Ligue 1 Review | A sign of things to come for Paris FC? | OneFootball

After a 46-year absence from Ligue 1, Paris FC could be forgiven for being cautious about the challenge of adjusting to the demands of the top flight. The club might have become one of the richest in France overnight when, last November, they were taken over by the billionaire Arnault family and Red Bull (as minority owners), but they would be sorely lacking some needed experience and nous at the highest level. 

The summer transfer window was spent attempting to address this worry, with the club having one eye focused on bolstering its promotion-winning squad with veteran players who have previously experienced Ligue 1 football, such as Kevin Trapp, Moses Simon, Pierre Lees-Melou, and Hamari Traoré. For a club that could now flex their financial muscle, it was a clear sign of where their designs lay in the short term. 

As the Paris head coach, Stéphane Gilli, summarised before the start of the season, “So the obvious goal is to stay up and establish the club permanently in this league. That doesn’t preclude a certain level of ambition. In my opinion, the important thing will be to remain consistent. There’s a lot of talk around us, but we’re going to be facing teams that have been here for a long time. Once again, let’s remain humble.” 

Comfortably midtable

The return to Ligue 1 has largely been par for the course so far for Les Parisiens. After 11 games, Paris sit 11th in the table with four wins, two draws, and five defeats. A six-point buffer either way separates them from the relegation zone and the European places, a perfect encapsulation of a project that is looking to plant roots before pulling up trees. 

Paris, of course, have their sights set on something larger. They have made no secret of their eventual ambition to become one of France’s elite teams. However, they are aware that attempting to force this in such a short amount of time would likely end in a similar result to AS Saint-Étienne, whose ambitions of grandeur after promotion from Ligue 2 saw them slip immediately back to the second tier. 

If there has been one cause for concern for the Paris project, it has been a defence that has looked far from watertight. Paris currently have the third-worst defensive record in the league, having shipped 20 goals. The only teams that have looked more fragile are FC Lorient and FC Metz, both of which came up with Paris and are currently sat in the bottom three, having conceded 25 and 26 respectively. 

Paris FC look for change

It felt like something needed to change for Gilli and his squad on Saturday when they travelled to AS Monaco. And something did, as the head coach dropped academy product Obed Nkambadio from between the sticks for Trapp. The former Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper was only making his second appearance for his new side, but the result was immediate. 

The 35-year-old had an impressive game, providing some calm and reassurance as he made several saves to deny Monaco and help Paris hold on to a 1-0 win and collect their second clean sheet of the season. It was a performance that came in stark contrast to three days earlier, when Nkambadio allowed three goals past him as Paris fought back to earn a point in a 3-3 draw with Olympique Lyonnais. 

For Les Parisiens, victory over Monaco represented the club’s first major scalp since they earned promotion back to the top flight. And perhaps it should be considered a sign of what is to come. A sign of a team that one day may be challenging Monaco for the European positions. While in the immediate future, perhaps it is a sign that Trapp may just earn his shot at staking a claim for the No. 1 spot.

This week’s Ligue 1 subplots

GFFN | Nick Hartland