The unpredictable nature of France’s Ligue 1 has made for captivating viewing. Here with a mid-season review, making his debut for Just Football is Joe Sharratt.

In the wake of one of the most shambolic World Cup appearances of all time, France’s Ligue 1 sides could be forgiven for feeling they had a collective point to prove this season, and whilst the quality of football on offer still seems to draw its fair share of critics, the continuing unpredictability of French football has made for another highly entertaining campaign to date.

In fact, if you had studied the Ligue 1 table at any point since the middle of October you would be likely to assume you were looking at it upside down as, despite being amongst the pre-season favourites for the drop, both Saint-Etienne and Brest have taken their turn at topping the league, after early season pace setters Toulouse fell away. The success of these two plucky underdogs is due in no small part to the latest batch of young French superstars, as the free-scoring Dimitri Payet at Saint-Etienne, and the raw talent of Nolan Roux at Brest, have dazzled for their respective clubs at times this season.

Payet’s wonderful free-kick back in September to win the fiercely contested derby du Rhône against bitter rivals Lyon for the first time in sixteen years remains the defining moment of the season, and though inconsistency is a major issue for both Saint-Etienne and Brest, they should each have enough in the tank for the second half of the season to clinch the most unexpected of Europa League places.

Amongst the favourites, it was the big-money summer transfer of playmaker Yoann Gourcuff to Lyon that was meant to wrestle the championship back to les Gones before a ball had even been kicked in anger. But the enigmatic midfielder has flattered to deceive with a series of stuttering performances that have left his team languishing down in fourth place at the winter break. Argentinian striker Lisandro Lopez has also been guilty of misfiring at times and has been plagued by niggling injuries, and Lyon as a whole continue to resemble the most temperamental example of French engineering.

Champions Marseille have not fared much better. Their revolving-door transfer policy saw over €38,000,000 of new recruits added to the squad over the summer. As a result they have lacked cohesion, though if key men Loic Remy and André-Pierre Gignac can hit their stride – the latter having scored only once all season – then Marseille could well seal back-to-back titles under the watchful guidance of Didier Deschamps, provided he isn’t whisked off to a bigger club before the season is out.

Of the teams most likely to challenge Marseille for Le Championnat it is Lille and Paris Saint-Germain that have most captured the imagination. Lille’s attacking football has been a joy to watch, as the pace and guile of Belgian wing sensation Eden Hazard has proved to be the perfect compliment to stylish forwards Gervinho and Moussa Sow, a strikeforce that has amassed twenty-one goals between them in just eighteen games. Lille currently sit top of the table with the league’s best offence.

Over in the capital, Paris Saint-Germain are rolling back the years as they mount their first serious title challenge in seven years, and have a squad packed with talent. Young stars Mamadou Sakho and Clément Chantôme have progressed hugely this season, and with the midfield creativity of Stéphane Sessègnon anchored by the ever-steady Claude Makelele, as well as the explosive strike force of Nene, who has been the shining light of Ligue 1 this season with a series of sensational displays, and Guillaume Hoarau, Paris Saint-Germain should push Marseille all the way to the wire for the title.

Elsewhere Stade Rennais have defied the odds and sit third, just a point off the top, despite losing strikers Moussa Sow and Asamoah Gyan to Lille and Sunderland respectively over the summer. The loss of these key men meant many thought Rennes would struggle this season, but whilst Frédéric Antonetti’s team have lacked goals, netting only eighteen times all season, they are a well organised team with the league’s tightest defence. A first appearance in the Champions League may prove to be sadly beyond them again, unless they are able to attract a world class striker in January however.

Away from the top end of the league the real story of French football this year is the rise of AC Arles-Avignon to the top-flight of French football following four promotions in five seasons. Sadly their stay in Ligue 1 will be brief as, having only amassed eight points this season, they are certainties for the drop. Nevertheless they are one of the great footballing underdog stories of recent years, and their sole league win this season against SM Caen back in November will be remembered amongst their fans for years to come.

It’s a been a difficult season for AS Monaco too, and following a run of nine games without a win the 2004 Champions League finalists now find themselves locked in a battle to avoid relegation. Their performances of late have offered little indication that the team from the Principality have either the quality or desire to beat the drop.

That a team that was on the verge of conquering Europe just a few years ago can have fallen from grace so dramatically is true testament to the rollercoaster ride that is French football, and whilst many remain all too eager to point out its faults you would be hard pressed to find a league as entertaining and as open as Ligue 1, and long may it continue.

(pic via ellen199 on Flickr)