Will Stephan El Shaarawy Sink or Swim at Monaco?
The new Ligue 1 season kicks off on Friday the 7th of August as Paris Saint-Germain start their quest for a fourth consecutive league title at the Stade Pierre Mauroy in Lille. We have pulled together French Football Weekly’s wealth of writers to discuss the biggest topics ahead of the new campaign.
Who will finish in the top three? What team is going to be the most exciting to watch? Who is worrying the experts? And some quick-fire questions regarding the best and worst business this summer.
Who will finish in the top three – and why?
@Philby1976
PSG, Lyon, and Monaco. Again. At root, because they’re the clubs with the three biggest budgets, although they have different approaches to building their squads; Lyon focus on youth development, Monaco make canny acquisitions, and PSG’s superpower is that their budget dwarfs the other two put together. It does tend to count.
Marseille are fourth budget-wise but with the degree of rebuilding there it seems too much to expect a title challenge this season, although they could push for a podium spot if everything clicks. Of last season’s top three, Lyon look at most risk, as they could get stretched too thin with Champions League to play as well, particularly after three seasons away. Their pre-season has not been good, the apparent lack of fight in the Trophee des Champions particularly worrying in that the defence and midfield were familiar from last year; perhaps the switch to 4-3-3 instead of the usual 4-3-1-2/diamond was the problem, in which case with Gourcuff off and Grenier out, a lot of reliance will be placed on Nabil Fekir’s shoulders as (currently) the only 10 of any experience.
Who will finish in the top three – and why?
@psharland55
I think the top two are going to be the same as they were last season, Lyon have managed to keep everyone and PSG will be bolstered by the imminent arrival of Angel Di Maria. Being the eternal optimist I reckon that this season Lyon are going to pip the Parisiens to the title. Reason? Alexandre Lacazette could well start for France through the middle should he have a great season (still unlikely I know) and he’ll be fired up to give Didier Deschamps a real headache.
For PSG the ultimate problem is going to be what do they do with Zlatan? Last season they actually won more games without the Swede and it allowed Edinson Cavani to go through the middle. This season looks like it will be his last in France and as such I suspect Laurent Blanc will persist with him. A return to 4-3-1-2, with Di Maria playing as a central midfielder could be the answer but even still I worry that they are just going to flounder in the league again so they can focus on the Champions League.
The third spot, as it was last season, is going to be an absolutely fascinating race and I’m going to go for Saint-Etienne to sneak in there. Keeping Christophe Galtier is a fantastic bit of business and I’ve been impressed with the players they’ve recruited this summer. I’m concerned about the lack of goals with Mevlut Erding and Max Gradel gone but if they can bring in Neal Maupay that could be the ultimate gamble that takes them into the top three. The battle between them and Monaco this season should be fantastic.
IN ONE WORD
Who will be a standout player this season? Alexandre Lacazette – Lyon
Who will flop? Hatem Ben Arfa – Nice
Who will be the best buy this season? Jimmy Briand – Guingamp
Who will be the worst buy this season? Kolbein Sigthorsson – Nantes
What team are you looking forward to watching – and why?
@Gibney_A
In feels it’s in almost a perverse kind of way that it is going to be very interesting and intruiging to watch Marseille this season. Marcelo Bielsa is back for another season, but the talent that helped them take the early lead last season has been ripped away and it will be a new look OM this campaign.
Michy Batshuayi has been given the keys to the Stade Velodrome attack, the jury is still out on Ocampos and Florian Thauvin needs to have a good season.
Georges-Kevin N’Koudou is an exciting young signing, but you can’t expect too much too soon from him. Abou Diaby and Lassana Diarra both have huge points to prove – if they manage to string two or three games together.
Karim Rekik and Javier Manquillo have potential, plus Bouna Sarr showed great ability to Metz last season.
It could just work, or it could be an absolute car crash – either way – it’s going to be fun.
What team are you looking forward to watching – and why?
@jeremysmith98
Monaco. Silva, Martial, Cavaleiro, Carillo, Thomas Lemar, Stephan El-Shaarawy, Farès Bahlouli, Adama Traoré – IF they click, their attack could be outstanding! And if they can fulfil that potential whilst also retaining the defensive solidity of last year, they could be a real challenge, in France and in Europe. There has been a lot of praise – all of it deserved – for Leonardo Jardim and what he did last year with Monaco’s scaled-back “project”. That was based on a generally defensive style of play; now he has the opportunity to show that he can be an excellent attacking coach too, and with the personnel that he has at his disposal, he’ll have no excuses if he fails. I’m also looking forward to seeing Caen and Troyes, both of whom continue to play exhilarating football in the right spirit, win or lose.
What team are you worried about – and why?
@Jon_LeGossip
Toulouse concern me.
Things could not have gotten any more turgid under Alain Casanova, so le Tefece’s form was bound to pick up at least a little bit under Dominique Arribage after such mind-numbing tedium. However, there was little during those final two months of the season to suggest that the former player and les Pitchouns will be a good long-term marriage.
Their lack of transfer activity this summer has me worried. Barely any players have arrived in la Ville Rose and a few useful figures have departed, with star man Wissam Ben Yedder seemingly desperate to move on after having a move to Sevilla blocked by Toulouse.
Without reinforcements in the final month of the transfer window, the southwesterners could go down after last term’s close shave.
What team are you worried about – and why?
@IsMiseBrendan
Gazélec Ajaccio had a fairytale season in last year’s Ligue 2, with the feats that head coach Thierry Laurey pulled-off being rightly labelled as ‘miracles’. The problem with miracles is that by their very nature and essence, they rely on a great deal of fortune and luck to come into existence. Without taking anything away from what was an incredible season for the Corsicans, it must be noted that Gazélec relied heavily upon their impressive home form and this can be noted as the main reason behind their success during the campaign. Star players such as Mohamed Larbi and Kévin Mayi excelled in home games, but they were limited in their influence on the road.
In their 19 away games last season, GFC were only able to win five matches. This form contrasts starkly with that of eventual champions’ Troyes’ form. The men from Champagne region were Ligue 2’s best home and away sides, and this versatility will more than help to adapt quickly to life in Ligue 1. The fear for Gazélec fans will be that their side will find the going even tougher when embarking upon a more difficult away schedule against sides that are technically better than their Ligue 2 rivals from last season. GFC fans must also concede that they will be unlikely to win as many matches at home this season, given the fact that they will be playing against tougher sides.
IN ONE WORD
Who will be a standout player this season? Serge Aurier – PSG
Who will flop? Stephan El Shaarawy – Monaco
Who will be the best buy this season? Ismael Traore – Angers
Who will be the worst buy this season? Jeremy Morel – Lyon