Ligue 1 Guide 2021/22
2021/2022 Ligue 1 Preview Guide INTRODUCTION After a historically close title race that saw four teams in the running Ligue 1 is back with no small amount of fanfare following a busy summer. Of those four sides, while Lille and Lyon have been relatively quiet as they try to consolidate under new managers, Monaco and Paris Saint-Germain have been eager participants in the mercato, buying well in a way that addresses the two sides’ needs. Nice and Rennes have also done some canny business in the offseason, to say nothing of Marseille’s flood of arrivals, but the discussions about pro- spective title favorites in France have to start and end with the capital side. Even as rumors swirl around the potential departure of Kylian Mbappé, it’s hard to argue that Paris Saint-Ger- main haven’t done their utmost to convince their young star to stay. At least, that is, if one judges by their transfer activity. The arrivals of Sergio Ramos, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Georginio Wijnaldum, and Achraf Hakimi have bolstered Mauricio Pochettino’s side in key areas whilst also adding another layer of dynamism. If he can keep his squad happy and balanced, this team looks as potent as any in Europe, Elsewhere, Monaco are probably best-equipped to challenge, even as they will have to contend with playing European football. The arrivals of Myron Boadu, Alexander Nübel and Ismail Jakobs look to be upgrades, and so long as Niko Kovac’s exciting, front-foot football remains in place and so do all of its key elements.
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