Defending Ligue 1 Uber Eats champions PSG have led the way in the first two matchdays, scoring five goals in each of their wins over Clermont Foot 63 and Montpellier Hérault SC to follow on from their 4-0 victory over FC Nantes in the season-opening Trophée des Champions. In fact, according to Opta, they are the first team to score at least five goals in each of their first two games of a top-flight season in France since Stade de Reims in 1961-62.

Back then, 60 years ago, that start proved significant for Reims because they went on to win the title by virtue of boasting a better goal average than RC Paris after the two clubs finished level on points.

At the moment - and even at this remarkably early stage - there seems little prospect of any team finishing the campaign level on points with Christophe Galtier’s Parisians, who have enjoyed such a flying start despite Kylian Mbappé missing the first two games due to suspension and then injury.

Mbappé, who was comfortably PSG’s leading scorer last season with 39 goals in all competitions, did get off the mark for this campaign in last Saturday’s 5-2 win over Montpellier, but only after earlier having a penalty saved. Much of the focus in the wake of that game was on the France superstar’s perceived negative attitude at times while on the pitch, although coach Christophe Galtier fiercely defended his player, telling broadcaster Canal Plus: “He is a competitor, he wants to be good and he wants to be good quickly”.

Messi more like his old self...

He will only get better, but for the moment Neymar is PSG’s main man. The Brazilian has five goals in three outings and has picked up where he left off last season, when he found the net nine times in his club’s final nine Ligue 1 outings. He also produced a hat-trick of assists at Clermont, when Messi scored two of his three goals so far this season. Messi, who managed just 11 goals in the whole of his debut season in Paris, has has more shots on target (7) than any other player so far this season according to Opta. He also has the highest Expected Goals of any Ligue 1 Uber Eats player, with 1.77.

Ominously, there is the sense that there is still much more to come from a PSG side who – the end of last season included – have scored five goals in three consecutive top-flight games. The last side to do that was Reims in 1952. They have been so clinical that their xG after two matches is just 6.7, despite them finding the net 10 times.

Sunday’s opponents LOSC Lille have been warned, although they have played their part in a prolific opening two matchdays across France. The northerners crushed AJ Auxerre 4-1 in their first outing, contributing to 34 goals being scored in Round 1, the most on the opening weekend of a season since 1977, when a remarkable 42 were scored.

62 goals in two matchdays

So far this season there have been 62 goals in two matchdays, despite last weekend’s scheduled meeting of FC Lorient and Olympique Lyonnais being postponed. That is an average of 3.26 goals per game and the most at this stage of a season since that aforementioned 1977-78 campaign.

It has not just been PSG, or Lille for that matter. Montpellier have already scored five goals and conceded seven. Olympique de Marseille beat Reims 4-1 in their opening match, while Clermont responded to their 5-0 loss at home to PSG by winning 4-2 in Reims, despite having been two goals down after half an hour.

Penalties have played their part in the high number of goals being scored: twelve spot-kicks have been awarded in 19 games, with nine being converted. It all points to a far greater emphasis on attacking play than used to be the case.

Over the whole of last season, 2.81 goals were scored per game on average, almost identical to the 2.82 on average in the English Premier League and considerably higher than La Liga (2.5). Compared to previous Ligue 1 seasons, the figure was a slight increase from 2.76 in the previous campaign, as the number of goals continues to steadily increase. More than 1,000 goals have been scored in each of the last two seasons, and it all represents quite a change from 2005-06, when just 2.13 goals were scored per game over the course of the season.

Let’s hope the goals keep flowing, and they surely will as Mbappé - the division’s top scorer in each of the last four seasons – returns to form.

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