French Ligue One: Matt Spiro gets the views of the former Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier as he goes in search of another French Ligue One title with champions Lyon
For two weeks this summer France was gripped by soccer fever. Prior to their unexpected victory over Spain in the second round of the World Cup, Les Bleus were little more than a source of jokes in their homeland. But as the team grew in confidence, defeating Brazil and Portugal on their way to the final, the nation slowly went World Cup crazy.
By July 9th the French were braced for a repeat of the frenzied celebrations of 1998, but this time there was no happy ending and the sudden interest disappeared almost as quickly as it had arrived. Indeed, no sooner had David Trezeguet fluffed his spot kick against Italy than the Franck Ribery replica shirts were being folded away in drawers as attention shifted sharply towards the Tour de France.
This weekend the French league season returns and it is safe to say the nation is not enthralled by the prospect.
Les Bleus may have enjoyed a renaissance but French club football remains in the doldrums. Last season Ligue One churned out the poorest goals-to-game ratio of any major European league (2.13), with 140 of the 380 matches producing just one goal or less. To make matters worse, the title race was as good as over by November as Lyon, France's one outstanding club, dominated emphatically.
Lyon have now clinched the title for the last five years, a French record, and having held on to their top talent they seem a dead cert once again this season.
Six successive wins would be a first for a club playing in one of Europe's top five leagues, and predictably Lyon's manager Gerard Houllier is more enthusiastic than most ahead of the restart. "I'm looking forward to another challenging campaign," said Houllier, whose team opened their title defence with a 3-1 victory at Nantes last night.
"It's going to be hard to reproduce the form we showed last year, but I feel we're progressing all the time so hopefully this season will be even more successful."
Relaxed, smiling and affable, Houllier, now 58, looked like a changed man as he mingled with journalists at Lyon's training ground this week. The irritable and perpetually stressed Houllier who was forced out of Liverpool in 2004 after six eventful years has been replaced by a healthier, younger-looking and seemingly happier version. "I'm enjoying life at Lyon," he said. "At my age it's important to feel good. I get on well with everybody here and there's a great atmosphere at the club."
The fresh Rhone air and the region's notoriously fine cuisine have almost certainly helped, as has coaching a team which has outgrown Ligue One and wins nearly every game it plays. After taking a year out to commentate for French television, Houllier replaced Paul Le Guen as Lyon manager last summer. The club set a new points record in his first year, prompting a flurry of complaints that Lyon's domination had become damaging for the French game.
The former Lens, Paris Saint-Germain and France boss dismisses the suggestion instantly. "Anybody who says that last season was easy for Lyon can't have paid close attention," Houllier said. "We had to fight all the way and that title is the result of hard work and a fantastic collective spirit."
With Marseille, Monaco and PSG all experiencing a season of upheaval, the quality of Lyon's rivals remains debatable.
What is not up for discussion is the alarming dearth of goals. The French League grew so concerned that they asked Michel Hidalgo, the attack-minded coach who inspired France to victory in the 1984 European Championship, to draw up a list of proposals that might encourage more positive tactics.
One of Hidalgo's ideas is being put to the test this season. While the principal Ligue One standings will continue to use the same points system, a secondary table is being introduced with teams receiving two points for winning by one goal and three points if they win by two goals or more. Prize money totalling €20 million will be distributed at the end of the year.
The idea has been welcomed by many leading figures, but Houllier is not one of them. "Changing the points system would be extremely dangerous because it'd open the doors to corruption," he said. "The losing team gets no points whether they lose by one goal or two, so they might be more willing to accept a bribe.
"Anyway, is a 1-0 win always less worthy than a 2-0 win? A 1-0 win can be a fantastic result if it comes against a top team."
Liverpool fans might not be surprised to hear their former coach talking about his penchant for 1-0 wins. The Frenchman picked up four major trophies during his time at Anfield often thanks to pragmatic rather than dazzling play.
Despite his near perfect record so far with Lyon, Houllier has been criticised in some quarters for curbing the team's attacking flair. "Every coach has different ideas but for me football is not only about scoring goals," Houllier said. "I like my teams to be consistent, to defend well but also to attack with precision. People say that Lyon are less flamboyant now, but at the end of the day we've broken all the records and scored the most goals."
Nor is it Houllier's fault that other French clubs cannot to hold onto their top strikers. The French game suffers greatly from the continued exodus of its star players, mainly to the Premiership, yet, according to Houllier, the league remains as competitive as ever.
"If there are fewer goals in France then it's because the defending is of a higher standard. Perhaps we also have better coaches here. That might explain why so many foreign clubs appoint French coaches. Just look at what happened in the World Cup," Houllier continued. "The French were more tactically disciplined than other teams and we got to the final."
Houllier spent most of his summer in Germany attending matches and observing training sessions, as well as working for the French media. Now entering the 33rd year of his coaching career, he remains as fascinated by the sport as ever. Doctors questioned the wisdom of him returning to the Liverpool bench in 2002 just five months after undergoing major heart surgery, but listening to him speak about his great passion helps one understand why he did.
"I still love the game and I'm still learning new things," he said. "For me the World Cup represents an opportunity to learn and I noticed some interesting trends in Germany. For example, long-range shooting and set-piece delivery are more important than ever. Also, having good players on the bench is vital nowadays because the substitutes often change the course of a game."
At Lyon, Houllier is blessed with one of the best free-kick takers in the world in Brazilian Juninho Pernambucano. He can also call on one of the most complete squads in Europe after signing two more internationals this summer - Sweden playmaker Kim Kallstrom and France defender Sebastien Squillaci - as well as the highly-promising French midfielder Jeremy Toulalan.
For Houllier the possibility of winning a sixth title and taking Lyon beyond the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time represents an exciting and formidable challenge. For the rest of France, it promises to be another depressingly one-sided season.
