IT is a game that French football fans play every summer. It is pretty simple and quite catchy. It is called: guess who will finish second this season.
We kind of always take for granted that PSG will win the league every year seeing how superior they are from anyone else in the league in terms of financial power, talent and squad depth. This year, Lille will be a refreshing and entertaining runner up. Last season, Monaco finished 13 points behind the Parisians. It was Lyon in 2016 and in 2015 and Marseille in 2013.
Sometimes, the game tricks you like when Monaco beat all the odds to win the title ahead of PSG in 2017. This could have just been a one-off but seeing how much PSG are self-destructing at the moment, next season might be a great opportunity for their rivals to put them under even more pressure and push them all the way.
European finalists with a touch of LOSC! Congrats @hazardeden10, @DivockOrigi & @Aubameyang7 . @ChampionsLeague @EuropaLeague @ChelseaFC @Arsenal @LFC pic.twitter.com/mniPIUNMyl
— LOSC Lille EN (@LOSC_EN) May 9, 2019
Normally, you would say that Lille, having been by far the second-best team in Ligue 1 this season and totally deserving of their runner-up spot, should keep their progression to try to get closer to Paris next year. It won’t happen because their business model is such that they will sell three of their best players this summer, including Nicolas Pepe, Ligue 1’s best player this season alongside Kylian Mbappé. The LOSC will be weakened, even if they will reinvest the money from their sales, and the Champions League will also take its toll on the squad. So they might not produce another fantastic season next year like in the current one.
So to look for proper competitors for PSG, we have to look at the old guard again. Lyon are struggling to finish 3rd this season but they will have a new manager next season (Blanc? Juninho Pernambucano? Mourinho? Vieira?). They might also lose key players in the summer like Nabil Fekir and Tanguy Ndombélé but they will give the new man in charge a lot of backing financially to replace them and to improve the current squad. They will be strong next season and ambitious as well.
FIVE LIGUE 1 TALENTS WHO COULD MOVE TO THE PREMIER LEAGUE
Monaco are not safe yet and this is a season to forget after the Thierry Henry disaster. They will go again next year though. Leonardo Jardim will start building a new cycle and a new team. You can expect the results to be much better. There is talent, a lot of talent in there with another great bunch of very talented youngsters ready to emulate the last golden generation and the likes of Benjamin Mendy, Bernardo Silva, Thomas Lemar or Fabinho.
Then there is the Marseille enigma. For such a big club having been so disappointing (currently 6th in the table) is a sacrilege. l’OM have missed on a Champions League qualification which was vital for them financially. They have already announced that they have to sell before buying. Florian Thauvin is the biggest asset they have but their best player this season has probably been Mario Balotelli who only joined in January which says a lot about how poor the rest of the squad has been…
The big question is whether they will be able to keep the Italian. He has only signed a six months contract and with no Champions League football next season, he will be less interested by the Marseille project. Rudi Garcia will have a big rebuilding job to do if he still there to do it!
.@BresciaOfficial in Serie A next season? Make it happen. ✍️
Balotelli: "One day I want to end my career at Brescia."
Guardiola: "One day I'll return to Brescia & I'll coach them for free." pic.twitter.com/gMhBOTVhwg
— Italian Football TV (@IFTVofficial) May 2, 2019
Saint- Etienne are having a great season and might finish 3rd. They are on their way up if they keep investing their money wisely and relying on their super academy.
Nice are also expected to keep improving under Patrick Vieira. For his first season as manager in Europe, the former Arsenal captain is doing a good job despite a restricted squad. He will probably lose some of his best players too (Saint Maximin, Atal) but Nice have something good going on.
Bordeaux are driven under their new ownership and with Paulo Sousa, they have an interesting manager who could do good things there. But right now, they are 14th in the table and a very long way behind the Parisians.
Others like Montpellier, Nantes or some of the most modest teams like Strasbourg could also make it difficult at times for PSG. The Parisians will be huge favourites again next season to retain their title once again. But as we saw with Monaco two years ago, a miracle is always possible.
