2006-2007 Recap, Or: What Went Wrong With Lyon

By: Inara | August 2nd, 2007

With the start of Ligue 1 only three days away, I thought I would post my long overdue post-season analysis of 2006-2007. What follows is a long and detailed post. Be warned.

When It Was Good:

The campaign started out like a dream.

Lyon won nearly every game they played from the July (the French Supercup) until the end of December. Out of 28 games, there was only one loss (against Rennes) and four draws (Toulouse, Monaco, Real Madrid, Steaua). Even when Lyon weren’t playing well, they managed a win (Valenciennes, PSG). And then there were the matches that left no doubt that Lyon deserved to be in first place (Real Madrid, Marseille, Lens, Lille). They ended the half-season with a 19 point lead.

Despite being hit with an injury crisis of epic proportions (by mid-December, six key players were out), the Lyon juggernaut was so convincing that they were the listed as the third most likely to win the Champions League, behind Chelsea and Barcelona.

Juninho reinforces Lyon’s dominance

The players were happy. The coach was happy. The president was happy.

Lyon was this close to having it all.

Trouble Looms Ahead:

But something happened over Christmas break. Maybe it was the holiday turkey, or perhaps Santa Claus didn’t visit any OL players, but when they came back in January, the chemistry that had united the team had somehow dissipated. Worse, Gregory Coupet picked up a thigh injury, forcing Remy Vercoutre to deputize.

The first sign of impending disaster was the French Cup match against Bayonne, a team that plays in the French fourth division. Lyon struggled from the outset, had to come from behind, and won courtesy of an own goal. It was probably Lyon’s most embarrassing win of the year. The following weekend, Lyon suffered a defeat at the hands of Toulouse. While a 2-0 loss isn’t ordinarily bad, it was the lack of composure that caught the eye, the inability of Lyon to handle the pressure of losing.

Fourth division Bayonne almost hold Lyon at bay

The following two games against Le Mans and Laon (French Cup) were narrow wins, with Lyon failing to show their 2006 style.

The next four weeks saw Lyon not win even once. In a rather violent match against Bordeaux (there should have been three red cards in that game, for Juninho, Tiago, and Frank Jurietti), Lyon lost 1-2. They handed Nice a draw by conceding a goal in the last minute, and they awarded Troyes a win the same way.

The “a la Lyonnais” tactic of scoring in the last few minutes of the game was coming back to haunt the team.

The First Crash:

In late January, Lyon crashed out of the Round of 16 in the French Cup to Marseille. Lyon scored first, and it looked like they had bagged the win as they held off Marseille for the rest of the match.

But just as they were about to advance, Lyon lost their concentration and allowed Marseille to score two last-gasp goals - just like they did against AC Milan the year before.

It was a particularly bad moment for the club, who were in the midst of an unprecedented five game streak of not winning - their worst run of results since the early eighties, when they were in L2.

The injury crisis was at its worst - Alou Diarra was out injured, as was Sylvain Wiltord and Karim Benzema.

Fred had just returned from injury and was not fully match fit. Jeremy Toulalan was suspended, while Milan Baros had only arrived the week before. The club’s other new recruit, Fabio Santos, wasn’t even over his jet lag.

The lack of available defensive midfielders forced Gerard Houllier to shift from a 4-3-3 to a 4-4-2, the first time that formation had been adopted at Lyon since 2004.

The less athletically daunting Juninho and Tiago were forced to take on more defensive responsibilities, which reduced Juninho’s ability to orchestrate the attack as well as Tiago’s intelligent late bursts into the box, making Lyon a far less ferocious proposition going forward.

Lyon’s two wide men, Florent Malouda and Sidney Govou, normally allowed to roam forward safe in the knowledge that a three-man midfield triangle would do the bulk of their defensive duties, were forced to track back.

The attack, which consisted of Milan Baros and Fred, was a disaster. Since that was the first time the two had ever been paired together, they had no chemistry or communication between them. It was like watching two headless chickens.

The French Cup was the only missing domestic honor in the Aulas era (they last won it in 1973), and once again, Lyon failed to win it. You would think that this defeat would wake Lyon up from hibernation, but instead, the problems just got worse.

European Disappointment..Again:

After scraping wins from the next two league games, Lyon faced Roma in the first leg of the knockout rounds. But instead of being the thrilling, attacking encounter everyone expected it to be, it was a match riddled with cards, Lyon picking up three and Roma picking up eight (mostly for dives, but let’s not go there). It was a match unworthy of both sides and certainly not worthy of the Champions League. Going into the second round, Lyon had the slightest of advantages, boasting one of the best home records in the tournament (undefeated in 28 European matches), as well as a history of qualification at this stage.

However, instead of qualifying, Lyon lost - a huge shock, since they were the overwhelming favorites of the tie. Under most circumstances, the loss that night would have been digestible because Roma had an amazing game, and their players were extremely motivated.

Shock loss to Roma

But while Roma were having the game of their life, Lyon weren’t. The players looked totally disinterested and disheveled, like they had just rolled out of bed and stepped onto the pitch without having their morning coffee. They didn’t just lose. They handed the victory to Roma on a silver-lined plate. That’s not bad luck like the previous two years. That’s just bad playing, and the fact that in the one game it really mattered, the only motivation shown by most players was to do a handful of backpasses was obviously disappointing.

It was the first sign that the squad’s arrogance and overconfidence were bringing the club down. It was also a turning point for many of the senior players, most notably Juninho, Tiago, Malouda, Coupet, and Abidal, who realized that their dreams of European glory might never be fulfilled with Lyon.

But instead of rebounding, the disappointments continued.

Hitting Rock Bottom:

Lyon’s last chance for additional silverware was the League Cup, a trophy they won back in 2001 and which had led to their title winning streak. Lyon had already qualified for the final, but their opponents, Bordeaux, had them inflicted a loss only a month earlier.

Houllier took his players on a mini-vacation as they trained in the peaceful countryside to get away from the city. All the players swore to make it up to their fans. No one wanted to disappoint.

Vercoutre’s blunder

But after ninety minutes of the most boring, physical, and mind-numbing football ever played (that’s Bordeaux for you), Lyon conceded a goal thirty seconds away from extra time, thanks to a colossal error by Remy Vercoutre, who was given the honor of manning the nets for the final.

It proved to be one of the the lowest moments so far in Lyon’s 57 year history.

An Inglorious Ending:

The remainder of the season was treated like a visit to the DMV. The games were played with resignation, not joy.

Lyon’s title winning match

Though Lyon won the title, had a 17 point lead on second place, and broke several domestic and European records, they were seen as failures because they didn’t win any additional silverware. They cemented the title of “Big Match Bottlers” and worsened Ligue 1’s reputation abroad.

Their immense self-belief, borne of overwhelming domination, was shattered.

The team solidarity was broken thanks to squabbles amongst the players.

The relationship between Gerard Houllier and the club’s management suffered one last major breakdown, which eventually forced Houllier to leave the club.

Even the fans, normally so supportive, booed their own players on their home pitch after a particularly lackluster match against Rennes - the game where Lyon officially won the title but celebrated with a 0-0 draw.

The Problem:

So where did it go wrong? Why did the Lyon of 2006 seem like a different team than the one that played in 2007?

I don’t think anyone expected Lyon to win all four trophies. In fact, people would have been happy with even two. They may even have been happy with the title if Lyon had gone down fighting. Instead, people saw the recurrence of the Lyon problem: when it counts, they can’t seem to take that next step. And it’s not just the CL. For the past five years, Lyon missed out on the League Cup and the French Cup. In their history, Lyon have never clinched a domestic double. Never.

Bittersweet rewards

There could be several reasons for this: the manager, the lack of a star player, bad luck, an overly demanding physical workout regimen, crappy tactics, etc, but after four years, you’d think that Lyon would get it right just once. And that is what bothered many of the fans. The fact that there was an anomalous problem with no apparent solution. How does one fix that?

Aulas blamed the LFP for not giving Lyon a better domestic schedule. Lacombe blamed the tensions of so many internationals vying for eleven slots. Houllier blamed circumstance. Juninho blamed it on the club’s lack of ambition. Malouda blamed arrogance. Tiago blamed no one except himself for coming to Lyon in the first place. And so it went on, and when the club was done playing the blame game, everyone had absolved themselves of any responsibility.

The Solution:

I’ve thought about this for a long time. And I still don’t have an answer. I think that’s what frightens me the most - that with a new season only days away, Lyon still haven’t solved their problem because they don’t know what it is yet.

Facts and Figures of 2006-2007:

Most Goals: Fred (14 goals)
Most Assists: Juninho (12)
Most Minutes: Cris (32 games)
Most Games: Kim Kallstrom (33 games)
Most Yellows: Cris (9)
Most Reds: Juninho (1)

Inara’s Rankings:

Best Player: Sebastien Squillaci. He was probably Lyon’s most reliable and consistent player all year. Unlike the other players, he didn’t experience any dips in form, nor did he suffer any injuries. He was also one of Lyon’s cleanest players, picking up only one yellow card in all four competitions. He won the most tackles won in L1 and was the second best at ball interception (Eurosport). Lyon’s best summer purchase by far.

Most Important: Florent Malouda. This might sound strange to you guys, but for me, there is a difference between a player who is the best (i.e. consistent and will never let you down or make stupid mistakes or break your heart) and important (can change a game in a second). Malouda is the latter. He’s not a flashy winger like Arjen Robben or Ricardo Quaresma, but he’s hard working and has a tremendous work ethic. A game changing player, he could be counted on goals and clever assists. He is Lyon’s third highest scorer and the only player on the squad, besides Juninho, for whom there is no ready-made replacement. His departure has left a void on Lyon’s left flank that will be keenly felt during Lyon’s next season.

Most Surprising: Jeremy Toulalan. I didn’t expect him to arrive from Nantes and take over so seamlessly for Mahamadou Diarra. In fact, I thought Toulalan would be Alou Diarra’s backup. Instead, Toulalan asserted his dominance in Lyon’s midfield so convincingly that he won a spot on the France NT, pushing himself ahead of Diarra, Rio Antonio Mavuba, Lassana Diarra, and Abou Diaby in the pecking order. Claude Makelele named Toulalan as his successor, and besides one poor game against Lithuania in March, Toulalan has so far proven to be an astute choice by Domenech. I would be surprised if he doesn’t start for Euro 2008 (assuming Makelele retires by them).

Most Overrated: Tiago. He’s a solid, classy player but not irreplaceable. A well-rounded player who does everything but only a few things to a really high standard. Abidal is another candidate - he may be considered one of the best left backs in the world, but he was very average this year at Lyon.

Most Underrated: Anthony Reveillere (don’t laugh, Chris). Despite that awful Mancini moment during that awful CL game, he’s a solid defender who, while quieter and less offensive than Francois Clerc, is quite crafty and gets a lot done. He’s a player that often won’t stick out during a game, but if he’s doing his job, the player he’s shutting down won’t stick out either.

Most Disappointing: Fred. There are several I could have chosen, but I went with Fred. He was absolutely dynamite in the first half of the season but picked up an injury mid-October. By the time he was match fit in January, his personal problems (rumors are that Wiltord hit on Fred’s wife) affected him on the pitch. He lost his temper during several matches, broke Cristian Chivu’s nose during a CL match and got himself a three match suspension, threw a hissy fit when Baros arrived at the club, and failed to score in all of the big matches, in which he demanded that he start over Benzema and Baros. He got injured again, illegally left the club for Brazil in order to get ready for Copa America, broke his foot, didn’t return to Lyon despite being summoned, and finally showed up for training a month late. Yeah, that’s pretty disappointing.

Baros and Fred: Frienemies

The Hope: Karim Benzema. He began showing signs of his true potential this year when he shouldered the responsibility of being Lyon’s main attacker after Fred was injured. Despite being sidelined for over half the year, he scored seven goals, as well as one for France in his debut match. Alain Perrin has promised to play Benzema even more this year, so expect to see him succeed Thierry Henry one day.

Most Adorable: Tiago. He is just so cute when he’s happy on the pitch! I will miss his expressions of joy now that he is no longer at Lyon.

Tomorrow I’ll have my 2007-2008 preview up.