Marseille is seen as the closest competitor to the Parisian giants. They are offered at 17/2 to win the league.
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Since 2012/13 Ligue 1 has been heavily dominated by the riches of Paris Saint Germain. The club have won nine out of the past 11 titles, with temporary pauses to their dominance forced by AS Monaco and LOSC Lille.
This summer window there is a serious lack of stability at the Parisian club. Lionel Messi has already departed, and Neymar Jr’s availability is an issue regardless of whether he stays at the club. The Brazilian has been linked away from the club, but his injury record means he can not be counted on even if he remains.
Neymar Jr was asked if he had a baby boy what would he name him. His answer:- Lionel Messi pic.twitter.com/l35ulg38nn
— Frank Khalid OBE (@FrankKhalidUK) July 20, 2023
PSG will certainly begin the season as favourites to retain their title, however, they were in the same position following the 2020 summer transfer window. At the end of the 2020/21 season, Lille surprisingly stole their crown. At Mr Green Sports PSG is offered at 1/9 to secure a third successive French top-flight title.
Marseille is seen as the closest competitor to the Parisian giants. They are offered at 17/2 to win the league. Ahead of the 2023/24 campaign, PSG have arguably weakened the quality of their squad, and Marseille have made a number of smart signings.
Last season showed that Marseille had the quality to compete with PSG despite the financial disparity between the two teams. In the upcoming season, they will surely be aiming to go one better and finally end their Ligue 1 drought.
Two Atletico Madrid stars have moved to Marseille Renan Lodi and Geoffrey Kondogbia. Both were members of Diego Simeone’s La Liga winning squad of 2020/21 seen at ESPN, and the added experience of winning titles could be invaluable to their new club.
Lodi and Kondogbia have already become league champions in Spain when the odds were against them. They began the 2020/21 season seen as huge outsiders to win the league behind Real Madrid and Barcelona. Yet in May they lifted the trophy.
Renan Lodi will land in Marseille today on order to sign the contract, undergo medical tests and be unveiled as new OM player. 🔵🛩 #OM
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 14, 2023
Lodi will sign until June 2028. Atléti will receive €13m plus 20% sell-on clause.
Here we go, confirmed. ✔️ pic.twitter.com/eTfgG3oZcW
Lodi spent last season on loan at Nottingham Forest in the Premier League and helped them to secure Premier League survival. He is a modern fullback that can influence games on both ends of the pitch – his pace to support the attack will be vital to supply the likes of veteran Dimitri Payet.
Kondogbia is simply a tough-tackling box-to-box midfielder that will cover every blade of grass and make life difficult for any calibre of opposition. His energy and commitment will be vital for Marseille’s potential title charge.
PSG may have a star-studded squad, but we have seen on several occasions in the past, that their quality on paper does not always show on the pitch. Perhaps, after winning countless Ligue 1 honours, they have become somewhat complacent when it comes to adding to their successes.
The team has constantly been filled with superstars over the years seen at Goal, many of which play with a level of arrogance that means they lack intensity in their performances. For example, Neymar is not a huge fan of tracking back and supporting his defence.
This is where Marseille can take advantage, strength in numbers is much greater than individuals in football. The team from the south of France will surely have much more hunger throughout the squad to finally take back the French crown after a 14-year absence from capturing the league.
The coming season could be an ideal time for Marseille to finally stamp their authority on French football again. With PSG huge investment is always just around the corner, and the uncertainty surrounding their current squad will not last forever.
