Ligue 1 2024/25 (Franjo: A Journeyman Story – Mini-sode 201.5)

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Here we go again then. It’s the beginning of my 4th full season in France and my 3rd in Ligue 1, but our perspective has been dramatically altered. In seasons past, I’d be looking down this list in terms of what pitfalls might await, who we’ll need to pick up wins against and which matches are just plain write offs. This year, we’ve really got to be looking down the list as “Which 18 teams should we beat comfortably?” plus Monaco.

Athlétic Club Ajaccio

Nickname: L’ACA

Manager: Olivier Pantaloni (9 years, 276 days)

From: Ajaccio

Ground: Stade François Coty

Last Season: 17th

Predicted: 20th

Rivals in Ligue 1: Sporting Club de Bastia (Fierce, Local), OGC Nice (Local)

My Record: W4 D0 L2

Association de la Jeunesse Auxerroise

Nickname: L’AJA

Manager: Juninho (Caretaker)

From: Auxerre

Ground: Stade Abbé Deschamps

Last Season: 6th

Predicted: 15th

Rivals in Ligue 1: Dijon FCO (Local)

My Record: N/A

Association Sportive de Monaco Football Club

Nickname: Les Monégasques

Manager: Luis Enrique (11 days)

From: Monaco

Ground: Ettori Park (Built 2019)

Last Season: Champions

Predicted: 2nd

Rivals in Ligue 1: OGC Nice (Fierce, Local), Olympique de Marseille (Local), Olympique Lyonnais (Competitive), Paris Saint-Germain (Competitive), Sporting Club de Bastia (Local)

My Record: W0 D0 L4

Association Sportive Nancy–Lorraine

Nickname: L’ASNL

Manager: Didier Santini (1 day)

From: Nancy

Ground: Stade Marcel Picot

Last Season: 1st in Ligue 2 (Promoted)

Predicted: 14th

Rivals in Ligue 1: FC Metz (Fierce, Local), FC Sochaux-Montbé (Local)

My Record: W2 D1 L0

Association Sportive de Saint-Étienne Loire

Nickname: Les Verts

Manager: Claude Makélélé (1 year, 199 days)

From: Saint-Étienne

Ground: Stade Geoffrey-Guichard

Last Season: 9th

Predicted: 9th

Rivals in Ligue 1: Olympique Lyonnais (Fierce, Local), Olympique de Marseille (Historic), FC Nantes (Historic), Paris Saint-Germain (Competitive)

My Record: W2 D0 L2

Dijon Football Côte d’Or

Nickname: Le DFCO

Manager: Daniel Moreira (112 days)

From: Dijon

Ground: Parc Des Sports Gaston Gérard

Last Season: 2nd in Ligue 2 (Promoted)

Predicted: 19th

Rivals in Ligue 1: AJ Auxerre (Local)

My Record: W2 D1 L0

En Avant de Guingamp Côtes-d’Armor

Nickname: Les Costarmoricains

Manager: Michel Der Zakarian (123 days)

From: Guingamp

Ground: En Avant de Guingamp Stadium (Built 2019)

Last Season: 15th

Predicted: 12th

Rivals in Ligue 1: Stade Rennais FC (Local), FC Lorient (Local), FC Nantes (Local)

My Record: W2 D0 L2

Football Club Lorient-Bretagne Sud

Nickname: Les Merlus

Manager: Djamel Merdjett (4 years, 229 days)

From: Lorient

Ground: Gourcuff Stadium (Built 2021)

Last Season: 3rd

Predicted: 7th

Rivals in Ligue 1: Stade Rennais FC (Local), FC Nantes (Local), En Avant de Guingamp (Local)

My Record: W2 D0 L3

Football Club de Metz

Nickname: Les Grenats

Manager: Cláudio Caçapa (2 years, 202 days)

From: Longeville-lès-Metz

Ground: Stade Saint-Symphorien

Last Season: 11th

Predicted: 16th

Rivals in Ligue 1: AS Nancy Lorraine (Fierce, Local), Football Club Sochaux-Montbéliard (Local)

My Record: W1 D1 L1

Football Club de Nantes

Nickname: Les Canaris

Manager: Frédéric Hantz (4 years, 240 days)

From: Nantes

Ground: Stade Louis Fonteneau (La Beaujoire)

Last Season: 8th

Predicted: 6th

Rivals in Ligue 1: Stade Rennais FC (Fierce, Local), Girondins de Bordeaux (Local), AS Saint-Étienne (Historic), FC Lorient (Local), En Avant de Guingamp (Local)

My Record: W1 D1 L2

Football Club Sochaux-Montbéliard

Nickname: Les Lionceaux

Manager: Albert Cartier (8 years, 310 days)

From: Montbéliard

Ground: Stade Auguste Bonal

Last Season: 7th

Predicted: 11th

Rivals in Ligue 1: AS Nancy Lorraine (Local)

My Record: W2 D0 L3

Football Club des Girondins de Bordeaux

Nickname: Les Girondins

Manager: Zinedine Zidane (235 days)

From: Bordeaux

Ground: Matmut Atlantique (Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux)

Last Season: 5th

Predicted: 5th

Rivals in Ligue 1: Toulouse FC (Fierce, Local), FC Nantes (Local), Olympique de Marseille (Competitive), Olympique Lyonnais (Competitive), Paris Saint-Germain (Competitive)

My Record: W2 D1 L2

Lille Olympique Sporting Club

Nickname: Les Dogues

Manager: Eric Chelle (1 year, 159 days)

From: Villeneuve-d’Ascq

Ground: Stade Pierre Mauroy

Last Season: 16th

Predicted: 13th

Rivals in Ligue 1: N/A

My Record: W2 D0 L2

Olympique Gymnaste Club Nice Côte d’Azur

Nickname: Le Gym

Manager: Julien Sablé (156 days)

From: Nice

Ground: Allianz Riviera

Last Season: 12th

Predicted: 10th

Rivals in Ligue 1: AS Monaco (Fierce, Local), Sporting Club de Bastia (Local), Olympique de Marseille (Local), Athlétic Club Ajaccio (Local)

My Record: W0 D1 L3

Olympique Lyonnais

Nickname: L’OL

Manager: Zlatan Ibrahimovic (1 year, 243 days)

From: Décines-Charpieu

Ground: Parc Olympique Lyonnais

Last Season: 4th

Predicted: 4th

Rivals in Ligue 1: AS Saint-Étienne (Fierce, Local), Olympique de Marseille (Fierce, Competitive), AS Monaco (Competitive), Paris Saint-Germain (Competitive), Girondins de Bordeaux (Competitive)

My Record: W1 D1 L2

Olympique de Marseille

Nickname: L’OM

Manager: Jorge Jesus (230 days)

From: Marseille

Ground: Stade Orange Vélodrome

Last Season: 14th

Predicted: 3rd

Rivals in Ligue 1: Paris Saint-Germain (Fierce, Competitive), Olympique Lyonnais (Fierce, Competitive), AS Monaco (Local), OGC Nice (Local), AS Saint-Étienne (Competitive), Sporting Club de Bastia (Local), Girondins de Bordeaux (Competitive)

My Record: W0 D2 L2

Paris Saint-Germain Football Club

Nickname: Le PSG

Manager: WT Franjo (0 days)

From: Paris

Ground: Parc Des Princes

Last Season: 2nd

Predicted: 1st

Rivals in Ligue 1: Olympique de Marseille (Fierce, Competitive), AS Monaco (Competitive), Olympique Lyonnais (Competitive), Girondins de Bordeaux (Competitive)

Sporting Club de Bastia

Nickname: Le SCB

Manager: Jean-Marie Huriez (3 years, 195 days)

From: Furiani

Ground: Stade Armand Césari

Last Season: 10th

Predicted: 18th

Rivals in Ligue 1: Athlétic Club Ajaccio (Fierce, Local), Olympique de Marseille (Local), OGC Nice (Local), AS Monaco (Local)

My Record: W2 D0 L0

Stade de Reims

Nickname: Les Rouge et Blanc

Manager: Arnaud Bey (1 year, 229 days)

From: Reims

Ground: Stade Auguste Delaune

Last Season: 3rd in Ligue 2 (Beat Bourg-en-Bresse 5-2 on aggregate in the playoff to win promotion)

Predicted: 17th

Rivals in Ligue 1: N/A

My Record: W0 D1 L1

Stade Rennais Football Club

Nickname: Les Rouges et Noirs

Manager: Alaixys Romao (278 days)

From: Rennes

Ground: Roazhon Park

Last Season: 13th

Predicted: 8th

Rivals in Ligue 1: FC Nantes (Fierce, Local), En Avant de Guingamp (Local), FC Lorient (Local)

My Record: W3 D1 L0

So that’s that. Paris Saint-Germain have been made favourites to lift the Ligue 1 title this year, despite not winning the thing since 2021. We have 6 players to Monaco’s 5 in the media’s “Dream Eleven” though, which proves 2 things: A) That we definitely have the upper hand in the title race as far as the media are concerned and B) That this league is in desperate need of at least a 3rd horse in the title race. I doubt it will happen any time soon though and certainly this year at least, the pundits and I agree on the fact that there will be 2 stallions running neck and neck down that final straight. Their names shall be Paris Saint-Germain and AS Monaco, guided by their jockeys WT Franjo and Luis Enrique.

Let’s turn the bastards to glue.

Episode 202 >