League Focus: Five Observations From the First Half of Ligue 1 2015/16

PSG's history boys 

Though the neutral might regret that the Ligue 1 title race is effectively over at the halfway stage, there is no getting around Paris Saint-Germain’s excellence. Laurent Blanc’s team are so much better than last season, in which they gave their rivals a proper sniff of their title - despite going unbeaten for the first 17 games of 2014/15, seven of those matches were draws and PSG went into Christmas in third position. 

This time, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and company will tuck into the turkey having dropped only six points of a possible 57. Saturday’s 3-0 win at Caen also bagged PSG a new record, passing the previous points high at the halfway stage of 50, set by Gérard Houllier’s Lyon in 2006/07. 

Ángel Di María’s fine form (six goals and nine assists already) has helped, while Ibrahimovic has almost matched last season’s numbers already (15 goals and six assists, compared with 19 and six in all of 14/15). Blanc’s credit is high too. After 101 wins in 141 matches in charge and some excellent football, the speculation over his future after José Mourinho’s sacking by Chelsea last week was conspicuous by its absence. 

At the other end of the table, Troyes entered the winter break by creating a record of their own; their 0-0 draw with Monaco means that they're the first club to get through the first half of a 38-game Ligue 1 season without winning once. 

The fall of Fournier 

Sunday’s defeat at Gazélec Ajaccio was not only their sixth in seven games, but symptomatic of the first half of their season; unthinkable six months ago, but worryingly predictable. Last season’s runners-up go into the break in ninth and coach Hubert Fournier is likely to pay with his job with an announcement expected when the squad reconvenes on the 28th.

It’s easy to have sympathy for him; the young stars who saw him through last season have underperformed - Alexandre Lacazette has only six goals to his name after hitting 27 last season - and big-name signings have fallen short. Mathieu Valbuena made 11 assists for Dynamo Moscow in 14/15 but has made only two thus far, while Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa’s 7.09 average rating for Roma has dropped to 6.72.  

The bottom line is that Lyon have 13 fewer points than at the same stage last season - and they began Fournier’s debut campaign of 2014/15, remember, with three defeats in the opening four matches. The flux in personnel at Monaco and Marseille’s reduced means - Michel’s team actually have 16 points less than Marcelo Bielsa’s men did at the equivalent point last season - have led to this lack of competition for champions PSG. 

Little men walk tall 

Few things underline the excellence of Angers in the first half of the campaign like the sense of slight disappointment that they only finish the season’s first half in third, after taking one point from their last two matches. Stéphane Moulin and his players have done an outstanding job after their promotion. It’s built on doggedness - only PSG (9) have conceded fewer goals than their 11 - but individual quality has been evident too. Their biggest challenge is to hold on to their key men in January. Anticipating interest, the club have already slapped a €15m price tag on Cheick Ndoye, who has five goals from midfield and averages two tackles per game. 

The aforementioned Gazélec have even more reason to be proud. After collecting just three points from their opening 10 fixtures, Thierry Laurey’s team have gone unbeaten in the subsequent nine - only PSG (25) have accrued more than their 21 points over the same period. They scored a famous win in the Corsican derby at Bastia and took points from Marseille and high-flying Nice, as well as Lyon. The iconic Roderic Filippi has been key, averaging 1.9 tackles and an impressive 3.5 interceptions per game. They deserved their wild celebrations on the pitch after Sunday’s win. 

Champions League bunfight 

The falling of Lyon and Marseille back into the ranks, and Monaco’s continuing inability to convince, means that the race for the top three promises to very exciting in the new year.  Only seven points separate Leonardo Jardim’s side in second and OM in 10th. Of the relative minnows, Caen perhaps look as if they have the ability to be the most durable. The exquisite Julien Féret still averages 2.1 key passes per game and Andy Delort, with six goals, two assists and an average of 2.3 fouls per match, gives defenders little respite. 

Saint-Etienne are handily placed in sixth - three points behind Monaco - and will hope their new signing - Norwegian striker Alexander Soderlund - will provide their goals, after hitting 22 for Rosenborg in the 2015 season. Nice have no problems in that area, having netted 32 goals - only PSG (48) have scored more - and it has been notable in recent weeks that they are not over-reliant on Hatem Ben Arfa. He scored the last of his seven league goals in mid-October, but on-loan Valère Germain has now matched that.  

Even Lille - revitalised under Frédéric Antonetti - are worth watching as they now sit just eight points short of Monaco’s total. They went into winter on a run of three wins and a draw in four games and have one of the division’s rising stars in Sofiane Boufal, who has five goals and produces 3.1 key passes per match.  

Magic Moukandjo 

Many feared for Lorient’s Ligue 1 future at the start of the season, and wondered where their goals would come from after Jordan Ayew’s exit. Enter Benjamin Moukandjo. Something a journeyman, his 11 goals so far represent 41% of the Brittany side’s total, and have lifted them into the top eight. Only Ibrahimovic (15) has scored more than him. 

What’s especially impressive is that Moukandjo’s total is from just 1.9 shots per game. He also makes 1.4 dribbles per match, relieving any pressure on his team and creating space for midfield ball-players like Raphaël Guerreiro, Yann Jouffre and Didier Ndong. Moukandjo’s goals are vital ones too, incorporating the winner at Monaco and ones to grab points at Marseille and in the derby at Guingamp.

What moments stood out for you in the first half of the 2015/16 Ligue 1 season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below