It’s hard to say that Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) has become a better team after one of the best players in the world, Kylian Mbappé, left, but there has been a positive reaction from the entire squad, especially from his direct successor, Bradley Barcola. Perhaps it’s most accurate to say that PSG has become a team—a cohesive unit that could steamroll any opponent in its path. And not just in France’s Ligue 1. It seems that even with the small sample size of games played so far, they won’t have serious competition for the title in the top tier of French football this season, despite the limited number of matches played. In their game against Havre, it was a struggle until the very end, but tonight, against Montpellier in Paris, everything was perfect—a 6-0 victory (2-0 at halftime).Bradley Barcola has scored three goals in two league matches, just one goal shy of his entire tally from last season in Ligue 1. The young Frenchman is simply unstoppable on the left wing, but what’s even more impressive is how he collaborates in the central attacking role with Marco Asensio and Ousmane Dembélé. The Spaniard scored the second goal of the match, while the former Barcelona player finished the game with two assists.Barcola’s speed and goals have been the standout features of the French league so far, but equally impressive is how João Neves has seamlessly integrated into Luis Enrique’s squad. The young midfielder, who recently arrived from Benfica for 60 million euros, has already racked up four assists in the first two rounds. It’s worth noting that in the match against Havre, he came on in the second half and set up goals for Dembélé and Barcola in the closing stages. Tonight, he was instrumental in PSG’s phenomenal start against Montpellier. First, in the fourth minute, he timed a perfect pass into space for the unstoppable Barcola, and 20 minutes later, he linked up with Asensio for another goal, following a counter-attack led in classic fashion by Barcola.After former Lyon player‘s second goal in the 53rd minute, both Achraf Hakimi and Warren Zaïre-Emery found the inspiration to showcase their quality, with goals just two minutes apart that sealed the fate of Michel Der Zakarian’s unfortunate team. The finishing touch on PSG’s commanding victory was delivered by substitute Lee Kang-in, who struck a spectacular goal from a Hakimi assist in the final minutes. PSG has gained momentum, but their real test awaits in the next round with an away game against Lille. Lille will have two more matches before the weekend—a league game against Angers and the second leg of the Champions League playoff against Slavia Prague.LIGUE 1 – MATCHDAY 2FridayPSG – Montpellier 6-0 (2-0)/Barcola 4, 53, Asensio 24, Hakimi 58, Zaire-Emery 60, Lee 82/Saturday18:00: (2.55) Olympique Lyon (3.60) Monaco (2.80)20:00: (1.40) Lille (4.50) Angers (8.50)22:00: (2.15) Saint-Etienne (3.45) Le Havre (3.70)Sunday16:00: (1.78) Lens (3.50) Brest (4.80)18:00: (3.20) Strasbourg (3.40) Rennes (2.25)18:00: (1.90) Nice (3.60) Toulouse (4.50)18:00: (2.35) Nantes (3.30) Auxerre (3.10)21:45: (1.57) Olympique Marseille (4.00) Reims (6.00)***odds are subject to change***
