Ligue 1 2022/23 season preview

Bol News brings you a detailed view about what to expect from the upcoming season in French football

The 2022/23 season of Ligue 1 will kick off on August 06 with a match between Lyon and Ajaccio. Meanwhile, the defending champions, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) will play their opening contest against Clermont Foot on August 07.

Ahead of the thrilling French league season, Bol News analysed all 20 teams competing in the tournament and tried to predict their fate.                                                                                     

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG)

PSG will enter the field with a new manager, Christophe Galtier, who joined the team after the departure of Mauricio Pochettino due to a disappointing Champions League run.

The French giants seem to have a decent blend of experienced and young players. The Qatar-owned football club spent heavily during the last transfer window, acquiring the services of Lionel Messi, Sergio Ramos and Gianluigi Donnarumma.

However, this time, they have focused more on roping in youngsters with bright future in the likes of Vitinha (€41million), Nuno Mendes (€38m) and Nordi Mukiele (€12m).

These young guns running alongside Messi, Neymar, Mbappe and Ramos will form a scary combination for any opposition. 

Lyon

For now, it looks like PSG are miles away from any other team in the competition. However, if there is one team that can challenge the Marquinhos-led side, it has to be Lyon.

Lyon had their worst run of the 21st century in the previous season, ending up at the eighth position. Still, they are a threat to the expected table-toppers because of their retained stars, Lucas Paqueta, Karl Toko Ekambi and Houssem Aouar.

Moreover, Les Gones have made some great strides during the current transfer window.

Alexandre Lacazette and Corentin Tolisso returned to their roots from Arsenal and Bayern Munich, respectively, while Nicolas Tagliafico jumped from Ajax.

These signings and retentions put enough firepower at head coach Peter Bosz’s disposal to go for the prestigious title and a spot in the Champions League.

Marseille

Marseille fans will be hoping against the hope that their team will make it big in the upcoming season.

The charismatic Argentine manager Jorge Sampaoli is no longer at Stade Velodrome. The man, who led Marseille to the second spot in 2021/22, is replaced by Igor Tudor, who inspired Hellas Verona to a mid-table Serie A finish last season.

However, only time will tell whether Tudor will be able to fill Sampaoli’s shoes or he will end up a disappointment.

Moreover, Marseille did not make the most out of the transfer window, apart from a couple of good calls, including the signing of Granada striker Luis Suarez (€10m), French winger Jonathan Clauss (€7.5m) and Mattéo Guendouzi (€12m). 

Lille

The 2021 Ligue 1 champions, Lille, had a disastrous last season, ending up at the 10th spot in the league.

Jocelyn Gourvennec could not formulate a successful plan for his team during the whole season and they suffered a painful blow.

The Mastiffs have lost their reliable players Sven Botman and Zeki Çelik, which can further pose threat to their pursuit of the trophy.

Having said that, all is not lost by Lille. Now, the club will play with renewed energy under the supervision of their new manager Paulo Fonseca, which is considered a strong decision.

Furthermore, the Mastiffs have strengthened their midfield by taking experience Remy Cabella and Jonas Martin on board, while Yusuf Yazici has also returned to the ranks.

Meanwhile, the addition of the Guinean striker from Clermont Foot, Mohamed Bayo, bought for €14 million, will help their strike force.

The replication of the 2021 performance of the club seems to be farfetched, but they can aim to end the season in the top five. 

Stade Rennes

Rennes were impressive in the previous season. They played 38 games, winning 20, losing 12 and drawing six contests.

Their last campaign in Ligue 1 proved that if they manage to maintain their consistency, they can be a serious contender to finish on the podium.

In 2021-22 season, they were well on course to book a Champions League berth; however, a string of poor performances cost them a place in the Europe’s elite club competition as they finished three points behind Monaco.

This season, the side have managed to keep their star performers, except Nayef Aguerd and Mathys Tel, who joined West Ham and Bayern Munich, respectively.

Under the guidance of their manager Bruno Genesio, if they can somehow continue their killing instinct, they might emerge as a challenger for a Champions League spot.

Stade de Reims

Oscar Garcia will be managing Stade de Reims for the second season when they start their Ligue 1 campaign on August 07.

The team had occupied only 12th place on the table, however, it was satisfying for General Manager Mathieu Lacour, calling it exceptional performance.

However, the situation does not look favourable for the club. Though they have tried to strengthen their squad by signing Andreaw Gravillon and Emmanuel Agbadou, the departure Pedrag Rajkovic and Hugo Ekitike can be bruising for them.

Garcia is still hoping to make things better for his team by striking a couple of powerful deals in this transfer window.

FC Lorient

Lorient had a decent start in the previous season, facing just one defeat in their first nine games. However, in the latter part of the league, they lost their way and came very close to being relegated from the elite group of French clubs.

They secured 36 points in the tournament with eight wins, 18 losses and 12 draws. The Breton club will heavily depend on the young blood in the upcoming season and under the coaching of their new manager, Régis Le Bris.

The management has tweaked and tuned the squad quite a bit and has mainly focused on the return of players on loan. Their primary objective will be to retain the spot in the top tier. 

AS Monaco

Monaco have been consistent performers in the French league. They were placed third in the previous season and it was the second consecutive time that they captured the spot.

Now, they have spiced up the affairs by making some promising signings and it does not look like a difficult task for them to at least occupy the third spot yet again.

Philippe Clement, who replaced Niko Kovac midway through the previous campaign, has already proved his mettle during his trophy-laden run at Club Brugge.

He was instantly able to replicate his performance in France by transforming an average side into the frontrunners for the glory.

This season, they have former Liverpool attacker Takumi Minamino and ex-Bundesliga star Breel Embolo in their arsenal.

However, the departure of Aurélien Tchouameni to Real Madrid for €80 million may shake them a bit. All in all, Monaco will be a force to reckon with. 

OGC Nice

The four-time Ligue 1 champions OGC Nice finished fifth in the previous instalment of the league.

British business tycoon Jim Ratcliffe has taken over the club and he is ambitious to take his team to new heights.

In a bid to achieve his goal, he called back Lucien Favre to replace Christophe Galtier, who joined PSG.

They have already completed their ‘dream’ deal with former Leicester goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel and are close to signing Manchester United’s left-back Alex Telles.

In the current scenario, Nice’s fans should not expect something extravagant from their team in the next season; however, the new manager is determined to improve his team and end up in the top three consistently.  

RC Strasbourg Alsace

RC Strasbourg Alsace is truly a success story. The club, founded in 1906, had a miserable decade, where they were liquidated and relegated to the fifth division in the country.

It took RCSA merely five years to rise from the ashes and once again compete with the elite football clubs in the country.

Just last season, they ended up in the sixth spot, which is their best performance since 1980.

With constant improvement, the team is looking to reach the top. Moreover, with the recruitment of new manager Julien Stéphan, who is becoming a respected figure in the French football, they are on a right track.

They have also strengthened their defence by signing Ronaël Pierre-Gabriel and are further looking to improve their attack, chasing Lyon’s Tino Kadewere.

Lens

Lens have not been a side that can challenge the top teams of the tournament for the trophy. Despite an impressive win against Inter Milan in a pre-season game, not much is expected from them.

Last season, Les Sang were seventh on the table and they will be aiming for a top-five finish this time around.

The fans and management are also sweating over a potential move of their captain and star player Seko Fofana to Newcastle, Arsenal, Tottenham or Leeds United as he has been a player in demand.

Manager Franck Haise is confident about the 27-year-old’s loyalty is to the club. If Fofana decides to leave the team, Lens will be in deeper trouble as striker Corentin Jean has already joined Inter Miami. 

Nantes

Nantes have come a long way in a year. In 2020-21, they ranked 18th and had to play relegation playoffs to make it among the big boys.

The next season, they played 38 matches, won 15, drew 10 and lost 13, earning the ninth position on the charts.

The team looks promising with the addition of experienced Moussa Sissoko on the bench on which they spent €2 million.

The Canaries can pose some serious challenges to almost all the teams competing in the competition.

Stade Brestois

Brestois had a decent 2021/22 season as they rose from the 17th rank to 11th, winning 13 of their 38 games, while losing and drawing 16 and nine, respectively.

Michel Der Zakarian, the team manager, has strived to strengthen the squad by adding midfielder Pierre Lees-Melou in the ranks at the price of €2.30 million and right-back Noah Fadiga.

With the departure of Denys Bain, Julien Faussurier, Noe Sow and Ronael Pierre-Gabriel, their defence might have become fragile.

Brestois will have to fill the gaps created by the departing players, otherwise, it can cost them dearly during the season.

Montpellier HSC

Montpellier HSC have a bunch of young players as the average age of their team is merely 23.7 years.

The club has not taken any drastic steps to improve their last year’s show, where they were 13th in the competition.

Their total spending during the transfer window has been €500,000, with which they bought right-back Falaye Sacko from Vitória Guimarães SC.

Meanwhile, they released their star midfielder Florent Mollet to FC Schalke for the same price. It looks like the fans will not have much to celebrate during the season. 

Angers SCO

Angers SCO won 10 of their 38 encounters and lost 17, while drawing 11 in the last season. Overall, they earned 41 points to secure the 14th spot on the table.

However, in the upcoming season, Angers might drop further in the table as they let go their star centre-forward, Mohamed-Ali Cho, to Real Sociedad for €11 million, attacking midfielder Angelo Fulgini for €5 million to FSV Mainz and another midfielder Jimmy Cabot to Lens for €2 million.

There have been just two major signings by the club so far centre-back Cédric Hountondji and centre-forward Adrien Hunou for €2 million and €1.5 million, respectively. Gerald Baticle’s men probably have a tough journey ahead. 

ESTAC Troyes

Troyes were promoted to the top-tier of the French football clubs in 2020-21 and they did pretty decently by finishing on the 15th place on the table.

Under the supervision of manager Bruno Irles, the club is on a roll with some significant signings.

Troyes have signed right winger Sávio for €6.5 million and defenders Jackson Porozo (€3.5 million) and Andreas Bruus (€1.5 million).

However, a setback for the fans is the departure of their ace defender Giulian Biancone to Nottingham Forrest. It will be interesting to see how Troyes fare in the coming season. 

FC Toulouse

Toulouse FC are back in Ligue 1 and, according to the club, the fortune changed when they started ‘smart’ recruitment using data.

Since the club was bought by American investment fund RedBird Capital Partners, they have heavily relied on data for hiring any player.

This season, their major signings include Thijs Dallinga, Zakaria Abdoukhlal and Oliver Zanden. Meanwhile, they have lost just two players, Sam Sanna and Mamady Bangré. Toulouse fans might be in for a ride in the next season. 

Clermont Foot 63

Clermont Foot were on the verge of relegating to the second division as they finished 17th on the points table and now the situation looks even dire.

Their star centre-forward Mohamed Bayo has moved to Lille for a price of €14 million while dependable names like Salis Abdul Samed and Cédric Hountondji have also bid goodbye to the club.

The Clermont-Ferrand-based club look reluctant to spend money over signing as only two notable additions were made to the squad, Mateusz Wieteska (€1.3 million) and Komnen Andric (€1 million). 

AJ Auxerre

Auxerre have been promoted from the second division to Ligue 1. They will only be focusing on doing enough to retain their spot in the elite ranks.

The pundits are backing Auxerre to do better against the two other promoted sides, Toulouse and AC Ajaccio. The 1995-96 champions can cause an upset here and there during their run in the next edition of the league.

AC Ajaccio

Ajaccio are making a comeback in Ligue 1 after an absence of eight years. The manager, Olivier Pantaloni, has been associated with the team since 2014 and it is his third stint at the post, meaning he knows the club inside out.

The arrival of experienced Thomas Mangani and Romain Hamouma will reinforce their midfield and attack, meanwhile Mickaël Alphonse will fortify defence. All in all, the side looks balanced with youngsters and seasoned players in weaponry.