Seeing supporters leave their stands in protest at their team’s performance is not unusual. Witnessing it when the latter is leading 5-0 is far less common. But that is exactly what Strasbourg‘s main ultras groups did on Sunday against Angers, after a banner hostile to BlueCo, the club’s owners, was removed from their stands by security forces.
The incident provided one of the images of a Ligue 1 weekend that also saw Lyon lose their first home game of the season and PSG held to a draw at Lille. All to the delight of Olympique de Marseille, who recorded their third consecutive league victory.
But it’s in tribute to a Monegasque that this recap begins.
Ansu Fati keeps the storm at bay for Monaco
Analysing Monaco‘s start to the season is more difficult than it seems. Fifth in Ligue 1 with 13 points, Les Asémistes are only three points behind PSG, the league leaders. In the Champions League, the hard-fought draw against Manchester City (2-2) has somewhat overshadowed the disaster suffered in Brugge on the first matchday (4-1).
So, in terms of points, there is nothing alarming. However, when it comes to performance, the reality is quite different.
To the point that Monaco’s management is now considering parting ways with Adi Hutter, who has been in charge since the summer of 2023. Which says a lot about the general disappointment with the start of the 2025-26 campaign.
But of course, not everything is to be discarded.
Starting with the return to form of Ansu Fati, on loan from FC Barcelona, whose debut has been nothing short of spectacular. Scoring on his maiden appearance against Brugge, the Spanish forward has already found the net six times in five appearances and 251 minutes played with Monaco. This weekend, his brace against Nice in the Côte d’Azur derby once again helped his team get out of a tight spot, as they were trailing 0-2 before Fati converted two penalties.
A welcome resurgence that serves as a reminder that good things come to those who wait.
How long will the competition hold out against PSG?
In Ligue 1, where no force seems capable of standing between PSG and a championship title that they have won 11 times in the last 15 years, the question is no longer whether Les Rouge et Bleu will manage to win another one, but when they will do so.
In this sense, in order to maintain a semblance of suspense in a championship that has sorely lacked it in recent seasons, everyone should hope that the ‘wagons’, designated as the main competitors to the reigning European champions, can manage to keep up with the pace set by their locomotive.
After seven matchdays, the fact that seven teams are separated by only five points seems encouraging. Especially when you consider that this is four fewer than at the same stage last season (Paris, the leaders, and Strasbourg, in seventh place, were nine points apart after seven games).
But what will happen once Luis Enrique has all his players back from injury? How long will Marseille, Lyon and Strasbourg be able to keep up the pace? What impact will the Africa Cup of Nations, and more generally the succession of matches, have on the squads and their physical condition? These are all questions that will be answered soon enough.
Ligue 1 Matchday 7 results and table
( ) = League position
- (10) Paris FC 2-0 Lorient (13)
- (18) Metz 0-3 Marseille (2)
- (11) Brest 0-0 Nantes (15)
- (16) Auxerre 1-2 Lens (6)
- (4) Lyon 1-2 Toulouse (9)
- (14) Le Havre 2-2 Rennes (10)
- (5) Monaco 2-2 Nice (12)
- (3) Strasbourg 5-0 Angers (17)
- (7) Lille 1-1 PSG (1)
