Former French Ballon D’ Or winner, Jean-Pierre Papin believes that capital club Paris Saint Germain are firm favorites to win the Ligue 1 this year. The French legend also added that PSG are a “team that is capable of not losing a single game in the season”. (Source: Ligue1)
In May 2011, PSG’s former owners, American group Colony Capital sold 70% of their share to Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund, Qatar Investment Authority (QIA). The investment saw a splurge of unlimited wealth go into the Paris based club.
This summer, PSG signed 7 players at a collective disbursement of more than 125 Million Euros. Some of the players that were bought included the likes of Swedish star, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Brazilian defender Thiago Silva from A.C Milan, Ezequiel Lavezzi from Napoli and Brazilian hot-shot Lucas Moura from Sao Paulo.
Last season, Paris Saint Germain finished second in the league, three points behind surprise winners Montpellier. But after a sluggish start to the 2012-2013 season, Paris Saint Germain are finally getting their ‘balance’. This was demonstrated when last week’s fixture against Bastia saw PSG thrash Frédéric Hantz’s Les Blues with 4 goals, in which two were scored by Swedish national team captain, Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Carlo Ancelotti’s men lie in third place behind Olympique Lyon and Marseille. Although Lyon is one of the main contenders to win the Ligue 1 this season, Jean-Pierre Papin elucidates that Marseille are a bigger challenge to PSG than Lyon. He continues to expound that “…OM can compete with PSG for the title. When you’re top of the league or close to the leaders you can always be in the title race”.
Despite this statement, Papin also states that the African Cup of Nations that will be held in South Africa on January, 2013, will be a bigger blow to Marseille than to Paris Saint Germain, elucidating that “Marseille will lose four, five or six players while PSG won’t lose anyone”, in which PSG can capitalize on the situation, garnering as much points as they can.
It’s a long season and as time goes on, it’s increasingly likely that PSG’s money will start to talk. They’ve bought quality players and can bring in more this January. So is there really any doubt that Carlo Ancelotti’s men could go on to collect the title?
What’s your take? Are PSG the main contenders?
Introducing the neat little app that’ll pay you to view content tailored to your interests:
ThisisFutbol.com are seeking new writers to join the team! If you’re passionate about football, drop us a line at “thisisfutbol.com@snack-media.com” to learn more.