Ligue 1: Can Lille go the distance and clinch the title?

For the past few years, PSG have undoubtedly been the team to beat in Ligue 1. However, Lille looks set to pose a major threat to the status quo this season. Les Dogues currently find themselves in top spot, and have not PSG, but Lyon on their heels. In fact, the reigning champs sit in third place heading into matchday 25, and they themselves will need to be wary as Monaco, who is the only other team to win the Ligue 1 title besides PSG in recent times, are just three points behind in fourth.

With four different teams in contention to clinch the Ligue 1 title, this season has arguably been more interesting. Still, Lille’s ascent to the top of the table – and the fact that Christophe Galtier’s side have largely maintained their position – is something that has really gotten fans buzzing. Could this be the season in which another team finally end PSG’s dominance? Lille’s last title win was in 2011, which coincidentally happens to be just before Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) decided to buy PSG. They finished in fourth place last year, so perhaps their performances this term shouldn’t entirely be a shock. Since matchday four, Lille haven’t dropped below third place and are presently on a six-game winning streak ahead of their tie with Brest on Valentine’s Day.

So far, they’ve lost just twice – an impressive feat considering that the reigning champs have already lost five matches – and have been quite solid in defense. Although they rank behind PSG, Monaco, and Lyon in terms of goals scored, Lille have conceded just 15 times this season. That puts them only behind PSG in terms of strongest back-line, and over the course of their current six-game winning streak, Galtier’s men have conceded just one goal. Les Dogues have also performed very well against their fellow title contenders: so far, they’ve drawn both PSG and Lyon and beaten Monaco, who are experiencing a recent surge lately.

What makes Lille quite notable is they may not have mega-signings like Kylian Mbappe and Neymar, but they have no problems scoring goals. And the goals are quite evenly spread among the squad. 35-year-old striker Burak Yılmaz is presently the team’s top marksman with nine goals, and he’s closely followed by fellow Turkish international Yusuf Yazıcı (seven goals). But the most exciting development has been the progress of their younger players, including French international Jonathan Bamba, Canadian international Jonathan David, and American international Timothy Weah.

Of the three, who are 24, 21, and 20 respectively, Weah may be the name that rings a bell for some followers as he’s the son of legendary striker George Weah. But lately, it’s David who is making the headlines. With seven goals so far, four of which have come in his last four matches, David has been helping to spearhead Lille’s offensive efforts as they aim to stay ahead of Lyon and especially PSG. Lille will come into their upcoming tie against Brest having beaten Nantes 2-0, and it was David who proved to be the deciding factor. In fact, his two goals makes him the first Canadian international to score a brace in Europe’s “Big 5” leagues in nearly ten years; the last Canadian to do so was Junior Hoilett for Blackburn in 2012.

Weah, who at one point was on PSG’s books, has had his struggles with fitness and form this term, which has restricted him to just three goals so far. However, the USMNT forward has seemingly put those frustrations behind him and subsequently has been able to get more involved up front. Many Canadian and American supporters have high hopes for the young duo, who coincidentally both just so happened to be born in Brooklyn, New York, and have the potential to form a real devastating partnership up front.

But Lille’s quest to win their first Ligue 1 title in a decade won’t be easy. Lyon, who finished seventh last season and made a run to the Champions League semi-finals, have also been having a very strong season. Rudi Garcia’s side moved into the top three spots after matchday 11 last November and haven’t relinquished that since. Les Gones even briefly flirted with top spot before slipping down slightly into second, and like Lille, have also been on a winning streak as of late.

Lyon will come into their upcoming clash with Montpellier having won their last four games. And like Lille, they’ve been very strong defensively, with just one goal conceded during that run. Memphis Depay, who endured a frustrating time at Manchester United, is again in fine fettle this year, and with 13 goals, is only beaten by World Cup winner Kylian Mbappe, who has 16. Unlike Lille, however, Lyon doesn’t have any European football to focus on, as they missed out on a Europa League spot. This means that Garcia doesn’t have to worry about overextending his team as the players get a lot more rest in between games, and they have fully used that to their advantage.

Like Lille, Lyon are hoping to win what would be their first Ligue 1 title in over a decade. Before PSG became flush with cash, Lyon were the side to beat. all of their titles have taken place since the turn of the century, and they still hold the record for most consecutive trophies in a row (seven). 2008, however, turned out to be the last season Les Gones were on the winners podium, as after them it was Bordeaux, followed by Marseille, Lille, and then Montpellier. And since the 2012/2013 season, only Monaco, who won it in 2016/2017, has been able to prevent Les Parisiens from clinching the coveted title. In fact, because of Monaco, PSG have not been able to overtake Lyon’s record for back-to-back titles. Had they won it in 2016/2017, PSG would have won eight straight since 2012, thus surpassing Lyon’s achievement in the last decade.

So, do Lille have what it takes to become the first side since Monaco to beat PSG to the league title? Well, there are 14 games left in the season, including this weekend’s batch of fixtures. At the moment, they have a three-point lead over Les Parisiens, who notably sacked Thomas Tuchel mid-season and now have brought in ex-Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino to turn things around. Then there’s Lyon, who are only two points behind. That’s not a sizeable margin, and as such, expect the lead to change between three sides – potentially four if Monaco continues working up the table – between now and the end of the term.

Key for Lille will be how they perform in the reverse fixtures against Lyon and PSG. If they can win both, they certainly do stand a real chance of ending PSG’s dominance and finally earn the trophy that’s eluded them for a decade: the Ligue 1 title.