An Unusual Stat Has Guaranteed We'll See A First In This Season's French Title Race

Ah, the Ligue Un title race. Used to be so straightforward, didn't it? For the last four seasons, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and co turned up, battered everyone else into submission and had it sewn up by about February without breaking a sweat.

This season, things are a little different, with Monaco and Nice doing their best to usurp Paris Saint-Germain and drag the title away from the French capital for the first time since 2012, when an Olivier Giroud inspired Montpellier lifted their first ever title.

Despite Edinson Cavani replacing the now departed Ibrahimovic's goals, the champions haven't been able to assert their dominance over the rest of the field in the way they have become so accustomed to in recent seasons.

Cavani Di Maria

These lads aren't having things all their own way this season. Image: PA

A revitalised Radamel Falcao has helped fire Monaco to the league's summit, where they sit three points clear of PSG and Nice on 62 points, with the chasing pair on 59. And it is these points totals that have guaranteed a first for Ligue Un.

Falcao Bernardo Silva

Falcao and Bernardo Silva have been two of the shining lights for Leonardo Jardim's Monaco team, this term. Image: PA

In the three points for a win era, the six Ligue Un teams who have won 59+ points after 27 games have gone onto be crowned champions at the end of the season. Which means two of Monaco, PSG and Nice are going to earn themselves an unwanted record at the end of the current campaign.

The stat is a testament to the improvements made by Monaco and Nice since last season's depressingly lopsided PSG cakewalk where the second placed Monaco were closer to the relegation zone than they were to Laurent Blanc's men. Leonardo Jardim and Lucien Favre deserve a ton of credit for restoring credibility to a league that had begun to earn a reputation of being a holiday destination for those players who fancied a well paid Parisian jaunt for a few years where they could stockpile some silverware without barely breaking into a jog.

So who will be the first two teams to break the record? Will PSG overtake their rivals from Monte Carlo to claim their fifth successive title or is Ligue Un about to get it's first shake up since Montpellier broke their duck five years ago?

Have your say in the comments section, below.

(H/T @OptaJean)