PSG is my favorite football club and hometown team, here is some analysis of France’s Ligue 1 team statistics over the last 2 decades (from espn.com).
Note: Win yields 3 points, Draw 1 point, Loss 0.
Which French clubs have been the highest performers in Ligue 1 over the last 20 years? Can any one club claim to be head and shoulders above the rest?
PSG (4.63), Lyon (3.05), Marseille (4.47), Lille (5.89), Monaco (6.88), Rennes (7.21) have had the highest average place finish out of Ligue 1. Monaco has played fewer seasons (17) than the other teams in this list (19).
In this span, Rennes, Marseille, Paris, Lyon, Nice, Lille, and Rennes have played all 19 seasons, never having been relegated from the French top-flight.
Bordeaux (1040), PSG (1375), Monaco (1046), Lyon (1340), Marseille (1206), Rennes (1036), Lille (1160) are the only clubs that have totaled over 1000 points in Ligue 1.
I think it is reasonable to put Lyon, Paris, and Marseille in a group above the rest as they have been in the top for all the important statistical categories.
Since QSI’s acquisition of PSG in 2011, PSG has for the most part been atop Ligue 1, thanks to an increase in capital thanks to the new ownership and a relaxation of financial fair play regulations. The Parisian club has been champions in 8 of the last 10 seasons. Over the last 11 seasons, the club has been first or second. Prior to the acquisition, PSG had been relatively mediocre or inconsistent in the 21st century in a Ligue 1 that had more parity than it does today.
Lyon has been the most competitive in the league, finishing top 5 in all but 2 seasons. OL’s average place in Ligue 1 is slightly over 3, which is quite impressive over the span of 2 decades. What’s more, the club has not found itself outside of top 8. In the beginning of the 2000s, OL finished first in Ligue 1 seven times in a row from the 2001-2002 season to the 2007-2008 season. Out of the 3 top clubs, PSG (interestingly) has the highest average of points yet narrowly has the worst average place finish.
OM has had fewer finishes outside of the top 10 than PSG, but has only finished first once during this span. Since the start of the data, Marseille has only been outside of the top 5 in Ligue 1 four times.
How does domestic dominance translate to winning European competitions?
This century, the only two French teams to make it to a UCL final has been PSG and Monaco, both losing. Lyon has gotten as far the UCL semifinals twice (2009-2010 and 2019-2020). The last French team to win was OM in 1993. Even though this period is outside the dataset, OM was having a dynasty of its own, winning or being runner-up domestically throughout the late 80s and early 90s.
This century, the only French team to make it to a Europa League final has been OM, losing in both appearances. No French team has (yet) won this competition.
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