So we were reduced to that. On May 11, French football as a whole certainly let out a big and frank “phew” of relief. Its clubs, however, had deserted the European scene for a while. However, the defeat of AZ Alkmaar on the pitch of West Ham, in the semi-final first leg of the Europa Conference League (2-1) had a very positive consequence for France, certain of retaining its fifth place in the UEFA coefficient. As a result, it will have up to four representatives in the new version of the Champions League, in 2024-25 (three direct qualifiers, plus one having to go through the preliminary rounds).
Beyond its symbolic significance, for anyone who still dares to give credence to the expression “Big Five” and consider that Ligue 1 is one of the five “big” championships of the Old Continent, this famous 5th place in the UEFA coefficient is therefore such a precious possession. It is in the general interest of French football to preserve it, at all costs. While the poor performances of the past season are still in people’s minds (the best performance is to the credit of Nice, quarter-finalist in C4), the current exercise will resemble a tough battle. Which, to be honest, got off to a bad start.
The Netherlands took the lead
When the group stage of the Champions League opens and, following that, those of the Europa League and the Europa Conference League, France is in 6th place in the UEFA coefficient. Two reasons for this: the ranking being established on the results of the last five seasons, those of the 2018-19 edition are no longer taken into account. In addition, the Netherlands took advantage of the performances of their teams during the preliminary rounds to gain a few points and narrowly beat their French rival (55,100 points, against 52,331).
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The risk of suffering a huge disappointment at the end of the season nevertheless remains more relevant than ever. If France is still sixth at the end of the exercise, it will have one less folding seat in the Champions League from 2025. The stakes are high, and this is why French and Dutch clubs will engage in a fierce struggle for the months to come. With a small accounting subtlety, which could be favorable to the first mentioned: for each country, all the points reported during the European week are divided by the number of representatives engaged at the start of the season.
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It’s hard to be optimistic
If its representatives shine in Europe, France therefore has a good chance of regaining its seat in the Top 5 and retaining the advantages that go with it. The problem is that as the group stages get underway, it’s really hard to be optimistic. Of course, given its squad and the sums spent during the summer, PSG must at least aim for the last four in the Champions League. Luis Enrique’s squad is, however, still in training and his group, certainly the toughest (Borussia Dortmund, AC Milan, Newcastle) will not give him – or very little – room for error.
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Opposed to Villarreal, Maccabi Haifa and Panathinaikos, Rennes has a card to play, just like Lille, logical favorite of its group in the Europa Conference League (Slovan Bratislava, Olimpija Ljubljana, Ki Klaksvik). Finally, Toulouse will have a lot to do against Liverpool, Union Saint-Gilloise and LASK, a damn copious menu after fourteen years of continental diet. Whatever their potential, their status or adversity, these six Ligue 1 players will have to contribute, within their means – and even beyond, if possible – to French success on the European scene. Otherwise, the much-feared downgrade will most likely become a reality.