france league News
Despite Lyon's dominance exciting season in France
In a remarkable finish to the 2006/07 campaign, Sweden striker Johan Elmander scored three goals and Toulouse beat visiting Bordeaux 3-1 to clinch the last remaining UEFA Champions League qualifying slot. They climbed three spots to finish third behind champions Lyon and runners-up Marseille, who will both enter the main draw of Europe's elite competition. Rennes finished fourth, Lens fifth and Bordeaux sixth, with only goals difference separating the trio.
Toulouse, Lens, Bordeaux and Rennes entered the final round with a chance of finishing third, but now Toulouse have an opportunity to play the European Cup for the first time in 20 years. Here are all winners and losers at the end of the 2006/07 Ligue 1 campaign:
- Champions: Lyon (UEFA Champions League)
- Runners-up: Marseille (UEFA Champions League)
- Third place: Toulouse (UEFA Champions League 3rd qualifying round)
- Fourth place: Rennes (UEFA Cup)
- Fifth place: Lens (Intertoto Cup)
- French Cup winners: Sochaux (UEFA Cup)
- League Cup winners: Bordeaux (UEFA Cup)
- Relegated: Troyes, Sedan, Nantes
- Promoted: Metz, Strasbourg, Caen
Best in 2006/07
Left winger Florent Malouda, who helped Lyon to a sixth straight title, was selected as the French league's Player of the Year by his fellow professionals. The 26-year-old assumes the title from teammate Juninho, having beat off competition from Johan Elmander of Toulouse, Seydou Keita from Lens and Kader Keita of Lille to win the award. Lyon coach Gerard Houllier was chosen as the best manager, Sochaux's Teddy Richert was chosen best goalkeeper and Marseille midfielder Samir Nasri received an award as the league's best young player.
| teams | titles | 2002/03 | 2003/04 | 2004/05 | 2005/06 | 2006/07 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Etienne | 10 | - | - | 6 | 13 | 11 |
| Marseille | 8 | 3 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 2 |
| Monaco | 7 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 9 |
| Lyon | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Bordeaux | 5 | 4 | 12 | 15 | 2 | 6 |
| Nice | 4 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 8 | 16 |
| Lille | 2 | 14 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 10 |
| Paris SG | 2 | 11 | 2 | 9 | 9 | 15 |
| Sochaux | 2 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 7 |
| Lens | 1 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 4 | 5 |
| Auxerre | 1 | 6 | 4 | 8 | 6 | 8 |
| Strasbourg | 1 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 19 | - |
| Rennes | - | 15 | 9 | 4 | 7 | 4 |
| Toulouse | - | - | 16 | 13 | 16 | 3 |
| Le Mans | - | - | 19 | - | 11 | 12 |
| Metz | - | - | 14 | 16 | 20 | - |
| Nancy | - | - | - | - | 12 | 13 |
| Lorient | - | - | - | - | - | 14 |
| Valenciennes | - | - | - | - | - | 17 |
| Caen | - | - | - | 18 | - | - |
Significant changes in Lyon
Last term Lyon clinched their sixth consecutive title with five games to spare, the fastest won in the French league. They also become the first team from one of the big five European leagues to win six national championships in a row. After guiding the club to two straight titles, coach Gerard Houllier left Lyon despite having a year remaining on his contract. "I need a break, full stop," Houllier said. His replacement is Alain Perrin, who steered Sochaux to a seventh-placed finish last season and UEFA Cup qualification via their victory in the French Cup final against Marseille.
This page is introduction to the 2007/2008 French League 1 season. Latest news, statistics, results and predictions you can find on our main Euro Football > France page.
During the summer, Lyon also lost three major players. Chelsea paid €20m for winger Florent Malouda, defender Eric Abidal moved to Barcelona for around €15m, while Portuguese midfielder Tiago joined Juventus for a fee of €13m. The six-time champions found replacements in winger Kader Keita and midfielder Mathieu Bodmer, who is widely considered to be one of the best playmakers in the French top flight. Both players arrived from league rivals Lille. Italy full-back Fabio Grosso also joined Lyon after leaving Italian champions Inter.
| # | team | points | g.dif. | win-draw-lose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lyon | 81 | 37 | 24-9-5 (38) |
| 2 | Marseille | 64 | 15 | 19-7-12 (38) |
| 3 | Toulouse | 58 | 4 | 17-7-14 (38) |
| 4 | Rennes | 57 | 8 | 14-15-9 (38) |
| 5 | Lens | 57 | 6 | 15-12-11 (38) |
| 6 | Bordeaux | 57 | 4 | 16-9-13 (38) |
| 7 | Sochaux | 57 | -2 | 15-12-11 (38) |
| 8 | Auxerre | 54 | 0 | 13-15-10 (38) |
| 9 | Monaco | 51 | 7 | 13-12-13 (38) |
| 10 | Lille | 50 | 2 | 13-11-14 (38) |
| 11 | St.Etienne | 49 | 2 | 14-7-17 (38) |
| 12 | Le Mans | 49 | -1 | 11-16-11 (38) |
| 13 | Lorient | 49 | -7 | 12-13-13 (38) |
| 14 | Nancy | 49 | -7 | 13-10-15 (38) |
| 15 | Paris SG | 48 | 0 | 12-12-14 (38) |
| 16 | Nice | 43 | -6 | 9-16-13 (38) |
| 17 | Valenc. | 43 | -12 | 11-10-17 (38) |
| 18 | Troyes | 39 | -15 | 9-12-17 (38) |
| 19 | Sedan | 35 | -12 | 7-14-17 (38) |
| 20 | Nantes | 34 | -23 | 7-13-18 (38) |
Coach changes since end of last season
Frederic Hantz has agreed to coach Sochaux following the departure of Alain Perrin to champions Lyon. The 41-year-old has decided to leave league rivals Le Mans, who have announced that former Dijon trainer Rudi Garcia will replace Hantz for the next two seasons.
Guy Roux has made a surprise comeback to top-level football by taking the Lens helm, two seasons after he retired from the game upon completing 43 years of service at Auxerre. The longest-serving coach in European football history replaces Francis Gillot, who stepped down after Lens missed out on a Champions League berth by finishing fifth in the league.
Ricardo Gomes has been named as the new coach of Monaco after being given permission by Bordeaux to end his contract a year early. The Brazilian replaces Laurent Banide who was dismissed only three days after he was offered a contract for the 2007/08 season. Meanwhile, Bordeaux will start the new campaign under the guidance of Laurent Blanc who was a member of the France's squad that won the 1998 World Cup and the 2000 European championship but has no previous coaching experience.
Saint-Etienne appointed former striker Laurent Roussey as new coach. Roussey, who replaces Ivan Hasek, played for Saint-Etienne when they won the French league in 1981. He was Hasek's assistant last season.
Strasbourg have named Jean-Marc Furlan as the replacement for coach Jean-Pierre Papin, who left the club by mutual consent despite leading them to promotion from the second division. Furlan's Troyes headed in the opposite direction last term, signaling the end of his time at the club.
| team | odds | team | odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lyon | 1.45 | Marseille | 6.75 |
| Paris Saint-Germain | 12 | Bordeaux | 12 |
| Lens | 26 | Lille | 26 |
| Monaco | 34 | Rennes | 50 |
| Toulouse | 80 | St. Etienne | 100 |
| Sochaux | 150 | Auxerre | 150 |
| Nancy | 250 | Le Mans | 500 |
| Strasbourg | 750 | Metz | 750 |
| Nice | 750 | Lorient | 800 |
| Valenciennes | 900 | Caen | 1000 |
French Cup (Coupe de France) finals in last five years
2003 Auxerre - Paris St. Germain 2:1
2004 Paris St. Germain - Chateauroux 1:0
2005 Auxerre - Sedan 2:1
2006 Paris St. Germain - Marseille 2:1
2007 Sochaux - Marseille 2:2 (5:4 on penalties)
League Cup (Coupe de Ligue) finals in last five years
2003 Monaco - Sochaux 4:1
2004 Sochaux - Nantes 1:1 (5:4 on penalties)
2005 Strasbourg - Caen 2:1
2006 Nancy - Nice 2:1
2007 Bordeaux - Lyon 1:0