|
Lyon's domestic domination is becoming an all too familiar - and mind numbingly boring - sight to behold.
The Les Gones are in 'sixth heaven' after becoming the first European club to clinch their sixth successive league titles, eclipsing the previous record held by Olympique Marseille of five in a row from 1989 0 1993 (though they were subsequently stripped off the last one due to a match-fixing scandal).
And in asuch unprecendented speed as well, where they were crowned champions five rounds ahead of the end of the season, the quickest-ever feat in French history.
Even a dry spell of five league games without a win after the winter break, Les Gones' insurmountable position at the top was never under serious threat.
It just serves to highlight the lack of competitive element in the French Ligue, which probably accounts for the departures of several Lyon ace performers every season.
Defender Eric Abidal and forward Florent Malouda are the latest Lyon big name players to be linked with summer moves away from Stade Gerland.
But the most shocking news of all has to be Gerard Houllier's sudden step down as coach, which somewhat marred the celebrations of achieving the magnificent feat.
Lyon chairman Jean-Michel Aulas has acted fast by approaching Sochaux promising coach Alain Perrin, who had showed his credentials by leading his team to their first Coupe de France victory since 1937.
Didier Deschamps, who recently helped Juventus to promotion in Serie A, is another potential candidate for the vacant seat.
While the new gaffer has yet to be announced, with a guaranteed transfer kitty of 120-135 million pounds available next season, there's no doubt that Lyon's ascendancy looks set to continue.
With Les Gones in a class of their own, the intriguing battle in the French Ligue hence lies on the chase for the other Champions League berths.
It took a late surge in form to catapult the once great Marseille to the second position, which sort of make up for their morale-deflating loss in COupe de France to Sochaux on penalties not too long ago.
The eventual winner for the third spot - and the remaining place in Champions League football next season - was only confirmed on the last day of action.
Modest Toulouse storm into Europe's elite competition for the first time in their history after an emphatic 3-1 victory over fellow contenders and south-west rivals Bordeaux, which was also helped by Lens losing at Troyes and Rennes drawing at Lille.
However, Toulouse were only in the hunt following French league's decision to hand them all three points from the penultimate match at Nates, which was initially abandoned in the 87th minute with the score at 0-0 after Les Canaris fans ran onto the playing surface.
This leaves fourth-placed Renens, who lost the third position but qualify for the Uefa Cup following a late concession of an equaliser to Les Dogues, outraged and contemplating an appeal to the French league.
Lens, Bordeaux and Sochaux - the three teams that finished with 57 points like Rennes - must also be cursing their luck for missing out on the final day.
While Lens ended their forgettable season empty-handed, Bordeaux - who defeated Lyon in the coupe de la Ligue final - and Sochaux at least have the consolation of winning the tickets to next season's Uefa Cup competition following their respective Cup triumphs.
Auxerre finished their mediocre season in eighth position after an inconsistent performance under coach Jean Fernandez. The AJA were one of the form-teams on their own turf, but failed to convert their draws into wins on the roads, which resulted in their failure to challenge for European football next season.
Monaco have once again flattered to deceive this season, starting their season poorly and swapping coaches during the course of the season. They may have conjured two victories towards the end of the campaign, but it was never enough to make a push for Europe.
The Les Rouge et Blanc were followed closely by mid-table teams Lille, St Etienne, Le Mans, Nancy, Lorient and PSG, who were each separated by at most a point disparity. Of all, Lille's fallen from grace has to be the most startling.
Claude Puel's charges were at one stage amongst the top three, but after collecting a measly seven points from a possible 27 left them languishing in mid-table and out of contention for Europe.
For teams like Nice and Valenciennes, it was all about surviving the relegation dogfight and securing top-flight football for next season. In fact, the two clubs did little to justify their Ligue 1 status, as their survival hopes were helped by the bottom three's serious lack of quality.
Months before the final fixture, it was already looking all doom and gloom for the three demoted clubs Troyes, Sedan and Nantes. While Troyes and Sedan belong to the modest range of French clubs, the relegation of the once great Nates - after 44 consecutive years in top flight - is truly a heartending disaster.
English League 06/07 Review
Italian League 06/07 Review
Spanish League 06/07 Review
German League 06/07 Review
|
