Lyon looking stronger this season

Olympique Lyonnais or Lyon as most people know them were once so dominant in the French Ligue 1 that nobody could ever see them falling off their top spot in France. Seven consecutive league titles showed just how invincible they truly were.

However that domestic dominance had to could to an end at some point and that point was last season. The team struggled as a whole and looked almost stale at times. They finished the season nine points behind champions Bordeaux in Ligue 1.

Dealing with the loss of key players

This summer saw two of Lyon’s formerly most influential players leave the club. Brazilian playmaker Juninho had been the hub of the Lyon midfield for so long. Scoring free-kicks creating goals for others and was also their leader. His last season wasn’t the best of his career and maybe it was time that the two parted company. The Brazilian moved to Al Gharafa in Qatar for a slower pace of life and game.

The other player they lost was homegrown striking hero Karim Benzema who joined Read Madrid for £30million. He was adored at Les Gones but it was inevitable that he would want to try his hand in La Liga or the Premier League at some point. He felt the time was right to move and hes moved to one of the biggest clubs in the world.

I can’t think of many players who could turn down a move to the Spanish giants. Its strange to say but I believe their exits from the club has given Lyon a feeling of freshness and they now believe they can make a new start. That fresh start has started with a good start to this season.

Big spending to compensate for loss of stars

The club have spent a lot of money to regain their Ligue 1 crown this season. They have made some very shrewd signings. They replaced Benzema with Argentinian striker Lisandro Lopez from Porto and also signed his teammate promising young full-back Aly Cissokho.

The most important signing for Los Gones this summer in my opinion has been the explosive Bafetimbi Gomis. The striker is a French international and has all the attributes to become a top player in the future. He has already scored 11 goals in Ligue 1 and Champions League and looks like a bargain buy at £11million.

Winger Michel Bastos will also prove to be a valuable signing. He is a player capable of creating chances and goals for his team and with Gomis in the team they are always going to score goals. The 26 year-old has also scored four goals in Ligue 1 this season which shows he also brings goals to the team.

Lyon’s strength is that their squad will only get better with the likes of Bosnian midfielder Miralem Pjanic and 18 year-old striker Yannis Tafer promising prospects. I can see Lyon winning this season’s Ligue 1 crown and dominant the French game for years to come.

Their main threat is the current league champions Bordeaux. They have some top players including the mercurial Yoann Gourcuff. The young French international is the key player in their side and I can see the former AC Milan player returning to one of the bigger leagues in the near future. Moroccan striker Marouane Chamakh is likely to leave in January. If he doesn’t leave in January then he will next summer when he is a free agent. He will be a massive loss to the champions as he scored 14 goals last season.

This season Lyon are currently two points behind the champions in Ligue 1 and are top of their Champions League group which includes Liverpool from the Premier League, Serie A side Fiorentina and Hungarian champions Debrecen. That sounds like a tough group but with six points already accrued they have a good chance of qualifying for the knockout stages. Lyon’s prospects look a lot better this season than a third place finish and a early exit from Europe.