Paris Saint-Germain is at the top of Ligue 1. With a thirteen-point lead over Brest, second in the championship, Kylian Mbappé and others are on a full-speed run towards the title.
But behind, the battle is tough to secure the runner-up position.
In the history of the French first division, rarely has a fight for this place been so close.
Behind the Finistère team, 40 units on the clock after 22 days, are Nice, Lille, Monaco, Lens and Rennes respectively.
The latter, with 34 points acquired since the start of the season, are at the back of the breakaway.
With the exception of the 1960s – when the gaps were very thin since 40 to 50 points were enough to be champion – such a chasing group was only formed on a few occasions.
The ranking after the 22nd day of the championship 📌 pic.twitter.com/KwPA1uPj9x
— Ligue 1 Uber Eats (@Ligue1UberEats) February 18, 2024
One season particularly resembles the current year: 2002-2003.
That year, Monaco (2nd), Marseille (3rd), Bordeaux (4th), Sochaux (5th) and Auxerre (6th) were within three points at the end of the championship.
Guingamp, seventh in the ranking with 62 points, was only two behind the Burgundians.
The Lyon champion (68 points) was only one unit ahead of his runner-up from Monaco.
After 22 days, the gaps were just as tight since Auxerre, leader at that time, and Guingamp, already seventh, held 39 and 34 points.
“There is no favorite”
The spectacle offered by Ligue 1 this season is of a similar nature.
The established order could be disrupted in the coming weeks, since the dynamics of each team are very different.
The most impressive is perhaps that of Rennes: with six consecutive victories in the championship, the Bretons have made a formidable rise in the standings since the arrival of Julien Stéphan.
“Compared to the ranking, there is no favorite,” declared the coach of the Rouge et Noir on Sunday after the victory against Clermont (3-1).
We want to continue moving forward with this excellent momentum.
» Guy Stéphan's son also mentioned a direct competitor: “We see that all the matches are difficult, Toulouse played and won in Monaco.
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Also read “Ligue 1 will no longer be watched as much”: why French football will miss Mbappé so much
The ASM is experiencing many difficulties.
Defeated by the Violets (2-1), it has only one victory in Ligue 1 in 2024. “We can analyze, talk about tactics, but we are simply not competitive enough,” said Adi Hütter, the coach Monegasque, at a press conference.
Taking one point out of twelve at home is not good.
We were in a good situation before the match.
We missed a big chance to go second.
It is very frustrating.
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A scenario for which the principality club already paid the price a few years ago.
In 2021-2022, the Monegasques lost the runner-up spot on the final day of the championship, in favor of Marseille.
A season in which the battle for second place was fierce.
OM, with 71 points, obtained it, ahead of Monaco (69 points), Rennes (66 points) and Nice (66 points).
“We’re no longer playing it safe!”
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This year, Brest, unaccustomed to the fight for Europe, impresses in the game and the results.
Second in Ligue 1 after the victory against OM on Sunday (1-0), the Breton coach, Éric Roy, tempered: “We are no longer playing for maintenance!
We said it was 38 points for us.
We have 40, we have fulfilled the first objective.
I like to do things little by little.
(…) It’s so much emotion, there is so much satisfaction, so much pride.
We are touched by what we are currently experiencing.
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TONNERRE DE BREST ⚡️⚽️#SB29OM (1-0) I @SB29 pic.twitter.com/HrioQy2dOd
— Ligue 1 Uber Eats (@Ligue1UberEats) February 18, 2024
Stade Brestois has been ahead of OGC Nice in the standings since this weekend.
The Aiglons, who form the best defense in France with 15 goals conceded, have just suffered two losses, against Lyon (1-0) and Monaco (3-2).
They are now only one point ahead of Lille, fourth and clear winner of Le Havre this Sunday (3-0).
In the shadows hides another team, RC Lens.
The Artois, sixth in the ranking, got off to a more difficult start to the championship than last year.
Franck Haise's team waited until September 24 to win its first match of the season.
The Lensois are better now, but above all, they will largely decide the future of the season and potentially the identity of the runner-up: during their next five L1 matches, they will successively face Monaco, Lyon, Brest, Nice and Lille.
The opportunity to dismantle the group of PSG pursuers, or, more than ever, to narrow the gaps.