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Ligue 1 France 2022 Mid Season Review | Ligue 1 Betting Tips

 

Genesis is an expert on all things French football and runs an excellent Twitter channel here. There is a whole lot more to Ligue 1 than simply PSG, Messi, Mbappe and Neymar.  It is increasingly becoming a highly entertaining league with a wealth of young and exciting talent.

Each week, Genesis will be sharing his inside knowledge on the happenings within French Football and Ligue 1, so you can be well equipped to spot value betting opportunities each week.

 

 

What To Expect In 2022 In French Football and Ligue 1

 

The Title Goes to Paris….

 

Obviously. But not without issues.  All is not well in the French capital.  Pochettino is on his way out.  His tactics are being openly questioned by the players.  And they may have a point.  PSG will continue to give up chances to every team they play for as long as Pochettino is in charge. But, they will still cruise to the title. That won’t be enough though to save Poch. Zidane is his likely successor if QSI can persuade him to take their job and not the France national team role.

 

 

 

Marseille Continue to be Solid

 

Marseille under Sampaoli have become a genuine defensive behemoth. 14 clean sheets this season so far in all competitions and the least goals conceded (16) in Ligue 1. I’d expect that to continue. No more gung ho swashbuckling of the early season so Marseille will score fewer goals scored as a result.  Sampaoli has defined a system and has players of high enough IQ to be able to execute. It is high intensity physically and mentally.  They may fade towards the end of the season.  However, they are a near dead cert for European football next season.

 

 

 

Lille a Surprise Package?

 

I know, they are the reigning champions.  But despite this Lille might well be the surprise package of the second half of the season. Yes, they lost to Brest last weekend. But that was always likely to be a trap game. More generally they’ve looked a great deal better in recent games.  They were a hard watch in the earlier parts of the season. Their resurgence has been heavily reliant on the spine of Botman, Sanches and David though.  If any of those three were to leave in January I would fade Lille strongly.  If they stay then Europe is not out of the question next season.

 

 

 

Galtier Doing Galtier Things

 

Galtier has to be one of the most underrated managers in Europe.  Expect his OGC Nice to remain tight at the back and in amongst the top 3. Only Marseille have conceded less.  And Christophe Galtier is the master of building structurally solid, winning teams. OGC Nice are becoming a team in his image. And with Amine Gouiri they have one of the premier young forwards on the planet. Their problem in the first half of the season had been goals.  They seem to have turned a corner in this aspect.

 

 

 

 

Bosz Doing Bosz Things

 

Just as Galtier is underrated, I cannot help but feel that Peter Bosz is an overrated manager.  Lyon are a bit of a mess.  Yet, remain only three points off the European places. Their fortunes will depend on which formation Bosz leans on and whether they sign a goal scorer. Lyon are one of the few ‘top’ clubs in the league to be dramatically underperforming their xG. And it looks less and less likely that they will secure a new forward. Azmoun, their main target, has joined Leverkusen. And the club’s retrograde and muddled leadership has now publicly stated they’re happy with the current squad. Bosz may not be long for his job. He’s already had one vote of confidence.  A change of manager mid-season will only harm what has already been a disappointing season for Les Gones.

 

 

Relegation Has No Respect For Tradition

 

St Etienne (10 league titles) will improve but most likely get relegated. Along with Bordeaux (5 league titles, one as recently as 2008). That’s two of France’s most decorated and historically important clubs probably heading to Ligue 2. A very significant moment in France and a valuable and real lesson for other clubs that are being similarly mismanaged in Ligue 1 at the moment. If Bordeaux do have one advantage, it is their ability to score goals, 34 of them.  That’s four more than Marseille.  Their problem is defending, 53 goals conceded in 22 games!

 

Metz, Lorient, Troyes and Clermont make up the other strugglers.  And Reims are not clear and have a young and inexperienced squad. It’s too close to call. But if I had to pick at this early stage I’d go with Lorient to join Bordeaux and Saint Étienne. Which is a shame because Lorient are actually pretty well run and do try and play watchable football.

 

 

Consistently Inconsistent

 

Rennes and Monaco will remain inconsistent but for different reasons. Rennes, stacked with talent and owned by Salma Hayek’s billionaire husband, will suffer from Bruno ‘Pep’ Genesio’s usual failure to develop consistent results in his teams.

Monaco, similarly billionaire owned, will continue to suffer from instability in the board and back rooms and the managerial merry-go-round those backroom issues have generated. Phillipe Clement is their fifth manager in four years. Don’t get me wrong, both teams will have solid runs of form, some big results but punctuated by random and infuriating losses. Europe does beckon for both next season though.

 

 

The Up and Comers

 

In a similar vein, Strasbourg and Montpellier will be tough to predict but a joy to watch. Both Julian Stephan (Strasbourg) and Oliver Dall’loglio (Montpellier) have done great work and remain underrated and tactically adventurous managers. However, this cavalier spirit means that their teams both create and concede a lot of chances.  See Montpellier’s recent win against Monaco and Strasbourg’s recent loss to Bordeaux. Both should remain in the race for the European places.

 

 

 

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