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French football/soccer : French League 1 2007/2008 season preview

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:

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.

teamstitles2002/032003/042004/052005/062006/07
St. Etienne10--61311
Marseille837552
Monaco7233109
Lyon611111
Bordeaux54121526
Nice4101112816
Lille214102310
Paris SG21129915
Sochaux25510157
Lens188745
Auxerre164868
Strasbourg113131119-
Rennes-159474
Toulouse--1613163
Le Mans--19-1112
Metz--141620-
Nancy----1213
Lorient-----14
Valenciennes-----17
Caen---18--
The table shows the overall number of titles for each club in French Ligue 1 and their league standings in the last five seasons. The number of titles includes only professional league championships.

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.

#teampoints g.dif. win-draw-lose
1Lyon813724-9-5 (38)
2Marseille641519-7-12 (38)
3Toulouse58417-7-14 (38)
4Rennes57814-15-9 (38)
5Lens57615-12-11 (38)
6Bordeaux57416-9-13 (38)
7Sochaux57-215-12-11 (38)
8Auxerre54013-15-10 (38)
9Monaco51713-12-13 (38)
10Lille50213-11-14 (38)
11St.Etienne49214-7-17 (38)
12Le Mans49-111-16-11 (38)
13Lorient49-712-13-13 (38)
14Nancy49-713-10-15 (38)
15Paris SG48012-12-14 (38)
16Nice43-69-16-13 (38)
17Valenc.43-1211-10-17 (38)
18Troyes39-159-12-17 (38)
19Sedan35-127-14-17 (38)
20Nantes34-237-13-18 (38)
The table displays complete French League 1 standings for season 2006/2007.

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.

teamoddsteamodds
Lyon1.45Marseille6.75
Paris Saint-Germain12Bordeaux 12
Lens26Lille26
Monaco34Rennes50
Toulouse80St. Etienne100
Sochaux150Auxerre150
Nancy250Le Mans500
Strasbourg750Metz750
Nice750Lorient800
Valenciennes900Caen1000
The preseason odds for the outright winner of the 2007/08 French football league

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

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key players

Auxerre

Goalkeeper Olivier Sorin (€3m); Defense: Jean Pascal Mignot (€2.5m), Stephane Grichting (€2m), Sebastian Gabriel Tamas (€1.8m), Jean-Sebastien Jaures (€1.5m); Midfield: Thomas Kahlenberg (€5m), Benoit Pedretti (€4.5m), Frederic Thomas (€3.5m); Forward: Ireneusz Jelen (€6m), Daniel Niculae (€3m), Toifilou Maoulida (€2.5m).

Bordeaux

Goalkeeper Ulrich Rame (€4.5m); Defense: Marc Planus (€7m), Matthieu Chalme (€3.5m), Franck Jurietti (€2m); Midfield: Alou Diarra (€7.8m), Fernando Menegazzo (€6.5m), Johan Micoud (€4.5m), Geraldo Wendel (€3.5m); Forward: Fernando Cavenaghi (€6m), Jussie (€4.5m), Marouane Chamakh (€4.5m).

Caen

Goalkeeper Vincent Plante (€0.7m); Defense: Karl Svensson (€2.5m), Gregory Leca (€1.5m), Cedric Hengbart (€1.2m); Midfield: Benjamin Nivet (€2m), Gregory Proment (€1.8m), Anthony Deroin (€1.5m), Reynald Lemaitre (€1.1m); Forward: Yoan Gouffran (€2.5m), Issam Jemaa (€2.5m), Sebastien Mazure (€2m).

Le Mans

Goalkeeper Yoann Pele (€5m); Defense: Marko Basa (€7m), Ibrahima Sory Camara (€2m), Gregory Cerdan (€1.3m); Midfield: N'Dri Romaric (€5m), Daisuke Matsui (€3.6m), Stephane Sessegnon (€3m), Mathieu Coutadeur (€2.5m); Forward: Grafite (€4.5m), Tulio De Melo (€2.5m), Mamadou Samassa (€1.2m).

Lens

Goalkeeper Charles-Hubert Itandje (€4.5m); Defense: Hilton (€6m), Adama Coulibaly (€3.5m), Yohan Demont (€3m); Midfield: Nenad Kovacevic (€6.5m), Kanga Akale (€6m), Julien Sable (€3.5m), Eric Carriere (€2.5m); Forward: Aruna Dindane (€7.5m), Bonaventure Kalou (€4.5m), Daniel Cousin (€4m).

Lille

Goalkeeper Tony Sylva (€4m); Defense: Gregory Tafforeau (€5m), Nicolas Plestan (€5m), Stephan Lichtsteiner (€3m); Midfield: Jean Makoun (€11m), Yohan Cabaye (€4.5m), Mathieu Debuchy (€3m), Michel Bastos (€3m), Ludovic Obraniak (€2.5m), Stephane Dumont (€2.5m); Forward: Nicolas Fauvergue (€2.5m).

Lorient

Goalkeeper Fabien Audard (€1.2m); Defense: Sylvain Marchal (€1.5m), Michael Ciani (€1.3m), Christophe Jallet (€1.3m), Jeremy Morel (€1.2m); Midfield: Marama Vahirua (€3m), Yohan Hautcoeur (€2m), Ulrich Le Pen (€1.5m), Fabrice Abriel (€1.4m), Yazid Mansouri (€1m); Forward: Rafik Saifi (€1.2m).

Lyon

Goalkeeper Gregory Coupet (€7m); Defense: Cris (€15m), Sebastien Squillaci (€13m), Fabio Grosso (€8.5m), Anthony Reveillere (€8.5m); Midfield: Juninho Pernambucano (€15m), Jeremy Toulalan (€12m), Mathieu Bodmer (€10m), Kim Kallstrom (€10m); Forward: Abdul Kader Keita (€18m), Fred (€15m).

Marseille

Goalkeeper Cedric Carrasso (€5m); Defense: Taye Ismaila Taiwo (€9m), Gael Givet (€6.5m), Habib Beye (€6m), Ronald Zubar (€5.5m); Midfield: Lorik Cana (€10m), Samir Nasri (€9m), Karim Ziani (€8m), Modeste M'Bami (€5m); Forward: Djibril Cisse (€13.5m), Mamadou Niang (€10m).

Metz

Goalkeeper Christophe Marichez (€0.4m); Defense: Pascal Delhommeau (€2m), Sebastien Bassong N'Guena (€1m), Manuel Corrales (€0.4m); Midfield: Daniel Gygax (€2m), Cedric Barbosa (€0.9m), Julien Cardy (€0.9m), Dino Djiba (€0.9m); Forward: Babacar Gueye (€1.1m), Wilmer Aguirre (€0.6m), Momar N'Diaye (€0.6m).

Monaco

Goalkeeper Flavio Roma (€4m); Defense: Bolivar (€5m), Sylvain Monsoreau (€4m), Francois Modesto (€3m); Midfield: Camel Meriem (€7.5m), Jeremy Menez (€4m), Serge Gakpe (€4m), Jerko Leko (€4m), Jaroslav Plasil (€3m); Forward: Frederic Piquionne (€8m), Jan Koller (€4m).

Nancy-Lorraine

Goalkeeper Gennaro Bracigliano (€4m); Defense: Sebastien Puygrenier (€6m), Mickael Chretien (€3.5m), Andre Luiz (€2m), David Sauget (€2m); Midfield: Benjamin Gavanon (€4m), Emmanuel Duchemin (€1.8m); Forward: Kim (€3m), Gaston Curbelo (€2.5m), Marc-Antoine Fortune (€2.5m), Issiar Dia (€2m).

Nice

Goalkeeper Hugo Lloris (€4m); Defense: Vincent Hognon (€4m), Cedric Kante (€2m), Onyekachi Apam (€1.5m), Jacques Abardonado (€1.4m); Midfield: Ederson (€4.5m), Florent Balmont (€4m), Cyril Rool (€2m), Olivier Echouafni (€1m); Forward: Bakary Kone (€3m), Habib Bamogo (€2.8m).

Paris St. Germain

Goalkeeper Mickael Landreau (€7m); Defense: Sylvain Armand (€7.5m), Mario Yepes (€5m), Zoumana Camara (€4.5m), Gregory Bourillon (€3.5m); Midfield: Jerome Rothen (€6.5m), Marcelo Gallardo (€5m), Pierre-Alain Frau (€3.5m); Forward: Pauleta (€8.5m), Peguy Luyindula (€4m), Amara Diane (€3m).

Rennes

Goalkeeper Simon Pouplin (€4m); Defense: John Mensah (€6m), Petter Hansson (€3.3m), Erik Edman (€3m); Midfield: Etienne Didot (€6.5m), Olivier Thomert (€5m), Bruno Cheyrou (€3.5m), Stephane M'Bia (€3m), Olivier Sorlin (€3m); Forward: Jimmy Briand (€6m), Mickael Pagis (€2.5m).

Saint-Etienne

Goalkeeper Jeremie Janot (€7.5m); Defense: Efstathios Tavlaridis (€4m), Nivaldo (€2.5m), Cedric Varrault (€2m); Midfield: Pascal Feindouno (€6.5m), Christophe Landrin (€4m), Douala (€3m), Geoffrey Dernis (€2.5m); Forward: Ilan Araujo (€7m), Bafetimbi Gomis (€6m), Dimitri Payet (€2.5m).

Sochaux

Goalkeeper Teddy Richert (€4m); Defense: Jeremie Brechet (€4.5m), Rabiu Afolabi (€3m), Dusko Tosic (€3m), Miranda (€2.5m); Midfield: Guirane Ndaw (€3.5m), Badara Sene (€3m), Romain Pitau (€2.8m); Forward: Alvaro (€3m), Valter Birsa (€2.5m), Moumouni Beli Dagano (€2.3m).

Strasbourg

Goalkeeper Stephane Cassard (€1.5m); Defense: Jeff Strasser (€1.5m), Manuel dos Santos (€1m), Gregory Paisley (€1m); Midfield: Yacine Abdessadki (€2m), Rodrigo (€1.9m), Guillaume Lacour (€1.8m), Pascal Johansen (€1.6m), Renaud Cohade (€1m); Forward: Renteria (€1.5m), Eric Mouloungui (€0.9m).

Toulouse

Goalkeeper Nicolas Douchez (€4m); Defense: Jeremy Mathieu (€4.5m), Albin Ebondo (€4.5m), Herita Nkolongo Ilunga (€3.5m); Midfield: Achille Emana Edzimi (€8m), Laurent Batlles (€3.8m), Fode Mansare (€3.5m), Nicolas Dieuze (€3.5m), Paulo Cesar (€3m), Fabinho (€3m); Forward: Johan Elmander (€10m).

Valenciennes

Goalkeeper Nicolas Penneteau (€2m); Defense: Abdeslam Ouaddou (€2.5m), David Sommeil (€1.8m), Eric Chelle (€1.2m), David Ducourtioux (€1m), Rudy Mater (€0.9m), Guillaume Rippert (€0.8m); Midfield: Sebastian Roudet (€1.8m), Geoffrey Doumeng (€1.5m); Forward: Gregory Pujol (€2m), Steve Savidan (€2m).

 
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