Ligue 1 2016/17: Five things we learned

Sport360 staff 18:09 21/05/2017
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  • The Ligue 1 season came to an end this weekend with Monaco lifting the title to end four years of Paris Saint-Germain dominance.

    Here are five things we learned from the domestic season in France, with the emergence of one player in particular catching the eye.

    1. KYLIAN MBAPPE

    The French teenager announced himself to the world with a spectacular debut season both domestically and in Europe. A stunning return of 26 goals and 14 assists in all competitions – often playing out wide – has seen him inevitably linked with a move to some of Europe’s biggest clubs.

    His electric running and cool finishing has earned comparisons to Thierry Henry and undoubtedly makes him the hottest property in Ligue 1 at the moment.

    2. MONACO’S GOLDEN GENERATION

    Mbappe is part of a very exciting Monaco side who not only surpassed expectations domestically, but also made it to the semi-finals of the Champions League. Radamel Falcao was back to his clinical best in front of goal, while the likes of Tiemoue Bakayoko, Fabinho, Benjamin Mendy and Bernardo Silva all earned rave reviews for their spectacular performances.

    The challenge now is to keep such a talented squad together for another couple of seasons and see how far they can go, but it remains likely that they will be picked off as bigger teams begin to circle. Monaco played a thrilling brand of football throughout the campaign and became many people’s second team as they netted over 100 times in the league.

    3. THE END OF PSG’S DOMINANCE

    For the last four years, PSG dominated the French domestic scene with four consecutive league titles. The arrival of Unai Emery was supposed to take them to another level, but a damaging 3-1 loss to Monaco in August set the tone for what proved to be a disappointing season.

    Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s departure left a void in the squad, which Edinson Cavani was unable to fill despite amassing 35 league goals. Emery’s future is under threat after their second-placed finish was matched by a shocking late collapse against Barcelona in the Champions League – but they may well start next season as favourites to win the title back.

    4. SUPER MARIO

    One of the greatest enigmas of European football, Mario Balotelli moved to Nice at the start of the season looking to prove himself once again after a poor time at Liverpool and AC Milan. However, like Hatem Ben Arfa before him, he looks to have found his feet in the south of France, scoring twice on debut before going on to net 17 times in his debut season.

    It has not come without incident though, with Balotelli the victim of racial abuse and the familiar temperamental problems leading to three red cards in the campaign.

    5. FAREWELL TO BASTIA

    It was a difficult campaign for Bastia, who found themselves relegated to Ligue 2 after finishing bottom of the table, but also in frequent trouble with the authorities. One supporter was hit with a stadium ban at the start of the year following alleged racist abuse aimed at Balotelli, while there were ugly scenes as a game against Lyon was abandoned at half-time as fans stormed the pitch to ‘attack’ several visiting players.

    The Stade Armand-Cesari was closed as a result and fans were banned from travelling to away games. Bastia will be happy to see the end of the campaign.

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