The talk of the town in Ligue 1 is still and will always be PSG because of their on-field performances as well as their shenanigans off it.
As expected, they’re still on top of the league because they’ve yet to lose a single game thus far. The Parisiens currently have 32 points – which is at least five points over everyone else.
But off the pitch, there have been conflicting news regarding Kylian Mbappe’s future. Several outlets have reported that he is eager to move to a new club come January, but both PSG and Mbappe denied those fallout claims.
Elsewhere, October has not been exactly kind to Marseille, while RC Lens and Lorient have moved up as a result to stay within striking distance of the Parisiens.
Continue to read on below to know more about the newest Ligue 1 2022 updates courtesy of SBOTOP.
PSG, Mbappe sending mixed signals
Kylian Mbappe is apparently not seeking a move away from PSG this winter despite recent reports suggesting otherwise.
Two weeks ago, it was revealed that his relationship with the club is fractured since he “feels betrayed by the team and has had enough” because some of his demands weren’t fulfilled.
His reported demands include adding a top centre-back to beef up their backline and selling Neymar because of their penaltygate dispute in August.
Fast forward to today, Neymar is still with the club and they failed to land Inter Milan’s Milan Skriniar before the season began.
Not everyone gets the privilege Mbappe has. The former AS Monaco standout signed a three-year extension with the Parisiens in May after being linked to Real Madrid. The 23-year-old reportedly got a €100-M signing bonus and a €50-M salary to sweeten the deal.
It remains to be seen on what will unfold in these next few weeks, but PSG and Mbappe have denied any rift whatsoever as manager Christophe Galtier said that the relationship between all parties is “very good”.
To their credit, their off-field issues haven’t affected their play as not only they’re backed by the Ligue 1 2022 odds to win the league once more, but they’re also through to the knockout phase of the Champions League too.
Marseille’s slump might cost them their top four berth
Confidence is at a low for Marseille as they’ve fallen out of the top four. With RC Lens, Lorient, and Rennes not slowing down anytime soon, perhaps their best case scenario is maintaining their top five spot for the rest of this season.
After beating up Angers to kick off October, Les Olympiens suffered a shock upset to relegation candidate Ajaccio and lost to PSG and RC Lens via consecutive 1-0 scorelines.
In the Champions League, meanwhile, they have a fighting chance in Group D despite being at the bottom with six points. Those victories over Sporting have helped them a ton, although their loss to Eintracht Frankfurt yesterday is another huge blow.
There’s growing discontent in Marseille as Gerson expressed his desire to leave the club come winter.
The Brazilian midfielder had high hopes when he joined the club back in 2021 from Flamengo. But under Igor Tudor this term, he has only played a grand total of 523 minutes of football across all competitions.
Gerson is linked to a move with Sevilla in January, which would reunite him with his former coach Jorge Sampaoli.
Other than Gerson, Marseille are also inclined to sell the likes of Dimitri Payet and Pape Gueye in the January transfer window.
RC Lens suddenly moved up
RC Lens are in the midst of an historic start to the season as they’re now second at the table, thanks in large part to their solid outings at home.
As of today, they have eight wins, three draws, and one loss – which is impressive considering that they haven’t had a complete lineup in these past few weeks.
Jimmy Cabot and Wuilker Farinez are facing long spells on the sidelines due to their knee injuries, while Jonathan Gradit has been out for four weeks because of an injured collarbone. Facundo Medina is not available for RC Lens’ upcoming match since he’s suspended.
Seko Fofana has been the team’s emotional leader, while the one-two punch of Florian Sotoca and David Costa is proving to be a handful for opposing defences.
They will take on Toulouse on Friday, who’s currently 10th at the table because of their improved form. RC Lens should fancy their chances because they’re undefeated in their seven league fixtures against newly-promoted sides since they returned to Ligue 1 themselves.
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