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This weekend, the duel between the teams of "Nantes" and "Lyon" marks the beginning of the 2006/2007 French championship - battles in stadiums start with the 20 most powerful teams of "Ligue 1." EuroFootball.com will try to briefly introduce you to each team's goals before the start of the new season.
Last season: 6th place Coach: Jean Fernandez The team from a small town in Burgundy has firmly established itself in the top half of the standings for many seasons in a row and is always a tough challenge for league leaders. However, this season the team led by former "Marseille" coach Jean Fernandez, mainly consisting of young players, will have to make a big effort to repeat at least the achievements of the previous season. Compared to last season, "Auxerre" has added two foreign attackers - Polish Ireneusz Jelen and Romanian Daniel Niculae.
Last season: 2nd place Coach: Ricardo This year's runners-up from last season promise to resist even more seriously to the league favorite, the five-time winner in the last consecutive seasons, "Lyon." Led by talented Brazilian coach Ricardo, the club gained fame last season for its challenging defense, so before the start of the new championship, they strengthened their attacking line. The team was supplemented by experienced Frenchman Johan Micoud, who came from the "Werder" team and is already being hailed as one of the team's leaders.
Last season: 11th place Coach: Frederic Hantz Finishing in a great 11th place last season, "Ligue 1" newcomer "Le Mans" has secured the right to play in the highest French football division for two consecutive years in the club's history. The team had previously climbed to "Ligue 1" in 2003, but returned to "Ligue 2" after a year. After calling his players on New Year's Eve just to make sure they were following sports discipline, the coach known for his unconventional methods, Frederic Hantz, demands one thing from his team - to maintain "Ligue 1" at least until 2008 when the club moves to the new stadium.
Last season: 4th place Coach: Francis Gillot Finishing in fourth place last season, the team "Lens" will have to cope this season without two key players - defender Benoit Assou-Ekotto left for "Tottenham," and striker Pierre-Alain Frau moved to "P.S.G." With a limited budget that couldn't afford a proper replacement for these players, the club hopes to rely on young players in the new season and not disappoint their fans, who are considered some of the most passionate in all of "Ligue 1."
Last season: 3rd place Coach: Claude Puel Led by Claude Puel, named the best coach of last season’s "Ligue 1," the team of "Lille" has been trying for two years in a row to fight for top positions and promises to do the same this year. However, it will be very difficult for the team to do so as the club lost many players after last season. Furthermore, the team has problems with its stadium, which does not meet UEFA requirements, so it will likely have to play home matches in neutral territory in the next season.
Last season: Promoted from "Ligue 2" Coach: Christian Gourcuff After a four-year break, the team returned to "Ligue 1" under the management of Christian Gourcuff but lost two key players after the season - striker Johan Audel and Algeria's national team goalkeeper Karim Ziani. Led by Christian Gourcuff, whose son Yohann is considered one of the most promising French players and recently signed a contract with "Milan," the team this season expects nothing more than to remain in "Ligue 1."
Last season: Champion Coach: Gerard Houllier Five-time "Ligue 1" champion and winner of the French Super Cup "Lyon" should not face serious opposition this season in the fight for the sixth consecutive title. With all the main players retained after last season and strengthened by two young and talented midfielders Kim Kallstrom and Jeremy Toulalan, the team has already won this season's French Super Cup and considers a successful appearance in the UEFA Champions League as its main goal for this season.
Last season: 5th place Coach: Albert Emon "Olympique Marseille," which has not won any titles since their UEFA Champions League triumph in 1993, seems to be heading for another dry season. It is now almost certain that the club, without strengthening during the offseason and losing coach Jean Fernandez, will not be able to seriously challenge "Lyon." The main goal for the Marseille leaders now is to keep one of France's most promising young players, Franck Ribery, who was already one of the team's leaders last season.
Last season: 10th place Coach: Laszlo Boloni Having experienced one of the worst seasons in the club's history, "Monaco," led by new coach Laszlo Boloni, hopes to improve its results in the upcoming championship and compete for top positions again. Finishing only in 10th place last season, the club failed to retain Christian Vieri and Marco Di Vaio of the Italian national team during the offseason but strengthened with experienced Czech national team striker Jan Koller and Lyon defender Sylvain Monsoreau.
Last season: 12th place Coach: Pablo Correa Finishing 12th and winning the French league cup last season can be considered one of the most successful seasons in the club's history. However, with almost an unchanged squad, Pablo Correa's team will face much greater challenges this season, and the leadership of the club sets the team with one goal - to remain in "Ligue 1."
