We present the Pythagorean table for the 2011-12 French Ligue 1 season, for matches played up to 15 January 2012. The standard league Pythagorean exponent of 1.70 is used.

At the halfway point of the season, the Pythagorean table indicates that the Ligue 1 title will come down to a head-to-head battle between Paris St-Germain and Montpellier, but Lille, Lyon, and perhaps Marseille will have something to say about the final outcome as well. It’s funny that despite the apparent inconsistencies in form and turnover at the manager position, PSG are still playing above expectations, which has given them some breathing room at the top. Marseille have surged up the table toward a top 5 position, but their Pythagorean residual reflects their inconsistent start of the season and is in the range of uncertainty, anyway. Sochaux have moved in the opposite direction from mid-table to the relegation zone, yet their residual is -2, which indicates that their descent is less bad luck and more poor play. Aside from PSG, the biggest overachiever is Toulouse; the biggest underachievers are Auxerre and Nice.