Will PSG Be Run Away Title Winners in Ligue Un Again Next Season, or Is There a Contender to Their Crown?
Published on 13 Jul 2022 | Last updated on 21 Jan 2023 | Reading time: 4 minutes
Despite being runner-up two seasons ago behind Lille, PSG has dominated French football for quite some time. However, the star-studded front featuring Messi, Neymar and Mbappe look more like an All-stars team than a regular team roster.
The offseason moves are still taking place, with the most drama surrounding the successor to manager Mauricio Pochettino and the possible transfer of Neymar. However, despite the moves, the PSG roster remains superior to other sides in Ligue 1.
What do the oddsmakers say
As soon as the season finished, sportsbooks released their odds for the upcoming season. If you visit soccer bet SA or other oddsmakers that have an abundance of football in their markets, you can see PSG is a clear favourite to win the French title for the 11th time.
With Parisians being on top of the odds, few teams are looking to surprise the league juggernaut. Marseille was runner-up in the last campaign and is now looking behind with second-best odds. According to sportsbooks, Lyon, Monaco, and Nice are in the mix for top positions in the new season.
New deal for Kylian Mbappe
The most significant transfer of the season for PSG is the one that didn't come to fruition. National team superstar Kylian Mbappe was connected to a Real Madrid transfer. Instead, the French forward signed a three-year deal that sent shockwaves. Mbappe will receive 75 million euros and another 125 as a signing bonus. If we account for Real's bid of 200 million euros, the money PSG spent on this deal is staggering.
Nevertheless, the superstar striker is a top-class player who delivers at the national and club levels. He already has four league titles with PSG but still couldn't lead the club to Champions League glory. In the last campaign, he scored 25 goals, added 17 assists in the league, and scored six goals in Champions League, where PSG was stopped by later winners Real Madrid.
New manager
Home titles became regular in PSG, and the club's focus shifted to Europe. After another disappointing year, or maybe a round of 16 brilliance of Karim Benzema, PSG will come into the new season with the new manager. Sources say Nice's coach Christophe Galtier will lead Mbappe and troops to the new Ligue 1 and Champions League campaign.
New hiring doesn't come by accident. The manager will reunite with the sporting director Luis Campos. Both were in Lille when they won the league title two seasons ago.
Challengers to the throne
Similarly to Bayen in the Bundesliga, PSG dominates in terms of money, roster, and superstars in the French League. Although there were no new big names in the offseason, PSG is still the favourite to win the league.
Marseille finished second behind PSG. The Parisians secured the title 5 games before the end of the season. However, the club lost Boubacar Kamara for the new campaign as he left for Aston Villa. Marseille hopes to revolve around Dimitri Payer and Florian Thauvin. Along with the experienced veteran duo, current runner-ups rely on upcoming hopes in Matteo Guendouzi and William Saliba.
Lyon was the top French team for over a decade in the early 2000s. The years of domination are behind them, but they still have the third-best odds of winning the Ligue Un championship. Their main advantage is a great football academy and squad with names like Caqueret, Aouar, Gusto and Gouri. If they manage to keep the team together with possible additions, there is a good chance they could challenge the PSG.
Monaco is another team to watch in the new campaign. Always close to the top, they finished third in the recent campaign.
Going for the record
Paris Saint Germain holds the record for most Ligue 1 titles together with Marseille and recently relegated Saint-Etienne. The three clubs have ten domestic titles, while Bordeaux has six. If the bookmakers are correct, PSG will win another title and have the league record with 11 home championships.
Things are not so great in the Champions League. Much like Manchester City, PSG utterly dominates the home competition but can't get over the hump on the biggest club stage in football. In the last season, PSG was great in the group stage and had Real Madrid on the ropes in the round of 16, but fell because of the inspired performances of rejuvenated Benzema.
With a new sporting director and manager, the most prominent stars secured with a new contract, and already an excellent team, PSG looks like a run-away title contender in France. However, although their roster looks superior in the Champions League, they are not favoured on that level. This season will also have a unique challenge because of the six weeks hiatus due to the Qatar World Cup in November.
