It’s tight at the top in Ligue 1. Will we get a proper title race? | Luke Entwistle

It is an unfamiliar sight to see Paris Saint-Germain eclipsed by one of their domestic rivals, but it is currently Marseille who sit top of Ligue 1, with the top seven separated by just four points. “It’s a special moment, with lots of particular circumstances,” said Luis Enrique as PSG succumbed to a second successive draw in Ligue 1. The champions have won just one of their last four league games and they relied on a 90th-minute equaliser from Senny Mayulu to salvage a 3-3 draw against Strasbourg.

Luis Enrique was lavish with his praise for Strasbourg. “I like the way they play,” he said. “They are one of the best teams in Ligue 1.” Their standing in third, one point behind PSG, attests to that, but whether they constitute a real threat to PSG is another question entirely. Given the desperation for a credible challenger to emerge, it is the most frequently posed question in French football.

Strasbourg have a number of strengths. Joaquín Panichelli, the top scorer in Ligue 1 this season, looks to be one of the most complete forwards in the division; the goalkeeper Mike Penders, on loan from Chelsea, is a real asset, especially with his footwork; and after their summer splurge, there is plenty of depth to allow them to remain competitive across all competitions.

But it is Marseille who look best placed to challenge the champions. After beating PSG in a league game at home for the first time in 14 years last month, they have beaten Strasbourg, Metz and Le Havre. Beating Metz – who are bottom of the table without a win this season – may not sound impressive but Marseille have been undone by their record against mid-table sides in recent times; prior to beating Metz 3-0 earlier this month, six of the previous seven encounters between the two sides had ended in draws.

Lens, meanwhile, are level on points with Strasbourg and have the joint-best defensive record in the division. They no longer have any big-name players in their squad after recent high-profile sales including Kevin Danso, Abdukodir Khusanov, Facundo Medina, Brice Samba and Neil El Aynaoui, there is a coherence and structure in the team that is allowing them to compete above their station. For that, they have Pierre Sage to thank, as the Frenchman casts doubt on Lyon’s decision to axe him earlier this year.

PSG could only draw with Strasbourg at the weekend. Photograph: Ibrahim Ezzat/NurPhoto/Shutterstock

Not that Lyon are doing badly without him. Under Paulo Fonseca, still banished from the sidelines after his têtê-à-têtê with the referee Benoît Millot in March, they sit in fifth, just two points behind PSG. There were fears Lyon had consigned themselves to a period of mediocrity due to their financial mismanagement but, after being reinstated to Ligue 1 upon appeal over the summer, Fonseca said he was “pleasantly surprised” by the club’s action in the transfer window.

In pre-season, he insisted he had a “more coherent” team and that showed, particularly in the opening weeks of the campaign. Tyler Morton has been excellent; the defence has been tightened with Moussa Niakhaté, a player seemingly reborn; and Corentin Tolisso has been an unexpected source of goals in an unfamiliar false nine role.

And behind Lyon, there are European stalwarts in the form of Lille and Monaco. Neither has truly hit their usual heights this season, despite Lille beating Lorient 7-1 earlier in the campaign; that result spoke much more to Les Merlus’ ineptitude.

Monaco have drawn their last two games in Ligue 1, the most recent coming against Angers, in Sébastien Pocognoli’s first game in charge. His appointment came after the sacking of Adi Hütter in what was something of a pre-emptive strike from the club’s hierarchy. Results, by and large, were there, as their league standing shows, but the performances had become increasingly concerning, and so the trigger was pulled.

The Monaco CEO, Thiago Scuro, assumed the risk in making the managerial change, but with the talent within their squad, and the upcoming return of Paul Pogba, as well as a whole raft of injured players, they have the ability to mount a charge up the table. Just three points behind second-placed PSG, Monaco have their “season and goals under control,” said Scuro last week.

With the top seven so closely packed, there is a semblance of competition in these early stages, but each of the challengers is in some way flawed. Marseille have their propensity to explode; Strasbourg have their inexperience; Lens lack individual quality; Lyon have a striker problem, and the signing of Martín Satriano in the final hours of the transfer window is not the remedy; Lille are lacking fluidity and risk an over-dependance on the 39-year-old Olivier Giroud; and Monaco face the pitfalls of a mid-season managerial change, coupled with the risk of hiring a 38-year-old with no experience in Europe’s top five leagues.

Not that PSG are a picture of perfection but their issues, unlike those facing their competitors, feel ephemeral. Their truncated pre-season gave rise to an injury crisis, from which barely anyone has been spared. All of the midfield trio of Vitinha, João Neves and Fabián Ruiz, and the entire forward line of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Ousmane Dembélé, Bradley Barcola and Désiré Doué, have been struck down by injury. Those players are gradually returning and Dembélé, who has won the Ballon d’Or since his last appearance for Les Parisiens, could be back to face Bayer Leverkusen this week.

It is this crisis that has given rise to the special moment for PSG, but all signs suggest it is a moment from which they are emerging. And when they do, the question is whether normal service will be resumed or whether one of the flawed challengers can punch above their weight.

Talking points

One team not in the European conversation is Rennes. The noises coming out of the club were largely positive over the summer: their transfer dealings largely inspired enthusiasm and the emergence of academy products Jérémy Jacquet, Djaoui Cissé and Mohamed Kader Meité pointed to brighter horizons for the Breton club. But the doubts always surrounded the manager and their performances in the opening weeks of the season have failed to dispel those doubts. Winless in their last four games, after Sunday’s 2-2 draw against Auxerre, Beye is coming under increasing pressure.

In stark contrast to Beye at Rennes, Carles Martínez Novell continues to excel at Toulouse. With his two top scorers leaving last season, the Spaniard was dealt a very tough hand, but he has the team just one point behind Monaco. The data-driven club continue to defy the odds and, after a 4-0 win against Metz over the weekend, they look ready to push on this season.

This is an article by Get French Football News