After their last match of 2023 on Wednesday, the French clubs began around ten days of winter break. The opportunity, at mid-season, to take stock of this first part of the championship.
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Before returning at the start of 2024 to compete in the Coupe de France, the Ligue 1 clubs played their last match of the year in the league on Wednesday. PSG took the opportunity to consolidate its first place at the top of the championship, ahead of one of the surprises of this first part of the season, OGC Nice. These first 17 days of Ligue 1 were also marked by the emergence of a very young player, Warren Zaire-Emery, the poor results of Olympique Lyonnais and new incidents in the stands.
Brest, the thunderbolt at the start of the season
The fall hit is called Brest. After fighting to maintain its position last season, the Breton club was still expected to be at the bottom of the ranking. But, he is currently in an astonishing fourth place thanks to a last month of cannonball (5 wins, 1 draw) and a 4-0 on the Lorient lawn during the last day of the first leg. On Wednesday, everything succeeded for the Pirates, carried by the usual substitute Kamory Doumbia, 20 years old, author of a quadruplet in the first period.
This season, the team led by Eric Roy is rewarded for its great stability. The technician was able to take advantage of a practically unchanged workforce and without a big star, but sure values like Romain Del Castillo or Pierre Lees Melou. “We are a real group of friends on the ground and it shows“, estimated Éric Roy at the beginning of October to explain the good results of his team. After 17 days, it has 31 points, a record at this stage. Last year, when he arrived at the beginning of January after 17 championship matches, Brest only had 13.
Warren Zaire-Emery, the revelation
Avid Paris Saint-Germain followers got to know him last season, when Warren Zaire-Emery made his first team debut, aged just 16. Now 17 years old, he no longer represents the future but the present of the French champion. The most striking image from his start to the season is surely his goal against Dortmund, crucial in qualifying for the round of 16 of the Champions League.
But this should not overshadow his excellent start to the season in Ligue 1. “WZE” is certainly the best Parisian player at the start of the season. Kylian Mbappé is obviously the top scorer in the championship – with 18 goals (10 more than his closest pursuer) -, but the captain of the Blues has been less influential in PSG’s game in recent months, when Zaire-Emery has established himself as the boss of the midfield.
First named captain of the Espoirs in September by Thierry Henry, Zaire-Emery was then promoted to the France A team in November, with a first selection against Gibraltar (14-0) and a precocity record broken. “We will have the opportunity to see him again in March“, assured Didier Deschamps, who should count on him at the Euro. “It’s a diamond for us. (…) What sets him apart is his humility. He is really humble“, assured Luis Enrique, the PSG coach, also won over. In just five months, Zaire-Emery has won over the whole of French football.
The catastrophic departure from Lyon
To say that this first part of the season for Olympique Lyonnais was unexpected would be a lie. For several months, even several seasons, OL have been searching for themselves, in pursuit of a glorious past. But the extent of the fall obviously surprised all the followers of Ligue 1. Because until the weekend of the 16th day, mid-December, Lyon had occupied 18th and last place in the championship for two months.
“There is no risk of relegation.”, tried to reassure in October John Textor, the president of OL, rarely present at the bedside of his club taken over in May. A few weeks (and defeats) later, he fired Fabio Grosso and installed a third coach already on the bench of his club: interim Pierre Sage. Perhaps the electro-shock the players needed. The latter ended the first phase with a series of three consecutive successes against Toulouse (3-0), AS Monaco (1-0) then Nantes (1-0).
Forced last summer by the National Directorate of Management Control (DNCG), the financial policeman of French football, Lyon will finally be able to invest during the January transfer market. A substantial envelope is planned to help OL strengthen itself. The question that persists is that of the coach: after the dismissals of Laurent Blanc and Fabio Grosso, Pierre Sage is succeeding for the moment in his interim at the head of the team. Could we see him stay in office until the end of the season? His paw in any case seems to help Lyon stabilize in recent weeks.
Nice solid and surprising dolphin
Unknown to the general public at the very start of the season, Francesco Farioli is not yet a star of Ligue 1. But in the space of five months, the Italian coach of OGC Nice has been able to convince within the Riviera club , placing it in second place, behind PSG. Ninth in the championship last year, the Aiglons seem well on their way to qualifying for the European Cup next season, the club’s objective since the takeover by Ineos.
The young 34-year-old technician has managed to put together a very solid team. Nice indeed has the best defense in the championship (9 goals conceded, only Inter does better in Europe) and was not behind for a single minute until December 2. However, there is still room for improvement in the offensive phase. “My staff and I are very critical of ourselves. We always try to improve. What we have achieved makes us proud and happy, because we are aware of the work and sacrifices we have accomplished “, explained Farioli at the beginning of November. The Italian, however, experienced two hiccups recently, with his first two defeats in Nantes (0-1) and Le Havre (1-3).
Around the spectators, the great concern
We thought the incidents in the stands and around the stadiums were over. After a nightmarish 2021-2022 season from this point of view, the 2022-2023 financial year was one of appeasement. The first part of the season unfortunately brought this subject back to the table. Match canceled in Marseille after the OL bus was stoned near the Vélodrome, match stopped in Montpellier after a firecracker was thrown at Clermont goalkeeper Mory Diaw, Brest supporters’ bus was stoned in Montpellier…
The death of a Nantes supporter near the Beaujoire stadium on the sidelines of a match against Nice on December 2 prompted the public authorities to take up the subject again, after having already done so the first time. two years ago. Several fan movements have been banned by the prefectures to avoid any further incidents. Certain decisions have been overturned by the Council of State and supporters denounce a restriction of their individual freedoms. “We have to tell ourselves that we cannot accept this situation and bang our fists on the table together.“, announced Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, the Minister of Sports, on December 5.