Paris Saint-Germain have taken up their familiar position at the summit of Ligue 1 but it hasn't exactly been a cruise. They've lost twice this season already - and only once in their last five title-winning campaigns have they been beaten more than three times.
Below the big-spenders there's even more surprises with just nine games on the board. There is a fierce contest for European qualification raging and the scrap to avoid the dreaded drop has also thrown up a few stories to delight the neutrals, with a handful of the division's big sides struggling to recover from stuttering starts.
Here, Sportsmail delve into the highs and lows, along with some of the heroes and villains, of the new campaign so far.
An unpredictable nature
Champions Paris Saint-Germain haven't been impervious in surprising the punters. Despite the return of Brazilian superstar Neymar, Thomas Tuchel's men fell to a shock home defeat against Stade Reims.
PSG had enjoyed 73 per cent possession at the Parc des Princes but were left frustrated by their high-flying opponents in what materialised as their second slip-up of the season.
The giants from the capital have remained reliant on moments of magic from Neymar to clinch them points at times but they will have to do without him for a few weeks now after he picked up a hamstring injury on Brazil duty.
A blow for Tuchel but he won't be getting much sympathy from the teams just behind him. Lyon aren't one of them though...
Fallen giants promise entertainment
Former European contenders Lyon have experienced a tumultuous last few months.
After the departure of Bruno Genesio in the summer, Sylvinho was installed and tasked with restoring to the club to their former glory days.
But after an ill-fated five-month spell at the helm, the former Corinthians and Arsenal star was dismissed following a last-gasp derby defeat by Saint-Etienne.
The crisis club, now languishing in 14th spot, are expected to rediscover their form under new manager Rudi Garcia.
Several high-profiles figures were linked with the vacancy, including Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger, but it's the former Marseille man who has been handed the reins. Still, at least they're above Monaco...
Monaco's quest to return to the top
Monaco are another former great plunged unceremoniously into mediocrity. Despite lifting the league trophy just two years ago, the principality outfit have now found themselves embroiled in an unrelenting bid to escape the clutches of relegation.
Having survived the drop by the finest of margins last season, Leonardo Jardim will be hoping this campaign can become a much-needed stepping stone in his side's journey back to the top of French football.
But below-par form upon the team's return from their summer break saw the axe delicately poised above the under-fire Portuguese tactician, and only a slight resurgence in recent weeks has allowed Jardim to cling on to his role.
Whether the 45-year-old, who has also led Monaco to the Champions League semi-finals, will be able to survive the rest of the campaign remains to be seen.
But regardless of who is in charge, the club's endeavour to compete alongside PSG promises to be an enthralling one.
Failure to tackle homophobia
An unsavoury stand-off between the authorities and groups of ultras has provided the backdrop to banners that have ground several games to a halt since August.
The season has unfortunately been marred by an escalation in homophobic-centred incidents, with reports of inappropriate chanting numbering 20 a little over a month since the return of domestic action.
The first half of the clash between Nice and Marseille was halted for 10 minutes after two distasteful messages were unfurled in a section of the home side's support.
And despite judicial sanctions being announced in May to clamp down on the issue, homophobia at games within France's top two divisions remains rife.
Unlikely title race
The lack of a team capable of keeping pace with PSG may not be able to sate the appetite for title drama from avid viewers of the French top flight, with Thomas Tuchel's men understandably expected to run away with the league title season upon season.
But the Parisians have typically encountered a mid-season meltdown around February and March since the investment of petrodollars into the club, with the habitual Champions League exit followed by a rough patch of domestic form.
And there have been indications that PSG may not race away in the bid to retain their crown, after the league leaders fell to defeat at Rennes following one of their poorest displays in recent memory.
But with Lyon once again slipping into disarray following their earlier promise, and both Nantes and Angers unlikely to displace PSG from the top, the champions can feel confident in the knowledge that the summit is theirs to storm once again – and the substantial lack of opposition will only supplement this.
Managerial merry-go-round
Ligue 1 is gradually becoming notorious for its culling of managers. The churn of tacticians last season saw a number of figureheads fall victim, including Fabien Mercadal, Jocelyn Gourvennec, Bruno Genesio and Jean-Louis Gasset.
The first two names had left after Caen and Guingamp succumbed to relegation, and the inevitable financial hit and uphill struggle to bounce back forced both parties into action.
Genesio also parted ways with Lyon in the summer despite leading the club to third spot and through an unbeaten Champions League group stage campaign.
The 53-year-old, now plying his trade in China, had found himself unable to match chairman Jean-Michel Aulas' lofty expectations – and the new Brazilian power axis of Juninho and Sylvinho also suffered from the same fate.
The latter was sacked just 141 days into his reign after failing to utilise his key men effectively and also received criticism for his negative tactics. Ultimately, he was deemed to have been gifted enough time to transfer Lyon back into title contenders once again.
Gasset's successor at Saint Etienne came in the form of Ghislain Printant, but the Frenchman was promptly suspended by the club after a poor start to the season.
A threat of an investigation into a potential breach of his contract soon followed, and remains a stark reminder for what can happen to a coach in the French top division who is unable to achieve success.
HEROES
Neymar
Despite often being portrayed as a pantomime villain, Neymar is perhaps PSG's knight in shining armour following a number of divine interventions from the mercurial Brazilian.
The 27-year-old has netted the winning goal against Bordeaux, Lyon and Strasbourg since his long-awaited return from the sidelines – handing the champions nine points instead of thrusting them into another potential mini-crisis. They'll certainly miss him over the next few weeks.
He had remained outspoken over his desire for a new challenge in the summer, but a reunion with Lionel Messi and Co at Barcelona failed to materialise, forcing Neymar to remain in the French capital.
And despite turning a large section of the club's fanbase against him with his open flirtation with some of Europe's elite clubs, he has continued to dance his way through defences and defy his critics in the best possible fashion.
Luka Elsner
With just short experiences in Slovenia, Cyprus and Belgium, Amiens' young boss Luka Elsner will be the first to admit that the French outfit had taken a gamble on his appointment.
The up-and-coming tactician led his team to an impressive 3-1 victory against Marseille before the international break, and has steadily eased himself away from the standout achievements of his predecessor.
Christophe Pelissier had guided Amiens to two successive promotions and then ensured their top-flight status with limited resources.
But Elsner has begun to make his own mark on the club despite a slow start to the campaign, and they have moved above Lyon, Saint Etienne and Monaco in the process - perhaps justifying the gamble taken on their new manager.
Victor Osimhen
When Lille sold two of their key players in Nicolas Pepe and Rafael Leao in the summer, supporters may have rightly feared for their side's prospects heading into the new season.
However, with the second-to-none knowledge of sporting director Luis Campos coming to the fore once again, the French side moved to snap up striker Victor Osimhen from Charleroi.
The Nigerian has seven top-flight goals to his name in just nine appearances since his £15.5million switch, and is rapidly establishing himself as one of Europe's brightest prospects.
The youngster is also fast becoming Lille's talisman, and has spectacularly flourished in the game despite losing his mother at a tender age and scavenging for football boots in a dump.
VILLAINS
Lamine Diaby-Fadiga
Disgraced Nice striker Lamine Diaby-Fadiga had cited 'jealousy' as his reason for stealing team-mate Kasper Dolberg's watch from the club's first-team dressing room.
The watch, reported to be worth £62,000, was stolen on September 16 and Dolberg promptly informed the police.
Diaby-Fadiga later admitted his guilt and was sacked by Nice, and later joined Paris FC with the criminal investigation expected to be dropped following the 18-year-old's agreement to reimburse Dolberg.
The starlet represented Nice for the majority of his fledgling career, but departed the Riviera side with relations permanently soured.
Noel Le Graet
French Football Federation president Noel Le Graet was urged to resign by anti-discrimination groups after he had said that games should no longer be stopped in the event of homophobic chanting.
Several clashes in the top two divisions have been called to a halt by referees this season, but le Graet wants officials to let play continue regardless of distasteful behaviour from supporters.
The president did insist that he is against homophobia, however, but said his belief that games should only be stopped in cases of racism originating from the stands.
And amid the inevitable backlash, the Rouge Direct group, which campaigns to prevent homophobia throughout French sport, called on le Graet to resign and retract his controversial comments.
Bordeaux's academy players
Three Bordeaux academy players were suspended by the club after they allegedly attacked one of their team-mates and left him with a 'serious' injury to his thigh.
According to ESPN, all of the players involved were 16 and the incident had occurred at the training ground. The same report revealed that tensions mounted following a defeat by Nantes just days before, with an altercation believed to have taken place on the field that day which later transpired into a physical attack.
In the following days, Bordeaux carried out interviews with the three alleged attackers as part of an internal investigation.
What to expect next
Despite question marks surrounding PSG boss Tuchel, the reigning champions are still firm favourites to further extend their lead at the top of the table into an insurmountable position.
Neymar's return was a successful one but now he's out again. However, they do have Kylian Mbappe, Mauro Icardi and Angel Di Maria providing more than sufficient firepower to blow away the rest of the division.
The race for European qualification also promises countless twists and turns. The frantic start to the new campaign has already conspired to thrust several of the league's giants into the lower reaches but recoveries are expected as the season winds its way to May.
Patrick Vieira's Nice will have their sights set firmly on Champions League football, along with Andre Villas-Boas' Marseille and the faltering Lyon. But the likes of Nantes, Angers and Bordeaux, who currently occupy the coveted spots, are unlikely to relinquish their positions without a fight.
And at the bottom of the table, just three points currently separates basement side Metz from mid-table safety.
The club will be hoping to secure their survival this season having recently achieved promotion from the second tier, but are currently contesting with Dijon, Toulouse, Strasbourg and Monaco to salvage their top-flight status.
However, with Ligue 1 constantly demonstrating that any side can steal points from another, the relegation zone could take on a very different appearance after the final game of the campaign.