Paris Saint-Germain have a 10 point lead at the top of the 2021/22 Ligue 1 table. However, what comes below them is a bit of a surprise. RC Lens, who finished seventh in their first Ligue 1 campaign since 2014/15 last season, are now second in the table. Nice, who appointed Lille’s title winning coach Christophe Galtier, are currently third in the league.
The following visualisation shows where RC Lens & OGC Nice rank for some of the key metrics this season.
RC Lens’ biggest strength this season has been their goal scoring. They rank second for number of goals scored, while OGC Nice’s biggest strength this season has been their defense just like Galtier’s Lille last season. Nice have conceded only 10 goals this season in 11 games. Nice rank second for pressing intensity, which is so far an improvement from Galtier’s Lille last time around. However ,things could change as we progress deep into the season. It is quite impressive that Franck Haise’s Lens rank 10th for average possession but still possess the attacking capabilities they possess. While RC Lens have conceded 14 goals and rank fifth for that metric, they rank second for xGA. Similarly, OGC Nice rank fourth for goals scored but rank for xG.
Simply put, both the teams have been excellent so far offensively and defensively and very much deserve to be where they are in the table right now. It will be interesting to see if both these teams can continue this form as we enter the crucial period of the season.
