Ligue 1 Superthread 2021/22

Mr.Nice Guy

Ligue 1 returns this Friday as Monaco play host to Nantes, while this evening in the traditional Trophee des Champions curtain-raiser champions Lille beat Cup winners PSG 1-0 thanks to a Xeka goal, though it was a much changed Paris XI.

Last season provided fantastic entertainment with the title race, Champions League and Europa spots, as well as the battle to avoid the drop, all going down to the last day. This season should prove equally captivating with many questions to be answered. Will Pochettino finally manage a title win, and will this be Mbappe's last season at Paris? Can Niko Kovac's Monaco provide us with another title challenge? Can Peter Bosz's attacking brand of football restore Lyon to the Champions League? What can Nice do with title-winning coach Christophe Galtier at the helm? And how far will his former side Lille fall without him and some of the key players?

Here are some thoughts of mine on the 20 teams...

Lille – The fairytale title win captured the imagination of many neutrals but it already feels a long time ago. Financial issues have been hanging over the club, and coach Christophe Galtier has left for Nice, to be replaced by Jocelyn Gourvennec, whose last job was overseeing Guingamp get relegated to Ligue 2 in 2019.

Some members of the title-winning team have also departed, such as Mike Maignan to Milan, and Boubakary Soumare to Leicester. If reports are to be believed, more will soon follow them out the door. Their hopes of a decent season rest on how much of the squad they can keep together and whether Gourvennec can carry on their impressive team spirit. Winning the Trophee des Champions tonight will boost morale, but will it last?

Prediction: 7th

One to watch: Burak Yilmaz. Hard to know which of the players will remain, but at 36, Yilmaz ought to be one of them. He was their main man as they secured the title and will be key to their hopes.

PSG - Much like when they lost Ligue 1 to Monaco in 2017, PSG have responded to a title loss with aggressive moves in the transfer market. Donnarumma, Ramos, Hakimi and Wijnaldum have all joined the club, while youngster Kalimuendo, who impressed on loan at Lens last season, has been kept on for the new campaign.

They can boast one of the best squads in world football and winning Ligue 1 will be regarded as a must for Pochettino, but the big goal remains winning the Champions League. This is a massive season for them and might turn out to be Mbappe’s last season in France.

Prediction: Champions

One to watch: Achraf Hakimi. Having taken the Bundesliga and Serie A by storm, expect more of the same in Ligue 1. The addition of a prime, world class FB may well take PSG on to new heights.

Monaco – Niko Kovac had an excellent debut season for Monaco as they finished 3rd, 5 points off champions Lille, and qualifying for the Champions League 3rd round. They managed to beat PSG home and away in Ligue 1, although lost to them 2-0 in the French Cup final. They have managed to keep together their big names thus far, and have acquired Alexander Nubel on a season long loan which should help them in the goalkeeping department. Talented Dutch U-21 star, Myron Boadu, is also set to sign from AZ Alkmaar.

Monaco look like the team most likely to push PSG in the league, but will need to improve defensively. They conceded 42 goals last season, far higher than Lille (23) and PSG (28). They will also have the distraction of European football, which was not the case last campaign.

Prediction: 2nd

One to watch: Aurelien Tchouameni. Superb performances in midfield have caught the eye of Europe's big clubs and he won't be at Monaco for long if he carries on that form.

Lyon – A season that carried high hopes of Champions League qualification - and even at one stage winning the title - resulted in disappointment as Lyon finished 2 points off Monaco, and went into the Europa League. Rudi Garcia has left, to be replaced by former Ajax, Dortmund and Leverkusen coach, Peter Bosz.

Lyon’s attack was impressive last campaign with 81 goals scored, second only to PSG’s 86. But their defence was a let-down with 43 goals conceded. They have also lost their talisman, Memphis Depay, to Barcelona, who contributed 20 goals and 12 assists in the league. Moussa Dembele looks set to stay at Lyon after an ineffective loan stint at Atletico, and Lyon will be hoping he can find the form he showed from a few years back.

Prediction: 3rd

One to watch: Maxence Caqueret. The talented youngster may well step up and become one of their most important players this season, particularly if rumours of more senior players leaving are borne out.

Marseille – After a poor start to their league and Champions League campaign, AVB left Marseille to be replaced by Jorge Sampaoli. Instantly, his attacking style turned OM from a drab watch to one of the league’s entertainers.

Marseille have lost Florian Thauvin who is off to Mexico, but have made some shrewd moves in the transfer market with Under, Guendouzi, Pau Lopez and Saliba looking particularly promising. They are also eager to secure RWB Pol Lirola, who impressed on loan from Fiorentina. If they can keep Milik, who got 9 goals in 15 while on loan from Napoli, they could have a very tidy goal threat.

Prediction: 4th

One to watch: Cengiz Under has reportedly linked up well with Payet in pre-season and could be set for a big season.

Rennes – After a tough start to last season that saw Julien Stephan resign after a poor run of form, former Lyon coach Bruno Genesio took charge and led them to 6th, qualifying for the Europa Conference League.

Captain Damien Da Silva has joined Lyon on a free however, while questions remain whether Camavinga will remain at the club or be sold. A lot of eyes will be on Jeremy Doku, who lit up the Euros with Belgium. They’ve picked up CB Loic Bade from Lens, Norway international Birger Meling, who impressed as a LB for relegated Nimes has also joined, as has Ghana winger, Kamaldeen Sulemana, from Nordsjaelland for a reported €20m. Rennes have a pretty good track record with wingers – Raphinha was signed for a similar fee – so it will be fun to see how Sulemana fares.

Prediction: 6th

One to watch: Jeremy Doku. It took him time to adjust after leaving Anderlecht but he has been improving steadily, and his confidence will be high after the Euros. This could be his best season yet.

Lens – A 7th place finish last time was a great outcome for a newly promoted side, despite the fact they narrowly missed out on a European spot. They will likely find it tougher this time with defender Bade, as noted, moving to Rennes, while attacking player Kalimuendo has been retained by PSG.

A lot will depend on the performance of Gael Kakuta and Ignatius Ganago to provide them with goals. They beat Udinese 4-1 in a recent friendly, suggesting they will be okay on that front.

Prediction: 9th

One to watch: Jonathan Clauss. He impressed last season bombing forward as a RWB and will likely be a handful once again.

Montpellier – There’s been a managerial merry-go-round as Michel der Zakarian has left Montpellier for Brest, while Brest coach Olivier Dall’Oglio has left them for Montpellier.

Mamadou Sakho has joined from Crystal Palace and looks a decent replacement for veteran Hilton, who has retired at 43. In Andy Delort and Gaetan Laborde they have one of the best attacking combinations in the league, while Teji Savanier and Florent Mollet offer good creativity. A finish outside the top ten would be viewed as a disappointment, but adjusting to the new coach’s ideas may prove challenging.

Prediction: 11th

One to watch: Gaetan Laborde. A classy forward who provided 16 goals and 8 assists last campaign. Surprised a club hasn't picked him up as he's approaching his prime.

Nice – After a disappointing 9th place finish, owner Jim Ratcliffe has got the chequebook out. Not only paying Lille €4m compensation for coach Galtier, but also making a raft of new signings including Justin Kluivert, Jean-Clair Todibo and Calvin Stengs. Amine Gouiri had a breakout season scoring 12 goals, while Kasper Dolberg is coming off a decent Euros with Denmark.

Hopes will be high but it might take time for Galtier to figure out his best team and system. They have also missed out on retaining Arsenal’s William Saliba, who will spend the season on loan at Marseille this time. I would say qualifying for Europe would constitute a decent step forward.

Prediction: 5th

One to watch: Amine Gouiri. He's been described as the new Benzema and represents one of France's best young striker prospects. He showed his quality last season in a side that wasn't blessed with creativity. With the talents surrounding him now, he could well kick on.

Metz – They finished 10th last season which was a respectable outcome for a team that suffered many injuries, most notably losing Ibrahima Niane, who was ruled out of the entire campaign with injury after having scored 6 goals in 10 games. Having him back will be a big plus.

Midfielder Pape Matar Sarr has been attracting attention after an impressive season aged just 18, while Algerian international Farid Boulaya has reportedly been linked with Leeds. If Metz can keep most of their key players together, another top ten finish wouldn’t be a shock.

Prediction: 8th

One to watch: Ibrahima Niane. He looked like the next big thing at the start of last season and if he can recover his form after his bad injury, he will turn a lot of heads.

Saint-Etienne – After a tough start that saw them lose 7 games in a row, St. Etienne finished strongly to end up 11th. English-born goalkeeper Etienne Green did well when he earned the number one jersey, and has signed a new contract. Wahbi Khazri was also able to rediscover his best form. Winger Denis Bouanga will likely continue to offer the most threat.

If they can add more goals compared to last season, a top ten finish could be on the cards.

Prediction: 10th

One to watch: Adil Aouchiche. A playmaker that came through the ranks of PSG, he moved to St. Etienne and has become a favourite of Claude Puel, featuring in 34 league games. There should be more to come from him.

Bordeaux – Financial issues have dogged the club but they are hopeful of better things under the helm of Gerard Lopez, former owner of Lille. Vladimir Petkovic has left the Swiss national team to take over as manager, having done well at the recent Euros.

South Korean international, Hwang Ui-jo, was their top scorer last season with 12 goals. Like St. Etienne, scoring enough goals will be the big challenge.

Prediction: 13th

One to watch: Yacine Adli. Another talented baller formerly on PSG's books, Adli showed some quality moments last campaign and will be hopeful of kicking on under the new coach.

Angers – Another club dealing with financial problems, Angers have parted ways with long-term coach Stephane Moulin, who has gone to Ligue 2 side Caen after 10 years in charge. Replacing him is Gerald Baticle, an assistant coach at Lyon for a decade.

They struggled in attack last campaign, with midfielder Angelo Fulgini leading the way with 7 goals. Ultimately, they finished just 4 points ahead of 18th. It could prove a challenging time under a new coach and I wouldn’t be shocked to see them fall back into a relegation scrap.

Prediction: 19th

One to watch: Angelo Fulgini. As well as being their top scorer last campaign, Fulgini is also their biggest creative influence.

Reims – David Guion, who guided Reims to promotion and kept them in Ligue 1, has departed the club and is replaced by former Celta Vigo coach Oscar Garcia. Last season’s top scorer with 14 goals, Boulaye Dia, has moved to Villarreal, while their second top scorer, El Bilal Toure, has refused to train in order to engineer a transfer away. They could be in for a rough season.

There will be some Irish interest as teenager Glory Nzingo has moved there from St. Pat’s.

Prediction: 20th

One to watch: Predrag Rajkovic. The Serbian goalkeeper has been one of the league's most reliable performers and has been linked with a move to Lille as Maignan's replacement. Keeping him will be important for their season.

Strasbourg – Thierry Laurey, who won the Coupe de la Ligue with the club in 2019, has left and is now in charge of Ligue 2 side Paris FC. Replacing him is Julien Stephan, who led Rennes into the Champions League for the first time, and also won the French Cup.

Ludovic Ajorque enjoyed a great season with 16 goals, and Kevin Gameiro has also joined from Valencia. If they can keep it tight at the back, they should have enough goals to avoid a relegation tussle and possibly push for a top ten finish.

Prediction: 12th

One to watch: Alexander Djiku. The CB had a strong season last campaign and is reportedly attracting interest from Rennes and Real Betis.

Lorient – It proved a satisfactory return to the top flight for Lorient as they finished on 42 points. They were one of the better attacking sides in the bottom half, scoring 50 goals – the same tally as Nice in 9th – but their defence was one of the worst in the division, conceding 68.

22-year-old Terem Moffi had a breakout season, managing 14 goals and earning his first cap for Nigeria. I’m surprised he hasn’t been picked up by a bigger club. With him, Yoane Wissa and Armand Lauriente, they should have enough in attack to avoid the drop, provided the defence can keep up their end.

Prediction: 16th

One to watch: Terem Moffi. His pace on the counter caused lots of problems last season.

Brest – Like Lorient, Brest also managed 50 goals but were let down defensively and let in 66. The talented LB Romain Perraud has been snapped up by Southampton, and Finnish international Jere Uronen has been signed from Genk to fill his shoes. The impressive attacking midfielder Romain Favire is attracting interest and would be a loss if he goes.

As noted above, Michel der Zakarian has taken over as coach. If he can improve them at the back, they should be okay.

Prediction: 14th

One to watch: Franck Honorat. The winger provided 8 goals and 5 assists last season.

Nantes – After a very poor start to the season, Antoine Kombouare’s arrival in February led to a revival in Nantes’ fortunes and they survived via the relegation play-off, defeating Toulouse on away goals.

Randal Kolo Muani impressed, and was one of the few French players at the Olympics who did well. Ludovic Blas and Moses Simon also caught the eye. Imran Louza has joined Watford for €10m and will be missed, but the signing of Wylan Cyprien on loan from Parma looks good business.

If they can carry on their form at the end of last season then they should be able to avoid the drop.

Prediction: 15th

One to watch: Ludovic Blas. 10 goals and 4 assists came from Blas last season and he was one of the key players in the relegation/promotion play-off. His ability to create chances will be important.

Troyes – Now owned by City Football Group, the Ligue 2 winners have picked the bones of relegated Nimes and Dijon by signing forwards Renaud Ripart and Mama Balde respectively. Their top scorer in Ligue 2 was Tunisian international Yoann Touzghar with 16 goals.

Promoted sides have done well in recent years and with their powerful connections, they may have enough to stay up and build for the future.

Prediction: 17th

One to watch: Renaud Ripart. His 11 goals weren't enough to keep Nimes up but he should prove a useful signing for Troyes.

Clermont Foot – A new face, Clermont will compete in Ligue 1 for the first time in their history. Their top scorer last season was Guinea international Mohamed Bayo, who topped the Ligue 2 scoring charts with 22 goals. He is reportedly attracting interest from other clubs which would be a concern for their fans. Kosovo winger Elbasan Rashani has signed, while Gabon and Benin internationals, Jim Allevinah and Jodel Dossou, chipped in with 12 goals each in Ligue 2.

Survival would constitute a good first season.

Prediction: 18th

One to watch: Mohamed Bayo. Assuming he stays, he will hope to carry his goal threat into Ligue 1.

Mr.Nice Guy

Weird, this is posting twice. Anyway, Monaco vs Nantes tonight at 8pm on BT Sport 2. Boadu up top for Monaco, and Nubel starts in goal.

Mr.Nice Guy

Monaco vs Nantes ends 1-1. Good start to the game by Monaco and a nicely taken goal by Gelson Martins but Nantes scored against the run of a play with a Castelletto header before half-time and Monaco were poor after that. Closest they came was in the final minute when Emond cleared off the line.

Work to do for Kovac. Boadu didn't have the best debut with his closest chance being early on when he got around the keeper only to fire wide. Nantes deserved their point and Pallois put in a good shift in defence.

Mr.Nice Guy

PSG win away at Troyes 2-1, coming from a goal down. I was impressed with Troyes. They knocked it about well and had it not been for Navas, they would have got something from the game. I'd like to see more of them.

It was a sluggish performance from Paris. Kimpembe looked quite shaky at the back and Diallo at LB wasn't very convincing. Mbappe was fairly hit and miss overall. They will have better players to come back at least. Might even have Messi in the squad for next week if rumours are to be believed.

Didn't see the early game but Lyon were held 1-1 by Brest.

Mr.Nice Guy

Entertaining game between Metz and Lille that ends 3-3. Metz were leading 3-1 until they went down to 10 men and the momentum changed. Thought they were naive at the end not going for the corner flag and trying to score a fourth. Lille got the ball back, went on the attack and Yilmaz got a 97th minute equaliser.

Not a great start for the old boss Galtier at Nice as they were held 0-0 at home by Reims. Clermont Foot looked good in their first Ligue 1 game, beating Bordeaux 2-0 away. Bordeaux were very poor. Striker Bayo looks like he could have a strong season and is off the mark with a goal. Rennes drew 1-1 and new signing Sulemana scored a lovely goal.

Marseille came from 2-0 down to beat Montpellier 3-2 in another entertaining, evening game. Sadly, the game was marred by the Montpellier fans throwing projectiles, one of which hit Valentin Rongier in the face while he was warming up, bloodying his mouth. Lovely goal by Laborde for Montpellier:

https://twitter.com/btsportfootball/status/1424452084318019589

Big game next Saturday sees Christophe Galtier return to Lille with new side Nice. Also might see Lionel Messi in the PSG squad for their home game against Strasbourg.

Mr.Nice Guy

So weird to see Messi in another kit.

https://twitter.com/ConflitsFrance/status/1425182259561308165

A lot of people excited about seeing Messi alongside Neymar and Mbappe, but I can't wait to see him and Ramos on the same side! That's going to be so surreal.

In other news, Monaco beat Sparta Prague 3-1 tonight (5-1 on aggregate) to progress to the next round of Champions League qualifying where they will face Shakhtar for a place in the group stage. That looks a real tricky tie on paper as Shakhtar can be a handful for any team. Don't normally like the CL qualifiers but that looks a cracking tie.

greendom

Messi's signing may be bad news for competitiveness in Ligue 1 but it should be good for the health of the league for the next couple of seasons.

It should help with tv rights which are a major issue at the moment and should increase attendances at least when PSG are in town

Mr.Nice Guy

Monaco now winless from two after Lorient beat them 1-0. Terem Moffi won the pen and converted it. Had half an eye on it and Monaco didn't look good at all. Early days, but Boadu is struggling in the league. He was hooked before the hour mark. It took Jonathan David time to get going at Lille, so maybe he will come good. I'm surprised Kovac is starting him over Ben Yedder rather than introducing him off the bench.

PSG vs Strasbourg is live on BT Sport 2 tomorrow from 8pm. Not sure if Messi will feature. Maybe he will be in the stands.

Mr.Nice Guy

PSG beat Strasbourg 4-2. Icardi, Mbappe, Draxler and Sarabia with the goals. Mbappe also had a hand in two of the goals and was the best player on the park. Messi was watching from the stands. Felt sorry for Strasbourg as they got no luck tonight. Mbappe's goal took a wicked deflection, and Icardi looked offside to me for his goal, but apparently there are new rules to give advantages to attackers...

https://twitter.com/donhutch4/status/1426621092400181248

It was 3-0 PSG at half-time but Gameiro and Ajorque scored to get them back into it, only for Djiku to be sent off for a harsh second yellow. Sarabia then settled it. Poch will be concerned about some of the defending as that's 3 goals conceded in 2 games. Kimpembe in particular looks off and was beaten aerially for both goals tonight - the Ajorque goal was a brilliant header that beat Navas from a good way out.

In the early game, Christophe Galtier went back to his old club Lille and smashed them 4-0 with new side Nice. Dolberg got a brace.

retalivity

I paid littke attention to club football all summer, why did the Lille boss head to Nice?

Mr.Nice Guy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117756027#Comment_117756027

Lille's financial situation is really bad and players were going to have to be sold. Galtier had interest from Lyon and Napoli reportedly, but chose Nice as they are backed by British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe who seems ready to splash the cash.

Speaking of Lyon, Angers have just beaten them 3-0. Not a good start for new coach Peter Bosz. Marcelo had a shocker at the back and scored a comical O.G.

Mr.Nice Guy

Scary moment in the Marseille/Bordeaux game on BT Sport as Samuel Kalu collapsed right before Payet was about to take a free-kick. All the players were frantically calling for medical attention. After being looked over by medics on the sidelines, they're allowing him to continue.

Update: after a few minutes of leaving him out there, they are subbing him off. He didn't look right when they let him continue. Crazy decision to try and let him carry on.

The game ends 2-2. Marseille threw that away as they were in complete control at half-time, leading 2-0. Lovely solo goal by Payet too. Petkovic's 2 subs, Pembele and Oudin, turned it around. Oudin with a great volley.

Plenty of goals in the other games. Reims vs Montpellier ends 3-3 and Lens vs St. Etienne was another 2-2. Clermont beat Troyes 2-0 in the battle of the promoted sides; Bayo got both goals after getting one last week. Good start to the season for Nantes as they beat Metz 2-0 after drawing 1-1 with Monaco last week.

Nice vs Marseille next Sunday looks the best game of the third round. Also worth keeping an eye on PSG's visit to Brest on Friday as Messi might make his debut.

Mr.Nice Guy

Teams for tonight's game at 8pm:

Brest XI: Bizot; Pierre-Gabriel, Chardonnet, Brassier, Uronen; Belkebia, M'Bock; Honorat, Faivre, Cardona; Mounie.

PSG XI: Navas; Hakimi, Kehrer, Kimpembe, Diallo; Gueye, Verratti, Herrera; Wijnaldum; Icardi, Mbappe.

Messi won't be making his debut as he's not in the final squad. Donnarumma is on the bench. Looks like Wijnaldum will be playing in a more advanced role like he does for the Dutch team.

Full-time: it ends 4-2 to PSG. Really entertaining contest. Brest gave it a great go but were let down by their new keeper Bizot who was poor for PSG's opener and the 3rd goal. Issues for Poch in defence as this is 5 goals conceded in the opening 3 games. Kimpembe not good for Brest's 2nd goal, and Diallo vulnerable at times in the LB spot. PSG are missing a top LB to complete them. Hakimi played well. Lovely goal here by Brest, although Navas should have done better:

https://twitter.com/btsportfootball/status/1428811899999764480

Think Donnarumma will start the next game.

Mr.Nice Guy

Monaco's awful start to the season continues as they lose 2-0 at home to Lens. They've picked up just 1 point from 9 and scored just the solitary goal.

Had a look at St. Etienne's game with Lille which ended 1-1. Draw was a fair result.

Looking forward to Nice vs Marseille tomorrow evening. Marseille under Sampaoli are a great watch and should give Galtier's Nice a game.

dr.kenneth noisewater

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117786548#Comment_117786548

Whats gone wrong at Monaco? Bad result midweek in the CL also

Mr.Nice Guy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117786651#Comment_117786651

It's surprising. Seems like a combination of poor individual errors and Kovac not knowing his right attack. Their new signing Boadu has struggled since he arrived.

Mr.Nice Guy

Fantastic early game between Lyon and Ligue 1's new boys Clermont that ends 3-3. Lyon were leading 3-1 heading into the last 10 minutes but super sub Rashani grabbed a brace to earn a point. Clermont even nearly won it 4-3 at the end but Bayo dragged his shot wide. Loud jeers from the Lyon fans at the end and Peter Bosz is under some early pressure already.

It had started so well for them with a lovely goal by Paqueta. Won't see many better goals this weekend.

https://twitter.com/Ale_Lozetti/status/1429430814484348937

Mr.Nice Guy

Crazy scenes in the Nice/Marseille game. The Nice fans have been chucking bottles all day and Payet lost patience after being hit, throwing one back into the crowd. That led to a big melee, with fans streaming on to the pitch to try and attack the players, and some players scuffling among themselves.

Sampaoli has just been sent off as well. Game could be called off here. Real shame as it was a good contest with Nice leading 1-0 via Dolberg's goal.

https://twitter.com/btsportfootball/status/1429548029116305408

Looks like a Marseille staff member with an orange vest punches one of the Nice fans (about 22 seconds in the above clip).

Update: The madness continues as Nice players come out to finish the game along with the officials but Marseille refuse to play on. Payet has a mark on his back from the bottle thrown while Guendouzi and Peres have marks on their necks. Sampaoli absolutely fuming in the tunnel.

Not sure what happens now. Do Nice get awarded the win because Marseille refused to carry on? Do they order the whole game replayed? Will Nice have the game awarded against them for the incessant throwing of bottles? A lot of questions to be answered.

Real shame that a great weekend of football with the Brest/PSG game and Lyon/Clermont has been overshadowed by this embarrassing episode that will grab all the headlines.

Rossi IRL

3-0 win to Nice apparently

Very dangerous precedent has been set with that

Pathetic Nice fans well able to give it but lose their **** when someone gives it back

irelandrover

Is the game still given as a 3-0 to Nice? Seems very strange that your players can be attacked and you forfeit the game for refusing to play.

Mr.Nice Guy

Had a look at Lyon's 1-0 win over Nantes tonight via Dembele's goal. Peter Bosz gets a first win but he needed Lopes to make a bunch of saves, while new CB signing Da Silva got sent off. Their defence looks really dodgy. Was hoping Shaqiri would debut but they kept him on the bench, although Emerson did debut at LB and did well. They had him on corner duty and he put in some good crosses. Caqueret had a shocker and was hooked at half-time. Aouar had some nice moments and could well be snapped up before the window shuts.

Marseille vs St Etienne is the TV offering tomorrow and Marseille usually provide drama (on and off the pitch). The big one to watch will be Sunday's evening game of Reims versus PSG as the French media report that Messi will make his first start.

Mr.Nice Guy

Good 3-1 win for Marseille over St. Etienne tonight. Guendouzi and Gerson got their first goals. Thought Saliba put in an impressive display. Payet did well also and looks like he's enjoying himself again. Lovely curling strike by Under from outside the box for the third goal.

Nice earlier beat Bordeaux 4-0, with Gouiri bagging a brace. They've just signed Andy Delort as well for €10m, one of the better strikers in Ligue 1. They should pack a punch up top this season.

Confirmed earlier by Poch that Mbappe, Neymar and Messi are in the PSG squad for tomorrow evening's game at Reims. We might see the three of them in action for the one and only time. Icardi is out for a few weeks with a shoulder injury. Game kicks off at 7:45pm.

Mr.Nice Guy

Messi on the bench for tonight's game with Reims. Pochettino says he will get minutes, so I'm guessing he comes on in the final twenty or so. Interestingly, Mbappe starts up top. Neymar also starts. Navas continues in goal ahead of Donnarumma which surprises me.

In the early games, Monaco and Lille picked up their first wins of the season against Troyes and Montpellier respectively. Good win for Angers over Rennes, and they've 10 points from 12 so far.

Mr.Nice Guy

Messi came on against Reims for the last 25 minutes.

https://twitter.com/btsportfootball/status/1432073743652818946

It was a pretty quiet cameo in truth. PSG won 2-0 thanks to 2 goals from Mbappe. Reims gave a good account of themselves and had a decent amount of chances. Navas didn't look too convincing at times. He's playing like a keeper who knows his position is in jeopardy.

Mr.Nice Guy

Lorient beat Lille 2-1 tonight. Terem Moffi caught the eye once again with a goal and an assist, the latter involving him barging his way through Lille's defence. Really surprised no team went for him as he looks a great prospect. Him and his partner Lauriente will cause a lot of problems this season. Lille were really poor, giving the ball away so cheaply. I can see them getting slapped around in the Champions League if they play like this.

The punishments for the Nice/Marseille fiasco were revealed:

https://twitter.com/brfootball/status/1435932742580150276

Marseille are away to Monaco tomorrow evening which should be interesting.

Mr.Nice Guy

Monaco beaten 2-0 at home by Marseille and they couldn't manage a shot on target all game. Just 4 points from their opening 5 games for Kovac's side. Surprised considering how consistently good they were earlier in the year. Sampaoli doing very well at OM.

PSG comfortable winners over new boys Clermont in the early game, winning 4-0. Donnarumma made his debut. Navas may not get back in the side for a while.

Mr.Nice Guy

More misery for Bordeaux. They were 2-0 down at home to Lens and then got it back to 2-2 with an 88th minute equaliser, only for Lens to win it in the 96th minute. That leaves them with just 2 points from a possible 15, and bottom of the table. Petkovic must be wondering what he's got himself into, going from a very good Swiss side at the Euros to this awful team.

Had half an eye on Nice's 2-0 win over Nantes earlier. Nantes had better chances but couldn't finish their dinner. Bit of a smash and grab from Galtier's side with goals from Dolberg and Gouiri. They haven't lost a game or conceded a goal yet.

Mr.Nice Guy

Watched Bordeaux's 2-1 win at St. Etienne which got a bit crazy when the rain started bucketing down. The ball was holding up on the pitch and players were sliding everywhere. Ref would have been within his rights to stop it but he didn't. Important first win for Petkovic that takes Bordeaux off bottom place and up to 14th. Hwang Ui-jo with a brace and the second goal was well taken. PSG loanee Pembele played well too and cleared off the line.

Champions Lille beaten 1-0 away to Lens in the early game. That's just one 1 win in 6 for Gourvennec so far.

Some tasty televised games tomorrow. Nice vs Monaco is at noon, Marseille vs Rennes at 4pm, and then PSG vs Lyon in the 7:45pm evening game. Messi is still looking for his first PSG goal. Lyon are coming off a good performance against Rangers a few days ago which might give them a bit of confidence.

Mr.Nice Guy

Teams for PSG vs Lyon which kicks off at 7:45:

PSG XI: Donnarumma; Kehrer, Marquinhos, Kimpembe, Mendes; Herrera, Gueye; Di Maria, Messi, Neymar; Mbappe.

Lyon XI: Lopes; Gusto, Boateng, Denayer, Emerson; Caqueret, Guimaraes; Shaqiri, Paqueta, Toko Ekambi; Slimani.

I like this attacking line-up by Poch. Nuno Mendes looked good when he came on as sub against Brugge.

Had half an eye on Marseille vs Rennes earlier which Marseille won 2-0. That's 13 points from 15 for them so far. Bamba Dieng got a third goal in 2 games and looks an exciting prospect. He's been compared to Sadio Mane as he's also from Senegal. There are similarities to their games, although the guy is still young. Interested to see if he can sustain this over the season.

Mr.Nice Guy

1-0 Lyon. Paqueta beats Donnarumma at his near post after a nice ball by Toko Ekambi.

1-1. Neymar levels it up from the spot after he went down from youngster Malo Gusto's challenge in the box. Looked a harsh pen to me. Thought Neymar had a hold of him. Just over 20 minutes to go.

2-1 PSG. Sub Icardi with a 93rd minute header from Mbappe's cross to surely win it.

retalivity

Messi throwing his toys out of the pram already?

https://twitter.com/IntChampionsCup/status/1439687976791982080

Mr.Nice Guy

Messi didn't look happy coming off, although I didn't think he was at his best. He hit the crossbar with a free in the first half but did little besides that. I thought Neymar looked the most impressive of the attackers. Poch probably would have got a lot of stick if it ended 1-1 as Paris were below par but he did sub on Icardi who proved the winner.

Harsh result on Lyon who played well. Still don't think Neymar should have got the penalty as it looks like he tugs on Gusto at first. Boateng and Denayer look like they will be a good CB partnership. Paqueta played well in attack.

Mr.Nice Guy

Watched Monaco beat St. Etienne 3-1. Ben Yedder did a Mark Noble, coming on to take a pen with his first touch - except Ben Yedder managed to score, and later a volley too. England u21 keeper Green was sent off in the first half. Impressed by Fofana in midfield for Monaco who looks another great prospect. Less impressed by Badiashile and Nubel who were poor for St. Etienne's goal. Not feeling the hype for those two.

Plenty of goals in the other games: Rennes thrashed new boys Clermont Foot 6-0, Montpellier and Bordeaux drew 3-3, Nantes beat Brest 3-1, while Lille beat Reims 2-1.

5 more games to come at 8pm with BT Sport showing Metz vs PSG. Messi's injured, so Neymar, Icardi and Mbappe lead the line. Navas in goal over Donnarumma. Spurs loanee Pape Sarr starts for Metz. Keen to see how their centre-forward Ibrahima Niane fares versus Kimpembe and Marquinhos.

Mr.Nice Guy

1-1 between Metz and PSG at half-time. Hakimi gave Paris an early lead but a Kouyate header from a corner made it 1-1. Metz nearly went into the break leading but Navas saved 1v1 from Lamine Gueye after a brilliant ball by Niane.

Some surprising scores in the other games. Nice 1-0 down at Lorient while Lyon 1-0 down at home to Troyes. Marseille goalless at Angers.

Mr.Nice Guy

Another late show for PSG as they win it 2-1 via Hakimi's 95th minute winner. Hate the way that game ended. Dylan Bronn got sent off a few minutes beforehand for stupidly kicking the ball away, which led to Metz coach Antonetti getting sent off for his protests. Metz keeper Oukidja lost his head after the Paris winner and was lucky not to get sent off too. I thought the second yellow was justified, although I did think the ref blew up early. Harsh on Metz who now slip to bottom position.

In the other games, Lyon turned it around to beat Troyes 3-1 with Shaqiri getting his first goal; Marseille were held to a goalless draw at Angers; Nice were beaten 1-0 by Lorient; and Strasbourg won 1-0 at Lens.

Mr.Nice Guy

Watched PSG beat Montpellier 2-0. An early goal from Idrissa Gueye, as well as an 88th minute goal from sub Draxler sealed the win. Herrera and Gueye played well but it wasn't a great performance. Montpellier asked questions but didn't have the quality in the final third to make it count, and the set pieces were below par. Mavididi played well up top for Montpellier and looks like he is ready to kick on this season. The RB Junior Sambia did well too.

In the early games, Lyon were held 1-1 by Lorient; Emerson got sent off in that one. Lille beat Strasbourg 2-1 thanks to a Jonathan David brace. Solid 3-0 win for Nice at St. Etienne that sees St. Etienne slip to bottom of the table. Puel's side haven't won a game and have lost 5 on the trot. He has hung on in the past after bad runs but he's under massive pressure now, and they host arch rivals Lyon next Sunday.

Mr.Nice Guy

2-2 at half-time between Marseille and Lens. Very enjoyable game. Lens took a 2 goal lead but a Payet free-kick and penalty have levelled it. Goal of the game was this brilliant strike from Frankowski:

https://twitter.com/btsportfootball/status/1442209775081639939

Frankowski has proven to be a great signing.

Full-time and Lens beat Marseille 3-2. Sub Wesley Said with the winner, minutes after missing a great chance one on one. Outstanding performance from Lens' Seko Fofana in midfield. Sotoca and Frankowski also did well. Payet was Marseille's best player but they were disappointing. Saliba with an awful display.

Lens now leapfrog Marseille into 2nd. They look a proper side. Franck Haise doing a great job there.

Mr.Nice Guy

Rennes leading PSG 1-0 at half-time. Lovely finish by Laborde on the volley from Sulemana's cross. PSG have played some nice stuff at times but haven't been clinical. Neymar and Mbappe missed chances. Messi hit the crossbar with a great free. I'd fancy PSG to go on and win it but Rennes have worked hard and Sulemana has shown some quality.

2-0 Rennes! Seconds into the 2nd half. Laborde the provider this time, setting up Tait. Work to do for PSG here.

ollie1

Not one shot on target for PSG in that match that is crazy.

Mr.Nice Guy

PSG seemed very devoid of ideas. I kept expecting them to pile on the pressure but it never looked likely. Mbappe below par. Messi good in the first half but not in the game much for the second half.

Well deserved win by Rennes and Genesio got his tactics spot on. Aguerd I thought was very impressive at CB, also Traore at RB. Laborde with a goal and assist continues his good form. Sulemana always looked dangerous from the wing too.

Agent Coulson

How long before Conte is linked to PSG, That is one club that won't tie the purse strings on him and give him all the money he wants to spend.

adaminho

https://twitter.com/OM_English/status/1444573101820370950?s=19

One of the most colourful characters in football.

NIMAN

Appears that sticking all the world's best forwards together doesn't make you good, who'd have thought it!

Mr.Nice Guy

PSG beat Angers 2-1 this evening. Felt sorry for Angers as it took an 87th minute pen from Mbappe to beat them and I thought it shouldn't have been given. Looked like Icardi pulled back defender Romain Thomas prior to the handball award that it was given for, and yet VAR didn't even look at it. Was another lacklustre PSG performance.

Should be a good evening game tomorrow at 8pm as Lyon host Monaco.

Mr.Nice Guy

Good 2-0 win by Lyon over Monaco. Paqueta came on as sub and provided a great no-look pass in the build up for the winner.

https://twitter.com/btsportfootball/status/1449477954703069187

Lille with another disappointing result in the early game, losing 1-0 to promoted side Clermont.

Mr.Nice Guy

St. Etienne hammered 5-1 away to Strasbourg. I'd be shocked if Claude Puel hangs on at this stage. They're bottom of the table and winless after 10 games.

Good 4-1 win for Marseille over Lorient; Payet got a hat-trick of assists and Guendouzi bagged a brace. Disappointing 1-0 loss for Nice at Troyes.

Benzema-like strike by Hwang Ui-jo for Bordeaux in their draw with Nantes:

https://twitter.com/btsportfootball/status/1449766919893045250

Sulemana scored a special goal for Rennes in their 3-0 win at Metz. They keep finding these gems.

https://twitter.com/staderennais/status/1450046681530212355

This equalising goal by Brest's Franck Honorat is one of the goals of the season:

https://twitter.com/SB29/status/1450082741786234891

Mr.Nice Guy

The St. Etienne/Angers match has been delayed because the home fans have broken the net by throwing fireworks. They're unhappy because they want Puel sacked (reportedly he's done if they lose tonight). Seems like every week there is trouble at a French game.

Full-time and it ends 2-2. It was looking grim for Puel as they went 2-0 down but sub Mickael Nade headed an equaliser in the 94th minute. Remains to be seen whether that saves Puel's job. Lots of boos at the final whistle and they remain winless at the bottom.

Mr.Nice Guy

Fantastic early game. Lyon leading 2-0 away to Nice going into the final 10 minutes but Galtier's side turn it around to win 3-2. Same thing happened back in April during Galtier's title-winning season with Lille as they won 3-2 from 2-0 down. They must hate him in Lyon. Great contribution off the bench from Youcef Atal who was involved in all 3 goals.

Marseille vs PSG is this evening at 7:45pm. They're usually feisty encounters.

Mr.Nice Guy

It ends 0-0 between Marseille and PSG. Poch might take that considering Hakimi got sent off near the hour mark. Decent performance from Marseille but lacking the finish when it counted. De la Fuente missed a good chance late on and Payet wasted some good free-kick opportunities. Impressive performance from Saliba, including a last ditch saving tackle to stop Mbappe. Jonathan Pearce on commentary is as unbearable as ever.

Nice play Marseille on Wednesday in the rematch of the abandoned game. Chance for both to narrow PSG's lead at the top.

Mr.Nice Guy

Amine Gouiri gives Nice the lead against Marseille for his 6th goal of the season. Saliba had a good game against PSG but he didn't do well for that goal.

1-1. Payet equalises just before the break after a lovely dummy from Milik. Nice will be kicking themselves as they've spurned good chances to be a few in front.

The replayed fixture ends 1-1 as both sides miss the chance to go 2nd. Nice had the better chances. Atal looked lively again. Galtier will be more annoyed as they led the previous abandoned fixture 1-0 going into the final 15 minutes.

Mr.Nice Guy

Lille leading PSG 1-0 at the Parc des Princes after a half an hour. David with the goal from Yimaz's assist. Lille have been the better side and Renato Sanches is having a fine game so far. Donnarumma had to make a great stop from Yilmaz. Really poor, sluggish performance from Paris up to now. Maybe the goal will liven them up. No Mbappe up top due to illness but Messi, Neymar and Di Maria leading the line.

1-1. Marquinhos converts from a nice ball by Di Maria. About 15 minutes to go. Poch needs a win here. He subbed Messi for Icardi at half-time as well.

2-1 PSG. Di Maria scores after a lovely lay-off from Neymar. Looks like Poch will get the win.

Full-time and PSG get the win. Lille left to rue the missed chances of Yilmaz in the first half and Bamba in the second. Di Maria PSG's best player while Poch's big call of taking off Messi worked out in the end. He was very disappointing.

Can't help but wonder how long PSG's attackers can keep bailing them out. I can't see them challenging for the Champions League on this form. I'd fancy City, Bayern, Liverpool and Chelsea to have too much for them as it stands.