Division 1 Féminine Mid-season Grades

With the winter break almost at its end and the Division 1 Féminine over a week away from returning, all teams have played 12 matches and had varying degrees of success. Below, each team has been graded based on where they were expected to be before the season and where they are now.

ASJ Soyaux-Charente

League Position: 8th

Grade: B-

ASJ Soyaux remain comfortably in midtable after getting a much-needed win before the winter break began. There is still a long way to go but their target of remaining in and around those middle positions remains on course. A better finish than their previous sixth place is also not out of the question at this point.

Dijon FCO

League Position: 10th

Grade: C-

Dijon barely escaped relegation last season and it looks like they will need to battle once again to stay in the top flight. After a few good wins, they now sit just five points above the drop zone and will want to start winning again to avoid slipping further down the table. Tenth isn’t great but it will do for now. The likes of Elise Bussaglia and Léa Declercq will have to have big performances from here on out.

En Avant de Guingamp Féminines

League Position: 5th

Grade: B+

EA Guingamp have been having a stellar season so far in the Division 1 Féminine. After doing just enough to avoid relegation last season, they now are sitting in fifth, having won four games and drawn four in their 12 league games so far. Guingamp are not as talented as some of the bigger teams but they can hold their own on their day. If they keep picking up points from those around them, they will finish comfortably in midtable.

FC Fleury 91

League Position: 7th

Grade: C

Not much was expected from Fleury 91 this season due to the lack of resources they have at their disposal. However, their performances which see them in midtable are acceptable enough to seemingly keep them away from the relegation battle. Marina Makanza has five goals this season and is key to all that Fleury want this season. Five goals in 12 matches is a solid output for Makanza so it will be interesting to see if she can keep this going and help keep her team away from the bottom places.

Photo by Pier Marco Tacca/Getty Images

FC Girondins de Bordeaux:

League Position: 3rd

Grade: A+

Bordeaux were billed as a team to watch during the offseason and those predictions are looking to be right on the money. They have won five games on the trot and are only two points off Paris Saint-Germain Féminine who sit in second. Their biggest win to date came in September when they beat Montpellier HSC Féminines at home and they have managed to keep pace with the top two since then. Viviane Asseyi is having another brilliant season while new signing Khadija Shaw is showing just why she has been so highly rated. If those two continue to score goals as efficiently as they have so, don’t be surprised to see Bordeaux pushing PSG all the way for that coveted UEFA Women’s Champions League spot.

FC Metz Feminines

League Position: 12th

Grade: F

It has gone horribly wrong for FC Metz Feminines this season. Last season, the newly promoted side hung on to their place in the first division but it looks like this season, the gap in quality has become too much for them to overcome. Metz have only managed one solitary draw the entire season, leaving them rock bottom in the table and struggling to get out. No one on the team seems to stand out at the moment and unless something changes drastically, Metz will be going down into the Division 2 Féminine.

Montpellier HSC Féminines

League Position: 4th

Grade: B

Perennial third place finishers Montpellier HSC are surprisingly in fourth right now. Dropping points to teams in and around them sees them below Bordeaux and five points away from second. The loss of Sofia Jakobsson in particular is clearly being felt and Valérie Gauvin has not reached the heights she found last season to make up for the lack of goals. Montpellier can and should be better but with Bordeaux proving to be a strong team in the league, they may find themselves on the outside looking in this season in the race for Europe.

Olympique de Marseille Féminin

League Position: 11th

Grade: E

Olympique de Marseille returned to the first division this season but it looks they still have not made the leap required to stay in the league. They currently sit in eleventh, having only won two games but have lost the other ten. They do not seem to have any notable players on their roster who could turn things around for them and they are struggling to score goals. It will take a massive dip in form by those above to prevent OM from falling back into the second division when all is said and done.

Olympique Lyonnais Féminin

League Position: 1st

Grade: A

The current champions were expected to be leading the pack and that is exactly what they are doing. With their only dropped points coming from a draw away at Paris Saint-Germain, Olympique Lyonnais are on pace to win a historic 15th league title. From front to back, the team is filled with world-class players and the bench has players who would be starters for almost any other team. It looks like a foregone conclusion at this point and it would take their own complacency stopping OL from winning yet another league title.

Paris FC

League Position: 6th

Grade: D

Paris FC are a conundrum. They should be doing more with the roster at their disposal but for the last two seasons, they have failed to fulfill their potential. At this point in their juncture, the likes of Gaëtane Thiney are getting on in years and aren’t as influential as they used to be but no one else seems to be stepping up to the main creator in the team. Linda Sällström continues to be a silver lining for Paris FC but with all the pomp that followed them when they first entered the league, they are flattering to deceive once again.

Photo by Catherine Steenkeste/Getty Images

Paris Saint-Germain Féminine

League Position: 2nd

Grade: A-

Paris Saint-Germain are exactly where many thought they would be; in second trying to keep up with Olympique Lyonnais. Draws against Montpellier HSC and EA GUingamp have eaten away at their points haul and that loss to OL in November has further damaged their chances of a league title. However, with only five points separating them from OL and with Marie-Antoinette Katoto scoring goals for fun, PSG still has a chance to snatch the title away from the league leaders. The return match in March against OL could prove to be pivotal if PSG keep winning but if they drop anymore points, the title may seem like a foregone conclusion by the time OL travel to Paris.

Reims Football Féminin

League Position: 9th

Grade: C+

Stade de Reims are a newly promoted side and all things considered, are doing enough to maintain their top flight status for another season. They do not have the right type of players who could push them up the table but fortunately for them, those below them have displayed even worse form so if they keep picking up the odd point and/or win here and there, they will avoid relegation.