Still standing: Can PSG finish the Ligue 1 campaign sans defeat?

by mishkab289

16 wins, 3 draws. 48 goals scored, 9 conceded. So read Paris Saint-Germain’s stats after the first 19 games of the 2015/2016 Ligue 1 campaign. Mind you, we are now at the exact midway point and Les Parisiens, in the hunt for their fourth straight title, have been literally unstoppable.

A quick glance at the Ligue 1 table shows Laurent Blanc’s men enjoying a seemingly insurmountable 19 point gap over Monaco. More significant, another look at that “losses” column reveals something even more interesting and noteworthy, indeed something that makes stats aficionados sit up and take notice.

19 games, 51 points. It does not take a math whiz to figure out the numbers. 48 of those points, of course, have been from their 16 wins as they have absolutely crushed the competition.The remaining three, well, one cannot be on top of their game all the time, and the occasional “stumble” is bound to happen.

Or, as the opposing teams – Bordeaux, Reims, and this season’s surprise packagers Angers – may feel, they managed to somehow prevent the reigning champions from clinching all three points, which, given the rampant form of the cash-rich capital club, may have felt like a win in itself.

Meanwhile, Monaco, Lyon, Marseille, and Lille, all teams bandied about as potential contenders have all been swept aside. None of these four have been able to stop the Parisian juggernaut in their first of what will be two league encounters this season. And with each having their respective struggles, with the latter trio sitting in a disappointing 9th, 10th, and 11th place respectively at the time of this article, it certainly does not look like the balance of power is going to shift any time soon.

The addition of Argentinian star Angel Di Maria has made an already omnipotent side – as far as Ligue 1 is concerned – seemingly untouchable. The marriage between the ex-Real Madrid ace and PSG has been nothing but fantastic from the start, making his year long frustrating spell at Old Trafford appear to be a small hiccup rather than the massive blemish on his footballing CV that some had made it out to be.

Currently leading the assist charts with nine, plus six goals of his own, Di Maria has formed an excellent partnership with strikers Edinson Cavani and Zlatan Ibrahimovic and despite the rumors linking the big Swede with a summer exit, for now, fans must be truly feeling quite fortunate to see the South American duo and the veteran European in action this season.

Meanwhile, perhaps it is coincidence, perhaps not, but so far this season Les Parisiens have only lost once in all competitions – a 1-0 defeat to Real Madrid in the Champions League group stages. And in the form they have been in so far, one would not bet against them getting the job done against a struggling Chelsea in the round of 16 to march on towards the quarter-finals later this year.

Last season, despite being thwarted again in their quest for European glory, PSG nonetheless clinched an unprecedented domestic quadruple: the Ligue 1, the Coupe de France, the Coupe de la Ligue and the Trophée des Champions. In the 2013/2014 campaign, they set two records: firstly, by becoming the first side to win 27 games in a season, and secondly, accumulating 89 points in the process.

But there is one thing that still eludes PSG as they chase what, for all intents and purposes, appears to be their fourth straight league title: to complete a Ligue 1 campaign sans defeat. Across Europe’s top five leagues, only two sides in recent times –  Arsenal and Juventus – come to mind when one casts their mind over a squad to finish a full domestic season without losing once. No one has done this in the Bundesliga, nor in Ligue 1.

Still, back in the 1994/1995 Ligue 1 term, Nantes came painfully close. That is, until Strasbourg – now plying their trade in the Championnat National (French football’s third tier) – decided to spoil their fun and handed them their sole loss of the season. Even more painful for Nantes supporters was the fact that the 2-0 defeat happened on April 15th, just one month prior to the conclusion of the season.

So, with 19 games down, 19 to go, the question becomes: Can PSG become the first team to achieve this historic feat? Still in the running in four competitions, Les Parisiens will have their plates full between now and the conclusion of this season. They will still have to play potentially tricky sides like Monaco and Marseille, as well as plucky Angers, who currently boast 11 clean sheets, a truly impressive feat for a team making their return to Ligue 1 after a 21 year absence.

In fact, this record  places them ahead of teams like Bayern Munich and Inter (due to having played two more games than die Roten and the Nerazzurri as of January 1, 2016).

The French do have that saying, On verra (We will see). And Lady Luck does play her part; just ask any Nantes fan old enough to remember the 1994/1995 season.

But if PSG, who will resume Ligue 1 action against Bastia exactly six days from today, can come roaring into the new year with the same verve that saw them absolutely dominate the first half of the season thus far, one would not be entirely daft to fathom that we just may see them make history yet again this season.

*This article was originally published on International Soccer Teams (www.internationalsoccerteams.com) on 1st January 2016*