Lyon wins sixth title, no one really cares

By: Inara | April 21st, 2007

Lyon won it again, this time without even trying.

They only needed one more point to clinch the title, but Toulouse’s loss today means that Lyon doesn’t even need that single point. No team can possibly catch up now.

Title

A boring celebration party

Lyon’s win means that its the first ever club from a major European league (England, Spain, Italy, Germany, and France) to win six titles consecutively. Juventus, Real Madrid, and Torino have come closest with five. Lyon also broke another record by winning the title with five matches to spare - the earliest ever in France. If Lyon hadn’t gone through their crap streak for the past few months, they might have had the title by late February. Oh well. That’s something to achieve next year.

Ironically, Rennes, the team that handed Lyon its sixth title by defeating Toulouse, was also the first team in all of Europe that handed Lyon its first defeat. Rennes also denied Lyon the opportunity to win the title on their home ground last Wednesday by forcing a draw.

It’s a love-hate relationship.

But not everyone is busting out with the party hats and streamers.

Lyon’s newest title can’t erase the spectacular defeats they suffered in the past three months, not only in the Champions League but also in domestic cup competitions. It’s no surprise that some critics argue that their season has mostly been a failure despite breaking a European record. Their inability to win a domestic double or impose themselves on Europe indicates a troubling tendency to bottle higher stake matches, as well as a very weak domestic championship.

Worse, rumors are circulating that Gerard Houllier is at odds with many of his players and technical staff, which has prompted Jean-Michel Aulas to promise drastic overhauls of how the club is structured, the team’s manpower, and changes in the staff. At least right now, Aulas is backing Houllier, though I can’t help wonder if its to maintain regularity more than anything else. Bringing in a new manager every year might lead to the chaos that teams like Real Madrid suffer on a yearly basis, and if there is one thing that Lyon values above all else, it’s stability.

The number of likely departures increases by the day. One month ago, only Abidal, Diarra, and Cacapa were probable exits. Now the list has lengthened to include Coupet, Vercoutre, Juninho, Tiago, Malouda, and most troubling of all, Fred. Coupet and Juninho are probably bargaining for better contracts, but Tiago and Malouda have both admitted to wanting to try something different. As for Fred - this is the third time in a row he’s been left out of the squad.

But if Lyon can’t retain its key players, then I don’t see how their season next year will be any better than what it was this year.

So has Lyon’s winning season really been a losing one? Or let me rephrase that: is this all that Lyon is capable of?