Paddy Agnew/Euroscene: French football registered two significant results in last week's Champions League encounters, with reigning champions Olympique Lyonnais beating Bayern Munich 2-1 in Munich and current French League leaders Monaco drubbing Deportivo La Coruna 8-3 at home. Was it a flash in the pan or the signs of a genuine revival?
About this time last year I asked the same question in the wake of Lyon's sparkling 2-1 Champions League victory over Inter Milan at the San Siro. Lyon subsequently failed to live up to the promise of that win, failing (along with compatriots Lens and Auxerre in an abysmal French whitewash) to make it into the second group phase.
Doubtless, French club football has still much to prove before its current achievements can go even some small way towards matching those of the French national team. However, for the time being, both Lyon and Monaco are top of their Champions League groups with just two games to play (Anderlecht-Lyon, Lyon-Celtic and Monaco-PSV, AEK Athens-Monaco).
One man better positioned than most to assess whether last week's results represent anything more than a temporary halt to the seemingly continual decline and fall of French clubs in Europe is the Monaco coach, Didier Deschamps.
Speaking to Gazzetta Dello Sport after that 8-3 rout of Deportivo, the former French World Cup and Euro 2000 winning captain said: "I don't know about a revival but the big difference with regard to the past is that the top three clubs in France (Lyon, Monaco and Olympique Marseilles) didn't sell their best players last season, but rather strengthened their squads. Lyon bought Elber, we hired Morientes and both teams held on to their talented youngsters. That's the only way you can hope to do better in European competition.
"If you have serious plans such as we have here at Monaco, then players will stay. My lads have accepted the gamble even if, from the economic viewpoint, we simply cannot compete with English, Italian and Spanish football."
As a player, Deschamps won two Champions Cup medals, with Olympique Marseilles in 1993 and Juventus in 1996. He also played with Chelsea and Valencia and is well placed to assess the different approaches to the game.
"My five years at Turin were very important for me and they contributed to make me what I am today. The thing I like about Juventus is the mentality, the desire to win everything and everywhere, irrespective of the players used.What I experienced in Turin was much more intense for me than with Chelsea in England, for example".
Monaco followed up their 8-3 victory with a late 1-0 away win against Ajaccio on Sunday that saw them remain top of the French first division, three points clear of Lyon.
Deschamps points out that with the exception of 29-year-old Croat striker Dado Prso, who scored four against Deportivo, his side comprises relatively young, emerging talents such as 23-year-old defender Sebastien Squillaci, 25-year-old midfielder Jerome Rothen and 22-year-old defender Patrice Evra.
"They're not intimidated and they're willing to take risks and try things," said Deschamps. "The only thing they lack for the time being is experience, but they're in a hurry to get there and I like that."
So does Deschamps now consider his Monaco side among the favourites for the Champions League? Realism takes over from enthusiasm as the Monaco coach spells out the familiar names of AC Milan, Juventus, Real Madrid and Manchester United as his favourites for ultimate victory this season.
Deschamps concedes that this season's revised format with the cup-tie knockout formula taking over after this first group phase could lead to some surprises.
"In a one-off, home-and-away tie, it's an entirely different situation mentally in which anything can happen, even if the big clubs rarely slip up."
