confident he'd have even more goal contributions. Also scored the winner versus PSG in the bad-tempered game.

AM: I wanted to find a way to get Gael Kakuta in the side. He's been top quality at the club where he started, Lens, and crucial to them getting into the top ten with 7 goals and 4 assists. He seems to produce a bit of magic in every game.

AML: I'm going to select Jonathan Bamba. He's joint-top of the assists chart alongside Thauvin and has been Lille's best player imo. His form regressed last campaign but he's been back to his best this season, looking dangerous, and putting in a great showing in the draw with Lyon. Neymar's a bit unlucky to miss out as whenever he featured he was a threat, but he only played 7 games.

Strikers: This was the hardest position to narrow down but I feel Kylian Mbappe deserves to be here given he has the most goal contributions overall. I think Tuchel in a way paid the price for trying to protect him as they tended to struggle when he wasn't involved. For the final spot I have to go with Memphis Depay who has been pivotal for Lyon reaching the top. His teammates Kadewere and Toko Ekambi are a bit unfortunate to miss out. I'm also leaving out Boulaye Dia who has notched up a very impressive 12 goals, and is joint top of the scoring charts with Mbappe. Others in my thoughts were Kevin Volland has been the standout player for Monaco, the Montpellier duo Laborde and Delort who I'm a big fan of, and Burak Yilmaz at Lille.

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K. Navas (PSG)

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A. Florenzi (PSG)

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J. Fonte (Lille)

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P. Kimpembe (PSG)

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R. Perraud (Brest)

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B. Andre (Lille)

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F. Thauvin (Marseille)

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G. Kakuta (Lens)

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J. Bamba (Lille)

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M. Depay (Lyon)

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K. Mbappe (PSG)

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Manager of the half-season: Rudi Garcia

I wouldn't have predicted Lyon would be top at the halfway point with only 1 defeat so far. I've been critical of Garcia previously but huge credit to him he's done a great job so far. I don't truly believe they'll sustain it, but we'll see what happens.

Star of the season so far: Memphis Depay

He's been the talisman of the best team up to this point. Lyon will be delighted he didn't leave in the summer, although he's likely leaving at some stage in 2021.

Disappointment of the season: St. Etienne

I suppose some could argue it's PSG since they've lost 4 times already and sacked their coach, but they're still just a point off top spot so that seems OTT to me. I would say it's Claude Puel's side. They started the season off very well but have been sinking ever since. I'd be surprised if they got sucked into the bottom three but they will likely finish in a lowly spot once more. A few years ago they were challenging for the Champions League places but they're a long way from that now.

Predictions: I'll stick with my pick for PSG to clinch the title, although I'd be happy for one of the others to get there. I see the others dropping points in a patchy spell, whereas Paris have the potential to put a strong run together. I tipped Monaco for 2nd and Lyon for 5th. I'd probably swap that now at this point. I backed Nimes and Dijon to go down and that looks a distinct possibility still, so I won't alter my relegation predictions.

The results from this round:

Montpellier 2-3 Monaco
Marseille 1-2 Nimes
Angers 0-1 PSG
Brest 1-2 Rennes
Lorient P-P Dijon
Nantes 1-1 Lens
Nice 0-3 Bordeaux
Strasbourg 1-0 St. Etienne
Lille 2-1 Reims
Lyon 0-1 Metz

Some surprising ones here. Lyon have lost top spot after conceding a stoppage time goal to Metz. Toko Ekambi had a goal chalked off earlier for a controversial offside against Aouar. That's a big let-down for them. Kurzawa got the winner for PSG to move them top as Poch missed the game due to coronavirus. Lille got a stoppage time winner from Jonathan David to move behind Paris on goal difference. Impressive win for Monaco that moves them 4th.

Nimes are off the bottom following a shock win at Marseille. Thauvin missed a penalty in that game. Reportedly the Marseille president afterwards had a rant at the squad, telling them they weren't good enough for a top club. That should improve morale...

Another poor result for St. Etienne but seems they were unlucky as Covid-19 did a number on most of the squad, including Puel.

Some big games coming up next weekend: PSG home to Montpellier, Monaco host Marseille, Rennes vs Lille, and the Rhone derby as St. Etienne host Lyon. Nimes vs Lorient will also have big implications in the battle to stay up.

kksaints wrote: »

Is Aouar going to leave Lyon this transfer window?

I read they're reluctant to sell him in January as they want to secure Champions League football first.

I figured Poch must have rotated when I heard the result but he actually put out a strong side. It's the first time in the QSI era that PSG have lost 5 league games at this stage of the season. Gives Lorient's survival hopes a boost.

Pleased that Lille and Lyon picked up wins. Monaco quietly going about their business too. Five league wins in a row for them and just 3 points off PSG. Volland is having a great season.

Sounds like AVB is upset that they went over his head.

https://twitter.com/jeremysmith98/status/1356578593229443075

I suspect this is the straw that broke the camel's back. Players were looking lazy, particulary Payet, and then there was the recent trouble with the Ultras. He's probably looking to get away from all the madness.

In other news, French media outlet RMC are reporting Neymar has agreed a 4-year contract extension with PSG.

Tonight's results:

Metz 1-1 Montpellier
Rennes 1-1 Lorient
Strasbourg 2-2 Brest
Bordeaux 0-3 Lille
Reims 0-0 Angers
St. Etienne 1-1 Nantes
Dijon 0-1 Lyon
Monaco 2-1 Nice
PSG 3-0 Nimes
Lens 2-2 Marseille

Lille, Lyon, PSG and Monaco pick up wins, and so the top four is unchanged.

Milik got his first goal for Marseille but their fans had to suffer more misery as they blew a two goal lead. And they host PSG on Sunday in the evening game. Their fans might have another meltdown if they get a hammering in that.

Good point for Lorient as they build on the weekend win over Paris. Nantes still winless under Domenech and moving closer to the bottom three.

PSG won away at Marseille 2-0 with Mbappe and Icardi getting the goals. Didn't see the match but sounds like it was another spiky encounter. Payet got sent off in stoppage time for leaving a nasty one on Verratti:

https://twitter.com/larapinheeiro/status/1358534764077191168

Payet looks a liability these days and the decision to give him a new contract to 2024 is looking worse by the week. He'd be better off heading to China since he looks disinterested.

Lille have gone back top after beating Nantes 2-0. Jonathan David with the goals. Pleased for him to have turned his season around after a dismal start. Nantes looking in big trouble in 18th. Monaco won away at Nimes 4-3 to stay in the hunt for the top spots. Golovin grabbed a hat-trick and an assist.

Sunday's results:

Monaco 2-2 Lorient
Dijon 0-2 Nimes
Angers 1-3 Nantes
Metz 1-2 Strasbourg
Rennes 0-2 St. Etienne
Lille 0-0 Brest
Bordeaux 0-0 Marseille

Lille back on top by a point but that result looks like two points dropped. Monaco needed a Ben Yedder stoppage time pen to get something from their game. PSG the big winners of this weekend's fixtures.

Nimes won the battle of the bottom two, leaving Dijon looking goners now. Kombouare got his reign off to a good start as Nantes ended their 15 game winless run. Impressive result for Puel's St. Etienne. He somehow keeps doing just about enough. More misery for Marseille as they had 2 players sent off. They've now got more red cards than any other team in the top 5 leagues. Would love to know what's going on behind the scenes there.

Interesting fixtures next weekend with the big one being PSG vs Monaco in the Sunday evening game. Lille going to Lorient could be tricky seeing as Lorient haven't lost against Lyon or Monaco, and beat Paris a few weeks back.

Latest round of results:

Brest 2-3 Lyon
St. Etienne 1-1 Reims
Nantes 1-1 Marseille
Montpellier 2-1 Rennes
Nice 1-2 Metz
Lens 2-1 Dijon
Strasbourg 0-0 Angers
Nimes 2-0 Bordeaux
Lorient 1-4 Lille
PSG 0-2 Monaco

Great win for Niko Kovac's Monaco as they beat Paris via goals from Diop and Maripan. It keeps them in touch with the top three as PSG remain third. Lille remain ahead of Lyon by 3 points after their impressive win. Good to see it so exciting at the top so far. PSG have now lost 6 games from 26, their worst run under the Qatari ownership.

Impressive win for Nimes as they try to survive; didn't expect that result. Nantes with a good point for their survival hopes. Marseille had another sending off as Sakai saw red this time. Reports tonight suggest former Chile, Argentina and Sevilla coach Jorge Sampaoli is set to take over...

https://twitter.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1363570110225653764

He's a reputation for exciting football and I liked what he did at Chile, so this should be an interesting appointment. He'll have a job on his hands with the current personnel I suspect.

https://twitter.com/Ligue1_ENG/status/1366399130667474947

Saddened to hear this. He did a fantastic job with Rennes, winning the French Cup and getting them into the Champions League. They went off the boil this season for whatever reason, but I had hoped he'd turn it around. Looking at the table, they're only a win away from joining Metz in 5th. Hope he lands a decent club in his next spell.

dr.kenneth noisewater wrote: »

Hilton must be the oldest outfield player in the top leagues still playing regularly? 43 years young

I believe he is. He's some man to still be going, although I've noticed quite a lot of mistakes creeping in the last year or so. Suppose that's to be expected.

Plenty of drama in tonight's games. Some big late goals that could prove very important. All results:

Metz 0-1 Angers
Nice 2-1 Nimes
St. Etienne 2-3 Lens
Brest 3-1 Dijon
Lyon 1-0 Rennes
Lille 2-0 Marseille
Strasbourg 1-0 Monaco
Nantes 1-2 Reims
Montpellier 1-1 Lorient
Bordeaux 0-1 PSG

I thought PSG were going to return to the top of the table tonight as it looked like Lille were going to be held. Jonathan David then bagged a brace in stoppage time to keep them top by 2 points. Paris got their win through a Sarabia goal. Lyon stay third thanks to Aouar's winner, but Monaco have lost a bit of ground after Villa loanee Frederic Guilbert scored in the 91st minute.

Good point for Lorient in the relegation battle. Nantes, on the other hand, lost to an 89th minute goal; that's a bitter one. Nimes also tasted defeat. Amine Gouiri got a goal for Nice and is now on 11 goals and 5 assists in the league. He's been dubbed the new Benzema, and he looks one to watch in the future. He impressed against Rennes at the weekend.

Lyon held to a 1-1 draw at Reims tonight, which dents their title hopes. It could have been worse as Kadewere grabbed a goal in stoppage time.

Paris are home to Nantes, so you'd fancy they'll win that. Lille travelling to Monaco on Sunday is going to be a massive game. Lille likely need to win to stay top but I can see Monaco getting something.