Ligue 1 2015/16 Round-up - Can Anyone Compete With PSG?
How do Paris Saint-Germain move on from Zlatan Ibrahimovic?
He arrived with a bang, and left with one. Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s final game at the Parc des Princes on Saturday was spectacular, with the game stopped for an ovation in the 10th minute before he scored twice against Nantes to help take Paris Saint-Germain over the 100-goal mark for the Ligue 1 season, and later left the pitch in tears with his two young sons.
The Swede’s goals mean he reached 38 Ligue 1 goals for the season, beating the previous club record of 37 set by Carlos Bianchi in the 1977/78 season, making up 38% of the goals that Laurent Blanc’s side scored this season - so it’s clear he’ll be missed, remembering that he offered 13 assists too.
There’s a prevailing sense that it’s just the right time, though. The leading assist maker with Ángel Di María (18), and it seems as if Ibrahimovic has been happy to cede more control to him, aiding the team’s evolution. 32 of the captain’s haul of 38 have been from inside the penalty box, so he’s arguably been as orthodox a centre-forward as he’s ever been.
Edinson Cavani could be the immediate beneficiary - he did well by scoring 19 in 24 starts, which could rise if he’s the focal point - though clearly there will be at least one nominal replacement in the form of a high-profile signing.
What next for Marseille and Monaco?
Marseille’s final game of a desperately disappointing season was pretty much 2015/16 in microcosm. Against the worst side in the division in Troyes, OM found a way not to win, despite having 19 shots and 60.3% possession. They even trailed for more than half the match, and Steven Fletcher’s equaliser secured a point, though his penalty miss later saw the chance to take all three escape.
Fletcher, like fellow loanee Florian Thuavin, will probably not be there next season - no bad thing, some fans might think, given that this team won just 10 times all season, including a barely-believable three at their Vélodrome home, and finished 13th.
The real problem is knowing where a new personality and resolve will emerge from. The stalwart pair of goalkeeper and captain Steve Mandanda and defender Nicolas Nkoulou, respectively, have not been at their best this season, but both will be missed, while the campaign’s outstanding performer Lassana Diarra (WhoScored rating 7.29) is set to go, along with top scorer Michy Batshuayi (17 goals and 9 assists).
A strong coach to spend the Batshuayi profits wisely is a must. Jorge Sampaoli has been mentioned, and the idea of a new, Bielsa-style cultural revolution is appealing. For the former Chile coach to have the money to overhaul a flagging squad, a takeover is probably needed first.
Along the coast Monaco, as underlined in last week’s column, have some thinking to do as well despite managing to finish in the top three. Coach Leonardo Jardim’s position is far from safe.
Can Lyon become a genuine title contender?
The difference between Olympique Lyonnais before and after Christmas was like night and day - or, perhaps more accurately, the difference between OL under Hubert Fournier and successor Bruno Genesio. Despite the 4-1 defeat in Saturday’s final game at Reims, the job had already been done, with 39 of the team’s 65 points this season taken in a half-season under Genesio, assuring direct Champions League qualification against the odds.
Now the challenge is to build on that. Last summer looked as if stability was assured, with all the club’s excellent academy products - led by Alexandre Lacazette and Nabil Fekir - inking new deals, and significant investment made in signings like Mathieu Valbuena and Sergi Darder. Valbuena may not stay after a disappointing campaign - the Frenchman nothed one goal and added five assists in 21 starts - but the improving Darder and Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa, who rated 7.22 from the beginning of March, as opposed to 6.94 overall, fit this young team’s profile.
The desire to avoid a repeat of last year’s poor Champions League showing should help, with Genesio keen to make the squad deeper and Toulouse’s prolific Wissam Ben Yedder - only Ibrahimovic, Lacazette and Cavani scored more than his 17 this season - a priority. This, in turn, could give Lyon the tools to at least partially close the yawning 31-point chasm to the champions.
What will Nice's team look like next season?
Claude Puel’s Nice have been the revelation of the season, finishing fourth and entertaining crowds around the country with their all-action style. Only PSG (102) and Lyon (67) hit more than the Côte d’Azur club’s 58 goals in the competition. Underlining their final position even underplays how good they were; Nice’s run-in of just two defeats in the last 10 games obliged Monaco to win on the final day to cling on to third place.
The Europa League would be lucky to have this season’s Nice team involved, but it won’t. The main miss is clear, with Hatem Ben Arfa set to undertake a more high-profile challenge on the imminent expiration of his contract. His 17 goals and six assists, contributing to a club high WhoScored rating of 7.58, will be hard to replace, as will his synergy with the rest of the side.
Ben Arfa won’t be the only leaver, though, with Alessane Pléa potentially the only one of that excellent attacking triangle who will still be at the Allianz Riviera next season. The Lyon academy product (17 starts returned 6 goals and 4 assists) has a mind-blowing €40m release clause but the excellent Valère Germain (14 goals and 6 assists, including the double that beat Saint Etienne to seal European football) is only on loan from Monaco. Jérémy Pied, excellent since being converted to right-back (average rating 7.29), is also out of contract.
So is Puel, and the experienced coach is likely to leave. The performances he’s coaxed out of Ben Arfa, Germain, Pied and Ricardo Pereira mean he shouldn’t be short of offers. President Jean-Pierre Rivère needs to work quickly to steady the ship.
Where do PSG go now without Ibrahimovic? Can Lyon and co. challenge for the Ligue 1 title? Let us know in the comments below
