{"id":479128,"date":"2025-10-06T23:16:15","date_gmt":"2025-10-06T23:16:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/479128\/"},"modified":"2025-10-06T23:16:15","modified_gmt":"2025-10-06T23:16:15","slug":"paris-fc-are-doing-everything-right-to-challenge-psgs-hegemony-in-france-ligue-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/479128\/","title":{"rendered":"Paris FC are doing everything right to challenge PSG\u2019s hegemony in France | Ligue 1"},"content":{"rendered":"

A revolution is quietly taking place just 44 metres away from the Parc des Princes, and it could alter the footballing landscape in the French capital. \u201cParis is Magic,\u201d reads the slogan inside the Paris Saint-Germain<\/a> stadium. Those three words reflect the monopoly that PSG have held in the capital in recent decades. PSG is Paris; Paris is PSG. But for how much longer?<\/p>\n

There is no such slogan pasted atop the Stade Jean-Bouin, Paris FC\u2019s new home, where they swatted aside Lorient 2-0 on Friday, a result that has taken them up to eighth in Ligue 1. They are just six points behind their closest of close rivals, not that challenging PSG is their current reality. What is taking hold at Paris FC<\/a> is less of a Great Leap Forward and more of a Cultural Revolution as the Arnault family, who bought the club at the end of last year, place their pawns and mould the club in their image.<\/p>\n

Despite their newfound wealth, change will be incremental at Paris FC. The cart is not being put before the horse, as it was by Saint-\u00c9tienne last year. They also made the step up from Ligue 2 with money to spend. The signings of Lucas Stassin and Zuriko Davitashvili were bold statements of intent but both players lacked Ligue 1<\/a> experience. The result was an immediate relegation back to Ligue 2.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to be careful during the next few years,\u201d says Paris FC president Pierre Ferracci, who remains in his post after the takeover. \u201cWe need to establish ourselves in Ligue 1 and avoid any false steps; that is why we are going to recruit experienced players.\u201d<\/p>\n

That isn\u2019t the long-term plan for Paris FC, who have been \u201cinspired\u201d by Barcelona\u2019s academy system and wish to replicate it, with the help of minority shareholders Red Bull, in the famously rich talent-pool that is the \u00cele-de-France region. The seeds of their long-term planning are now being planted. Marco Neppe, the former Bayern Munich technical director, has come in as the new sporting director, replacing Pierre Ferracci\u2019s own son, Francois Ferracci. \u201cWe wanted to give the sporting management of the club an experienced head,\u201d said Arnault.<\/p>\n

Pierre Ferracci added that Neppe\u2019s \u201cqualities would be precious\u201d in what was a \u201ctransitional phase\u201d for the club, before going on to thank his son in a communique that lacked any kind of familial warmth. \u201cFrancois Ferracci has played a crucial role in recent years. I want to sincerely thank him for his commitment,\u201d said the Paris FC president. The Ferracci dynasty is crumbling; Pierre will probably follow Francois out the door when his presidency expires in 2027.<\/p>\n

PSG and Paris FC could not be closer neighbours. Photograph: Robbert Frank Hagens\/Alamy<\/p>\n

With Jean-Marc Gallot, who is close to Antoine Arnault, being nominated as the club\u2019s new CEO last week, there can be no illusion that the Arnault family are now at the wheel, even if Ferracci remains the face of the club. And, despite the arrival of new faces both on and off the pitch, it is the familiar ones who continue to impress for Paris FC.<\/p>\n

It was the Jean-Philippe Krasso and Ilan Kebbal show on Friday night. Both scored in the 2-0 win. Kebbal, a technical, elusive playmaker, has gone from strength to strength since joining in 2023. Repeatedly told he would never get a professional contract because of his diminutive size, Kebbal continues to prove doubters wrong, and it is a wonder that, at 27, he has not been picked up by a \u201cbig club\u201d. He already has four goals this season; only Joaqu\u00edn Panichelli and Ansu Fati have scored more in Ligue 1.<\/p>\n

Krasso, who joined in 2024, finished last season as the second-highest scorer in Ligue 2. It looked as if he would lose his spot when the club signed Willem Geubbels in the summer but, having also scored against Nice<\/a> last weekend, he looks to have regained his place.<\/p>\n

Slightly further back, it is Maxime Lopez who continues to shine more than Pierre Lees-Melou, signed from Brest; and Obed Nkambadio is ensuring that former PSG goalkeeper Kevin Trapp\u2019s prospects are limited. That isn\u2019t to say that the new recruits are misfiring. Moses Simon, a Ligue 1 stalwart, contributed two goals and two assists since joining from Nantes, and Hamari Traor\u00e9 is clearly a canny signing who brings a wealth of experience.<\/p>\n

The business done has been intelligent and tailored towards the short-term goal of keeping Paris FC in the top flight. It is a degree of continuity, on the pitch and in the dugout at least, that will also contribute to that objective being met.<\/p>\n

It is also a speed of evolution that means that PSG\u2019s dominance will not be challenged just yet but, with the Stade Jean-Bouin attracting a sell-out crowd on Friday, PSG\u2019s claim to the city of Paris could be challenged by their noisy neighbours. \u201cParis est Magique\u201d, \u201cIci c\u2019est Paris\u201d \u2013 PSG\u2019s signature chants may need to introduce a level of distinction to reflect that they may no longer be in a one-club city.<\/p>\n

Quick GuideLigue 1 results Show<\/p>\n

Lyon 1-2 Toulouse <\/p>\n

Le Havre 2-2 Rennes<\/p>\n

Monaco 2-2 Nice<\/p>\n

Strasbourg 5-0 Angers <\/p>\n

Lille 1-1 PSG<\/p>\n

Metz 0-3 Marseille<\/p>\n

Brest 0-0 Nantes<\/p>\n

Auxerre 1-2 Lens<\/p>\n

Paris FC 2-0 Lorient<\/p>\n

Thank you for your feedback.<\/p>\n

Talking points<\/p>\n

PSG dropped points for the second time this season. There were four teenagers in Luis Enrique\u2019s starting XI as he tried to \u201cprioritise the health of the players\u201d after their 2-1 win in Barcelona last week<\/a>. As well as the absences of Ousmane Demb\u00e9l\u00e9, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, D\u00e9sir\u00e9 Dou\u00e9, Marquinhos, Jo\u00e3o Neves and Fabi\u00e1n Ruiz, the manager also opted to bench Achraf Hakimi, Nuno Mendes and Vitinha. It offered more than a glimmer of hope to Lille, who have an excellent home record. The European champions lacked their usual control and Lille had a few chances to take the lead in the first half. When Nuno Mendes came off the bench to score a long-range free-kick, the game seemed to be going PSG\u2019s way before the late, inevitable, twist: Ethan Mbapp\u00e9 scoring against his former club in front of the onlooking Kylian Mbapp\u00e9. The elder Mbapp\u00e9, who has been engaged in a legal dispute with PSG since his departure to Real Madrid, made no attempt to mask his joy.<\/p>\n

Ethan Mbapp\u00e9 celebrates after scoring Lille\u2019s equaliser in their 1-1 draw against PSG. Photograph: Matthieu Mirville\/ZUMA Press Wire\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n

Monaco and Nice saw out a 2-2 draw that suited neither side. Monaco\u2019s draw against Manchester City last week<\/a> somewhat papered over the cracks during a streak of poor performances; meanwhile Nice went into the derby having won just two of their 10 games this season. The Nice ultras\u2019 boycott of the game \u2013 a decision linked to the authorities\u2019 handling of the fixture \u2013 meant this was a derby lacking in colour, but there was no shortage of talking points on the pitch. There were four goals, three penalties and one red card. Nice took a 2-0 lead before letting the game slip, Ali Al-Abdi\u2019s dismissal proving costly. Sofiane Diop\u2019s two goals were cancelled out by two for Ansu Fati, who continued his excellent start at Monaco. \u201cWe\u2019ll take it under the circumstances,\u201d said Nice manager Franck Haise. It is a result that won\u2019t kickstart either side\u2019s faltering campaign, and one that could cost Adi Hutter his job.<\/p>\n

This is an article by Get French Football News<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A revolution is quietly taking place just 44 metres away from the Parc des Princes, and it could…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":479129,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5309],"tags":[2000,299,36],"class_list":{"0":"post-479128","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-france","8":"tag-eu","9":"tag-europe","10":"tag-france"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115329773251111136","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/479128","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=479128"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/479128\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/479129"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=479128"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=479128"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=479128"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}