A quick glimpse of women’s football in France for our foreign friends.

Olympique Lyonnais dominates football in France by miles. It is the team that best moves the ball forward ( maybe worldwide ) as well as on the sides of the pitch. The opposite defender, without realizing that the ball is already in her camp with a winger that goes forward before the ball is even gone. However, the Lyonnaises, although they are 5 times European champions and 12 times French champion, also have their drawbacks. They tend to find it difficult to retrieve the ball when it is in the opposing camp if they do not panic when they put pressure.
PSG, Paris Saint-Germain, composed of its foreign players and its school of young Parisian players ( slightly inferior of OL’s level ), continues to struggle and puts pressure on its opponents when it comes to duels. These 2 teams, tied and not split at the particular goal average (1-1), will play against each other for the title in april 2019.
The rest of the championship is at 20 points. This shows the difference with the rest of the championship.
There is Bordeaux (3rd ) who are a new team with a strong cohesion and whose numerous players are unsolicited by international matches. Montpellier (4th) on the contrary, is composed of French and foreign international players and are capable of the worst as of the best. Maybe psychologically preoccupied with the forthcoming world cup, while preserving itself ? Paris FC is rebuilt with an organized and structured game but still lacks talents. Gaetane Thiney being the exception.
Then you get the rest of the championship (Fleury 91, Guingamp EA, Soyaux-Charente, Dijon FCO) that struggles to keep the vital points so as to avoid relegation.
Rodez apparently cracked down, the 8th year in first division was that of too many. Rodez was impacted by an amateur status and especially by a sanction of 8 out of 22 matches for its number 10 who cracked at the 89th minute of a match. Lille is going through a difficult situation, they are the second relegative team while FC Metz has made an incredible performance coming out the relegation zone after 13 matches and outrun Lille by 5 points.
Stade de Reims will go up in first division. The second ascent will concern Saint-Etienne, Yzeure or Marseille.
In the meantime, Canal Plus, the new broadcaster of all championship matches (132) will only get the opposition between Lyon and PSG for a next crucial match.
William Commegrain pour les feminines.fr. Traduction anglaise par Xavier Bouton