Chink in the armour or balanced team effort: PSG players nowhere near Ligue 1 top-scorer race

The ongoing Ligue 1 season has been as unusual as it gets, and the reason is simple: Paris Saint-Germain's dominance may be nearing its end.

Yes, it's definitely too soon to claim something like this, but looking at the previous 13 seasons - the Saints' reign over French football began in 2012 - the capital crew has never been so vulnerable, excluding the two seasons (2016/2017 and 2020/2021) when Monaco and Lille managed to "steal" the title.

During the past Ligue 1 campaigns, after 11 rounds, PSG would usually be at least five points clear of their nearest challengers. And while the rivals would trip each other and fight for the second spot, the Parisians would cruise towards another trophy.

However, in the ongoing campaign in the French top flight and with approximately a third of the season behind us, PSG's advantage stands at only two points, with Marseille and Lens seriously threatening.

Noticing that Lille, Lyon, and Monaco are just four points behind gives the impression that we haven't seen a more interesting and unpredictable Ligue 1 campaign for years. Moreover, had PSG not pulled through against Nice thanks to Goncalo Ramos' 94th-minute winner and had L'OM not conceded a leveller in the 96th minute against Angers, Luis Enrique's crew wouldn't have topped the league in the first place.

However, another indicator of the Saints' "fading dominance" or a chink in their armour could be the Ligue 1 top-scorers list.

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In 13 out of the previous 14 editions, PSG's players were the league's leading scorers. Zlatan Ibrahimovic won the accolade three times, Edinson Cavani twice, and Kylian Mbappe as many as six times. The Brazilian Nene shared the award with then-Montpellier striker Olivier Giroud, Ousmane Dembele did it last season with Mason Greenwood of Marseille, while it also happened to Mbappe once in the 2019/2020 season, when he was level on goals scored with Monaco's Wissam Ben Yedder.

The only time the leading Ligue 1 scorer didn't come from Parc des Princes in the last 14 years was in the 2014/2015 campaign when Lyon's Alexandre Lacazette was alone at the top of the goal-scoring list.

Back to the current season: there's no PSG player among the first 11 top scorers after 11 rounds! Their leading Ligue 1 net-buster, Bradley Barcola, is only 12th with four goals, while Joaquin Panichelli (Strasbourg), Esteban Lepaul (Rennes), and Mason Greenwood (Marseille) top the list with nine, eight, and seven goals, respectively. Furthermore, there are players of Nice, Paris FC, Lyon, Brest, and Lille ahead of the Saints' forward.

To make the entire situation even more interesting, there are four more efficient teams than the reigning champions in the league at the moment. Enrique's men found the net 21 times, while Marseille netted 25 times, Lille and Monaco 23 apiece, and Strasbourg 22.

Now, some would agree that these are clear signs of PSG's weakness and an indicator that their dominance is coming to an end. On the other hand, some would argue that they are simply a matter of a balanced team effort and a more cautious playing style.

Either way, after so many "boring" seasons, we are finally in for an exciting Ligue 1 campaign. Let's all enjoy it.