The Lyons of Change

France may have reached the World Cup Final in 2006 but since then they have been in decline. Their league is even worse. Matthew Borg reports

If one had to look at the list of past champions within the French Ligue 1, one would see that Saint-Etienne are the most successful club in the country, with 10 league titles to their name. Marseille and FC Nantes Atlantique are joint-second on 8 titles, while next up are Olympique Lyon on 7. With the French football league running since the 1932/33 season, it would be suffice to reason that Lyon are amongst a host of clubs within the league that are steeped in history, be it past or present. Alas, that isn't the case; as all of Lyon's 7 titles have come, admittedly remarkably so, in the last 7 years.

It could have been worse, as Lyon could have also won the title in 2000/01, but finished 2nd in the title race to Nantes, losing out by just 4 points. And yet, it probably will become so by the end of the 2008/09 season, as Lyon are currently - ominously - 7 points ahead of their nearest rivals, Marseille, after just over a third of the season gone. If we take this into consideration, then Lyon would have won an even-more remarkable and unprecedented 8 consecutive league titles; a feat that has almost certainly never been matched in any European league, at least for a long time.

This is therefore a team that has dominated the French league to an unparalled extent for nearly the last decade. And, to make matters worse, this is often done with considerate ease; and an occasional change of coach does nothing to destablise the rhythm of the team. Lyon are so good that they even managed to win the league last season with possibly the worst coach in their history - the unfancied Alain Perrin, who had a terrible spell at Portsmouth FC in England in 2006, and often seemed clueless and fazed by the big occasion. Indeed, nearest rivals Bordeaux did make a title race last to the final day of the season, but then also capitulated when it mattered, losing their final match in order to give the league to Lyon on a silver plate (and a little bit more).

Lyon's success means that they are constantly in a league of their own when it comes to everything - competitions, players, youths; the works. A testament to their success comes in the form of selling off some of their best ever players to massive European clubs. Michael Essien left Lyon for Chelsea in 2005 for €40 million; Mohamadou Diarra headed to Real Madrid in a €26 million deal in 2006; Florent Malouda and Eric Abidal moved to Chelsea and Barcelona for €20 million and €15 million respectively in 2007. And who's not to say that French starlet Karim Benzema won't be on his way to Madrid or Barcelona for a similar fee come 2009? All Lyon will then have to do is find another starlet with bundles of potential - Kim Kallstrom being a great example - and subsequently nurture him until he becomes a superstar. They've done it before, and it's reaped it's rewards, and they'll do it again.

These sales have hence left Lyon in a stable financial situation; as they also know that they don't really have to break the bank in order to ensure that they win their league. However, when it comes to the Champions League, one believes that this is the case. But what already-established superstar would want to move to Lyon in order to play in a league that, year after year, sees the odds on who is going to win the league at the beginning of the season tumble even further? This is the reason why Lyon will never really seem to be a credible Champions League outfit. Indeed, however, Lyon might be dominating this era, and their domination - based on financial stability - could see them further dominate the French game for years to come.

God Bless You all!
Matti