D1 Arkema regains its rights. After a summer marked by the good performance of Les Bleues at the Euro and before the 2023 World Cup disputed in less than a year in Australia and New Zealand, the French championship is making a comeback. In opening, Paris Saint-Germain receives Soyaux, Friday, September 8. Here’s what you need to know before the start of this 2022-2023 season.
OL in search of a new crown
Back on the roof of French women’s football after giving up their throne at Paris Saint-Germain in 2021, Olympique Lyonnais is setting out to conquer a sixteenth title in 2022-2023. As you don’t change a winning team, the backbone of the 2022 European champions has changed very little this summer.
Apart from Griedge Mbock, unavailable for at least six months following an injury that occurred during the French team’s last meeting against Greece, Sonia Bompastor will be able to count on her eleven-type, and even on a new head in the middle with the signature by Sara Däbritz from PSG. The German was also a starter in the Champions Trophy won by OL (1-0) against her former club on August 28. Les Fenottes are well armed when they arrive at the starting line.
Which PSG in 2022-2023?
If Lyon can have great ambitions this season, they will probably also have to rely on Paris Saint-Germain. Since 2018, the two teams have become accustomed to monopolizing the first two places in the standings and PSG will be keen to recover after a lackluster 2021-2022 season. Tormented internally by the Kheira Hamraoui affair and by the case of ex-coach Didier Ollé-Nicolle, the Parisians had never been able to stand up to their rivals in D1.
The arrival of Gérard Prêcheur on the Paris bench testifies to a desire to make a clean sweep of the past. “There is something to rebuild and that makes the challenge even more excitingexplained the former OL coach at the AFP microphone on August 10, 2022. There’s this notion of a new challenge, this idea of starting from scratch in a way, it’s interesting”.
I am very excited to announce this news about the next step in my career! So happy and proud to start this new adventure in Paris and to be part of this incredible team and club #Paris Saint Germain #PSG #Go Paris pic.twitter.com/gWvwLcZ6sc
— Lieke Martens (@liekemartens1) June 17, 2022
But the PSG advances in the unknown at the level of its attack. His superstar Marie-Antoinette Katoto, who extended until 2025 this summer, is out for a large part of the season because of his knee injury which occurred during the Euros. The club is therefore counting on its Dutch rookie Lieke Martens to ensure the offensive spectacle.
A race for Europe that promises to be tight
With the first two places promised to the ogresses of OL and PSG, the battle for the third step of the podium promises to be tighter than ever. The other club in the capital, Paris FC, acts as a legitimate favorite thanks to its tricolor internationals Clara Matéo, Ouleymata Sarr and Gaëtane Thiney, the most capped player in the history of D1 (427 games).
On deck since mid-August due to qualifying for the Champions League, the Parisians are already on the attack despite their elimination against AS Roma in the second preliminary round. A significant advantage over the competition.
Fleury, still led by former Marseillais Fabrice Abriel, and Montpellier, which can count on its flagship rookie Charlotte Bilbault in the middle, will try to do better than their respective fourth and fifth places in 2022. Unless Reims, or even Bordeaux, amputated many of its executives, including Eve Périsset, who left for Chelsea, failed to create a surprise.
Promoted want to avoid the elevator
Behind, the candidates for relegation will want to avoid sinking into the throes of the D2. Back after a season at the lower level, Le Havre surely starts further than the others. The Norman club, whose women’s section has only existed since 2014, had not done better than a 12th and last place during its only season in the elite in 2020-2021.
The team of @hacfem go up #D1Arkema
Congratulations to the players of Frédéric Gonçalves for this rise in the elite pic.twitter.com/MCzvdwDqIc
— D1 Arkema (@D1Arkema) May 25, 2022
The other promoted, Rodez, but also Soyaux, Dijon and Guingamp, could also fight not to finish on the two ejection seats of the championship.
Still more crowds in the stadiums?
After the good audiences of Euro 2022 in France (a peak of seven million viewers during the semi-final of Les Bleues against Germany), which however remained far from the record recorded during the France-Brazil the 2019 World Cup (12 million), the question of attendance will still be paramount.
Last year, the clash between OL and PSG attracted more than 13,000 people to Groupama Stadium. It remains to be seen whether the double confrontation between leaders will once again be followed (go to Lyon for the 11th day, return to Paris for the 21st). While the Havraises will play all season at the Stade Océane (25,000 seats). A good omen as the quality of the enclosures hosting the matches of the women’s first division has often been called into question.