Le Guen leads Lyon line

By David Baño & Jim Wirth

With AS Monaco FC reaching the final and Paul Le Guen's Olympique Lyonnais making the last eight, last season was a good one for Ligue 1 representatives in the UEFA Champions League. The same two clubs are now looking good for a place in the knockout stages this season.

Great start
Monaco got their first Champions League points with a win on Matchday 2 to keep them in contention in Group A, while French champions Lyon are faring even better after a 2-2 draw against Manchester United FC and a 2-1 win at AC Sparta Praha in their opening European matches.

French priorities
However, while Europe continues to have plenty of allure for Lyon, Le Guen insists that domestic success remains their priority. "First of all, we must be competitive in the French league," he told uefa.com. "It's our basic competition. We'll see what happens in Europe but another French title is our main target."

Caen triumph
Lyon have won the last three French titles and have already seized pole position in the league this season. They are undefeated in ten games, and travel to Fenerbahçe SK for their Group D tie tonight fresh from a 4-0 win against SM Caen on Friday.

High standards
Maintaining such high standards is a constant challenge, but the coach is hopeful for his side. "It is difficult to keep improving after three seasons at the top but we will try to remain consistent," said Le Guen. "We were lucky enough to be competitive in the last few years and we'll try to keep going."

Absent heroes
Lyon's bright start this season is noteworthy given they have lost the services of some of their star players from 2003/04. Striker Péguy Luyindula is now at Olympique de Marseille, defender Edmílson has joined FC Barcelona while a broken leg has ruled forward Giovane Elber out until January.

New signings
"Losing those players has been a problem," admitted Le Guen. "But we have strengthened our squad and I feel it remains competitive." The form of young Brazilian striker Nilmar and the more experienced Sylvain Wiltord has ensured that Lyon have lost none of their cutting edge.

Resilient squad
Those two summer signings have symbolised the continued optimism at the club. French sides are in the habit of seeing their best players move abroad to join bigger clubs, but Le Guen's team have proved more resilient than most when it comes to coping with such changes.

Motivational skills
A UEFA Cup Winners' Cup winner with Paris Saint-Germain FC back in 1995/96, the coach has proved a master of motivation with Lyon, and with the reformatting of the Champions League having done away with the second group stage - long a stumbling block for smaller clubs - his side could yet be set to thrive.

Favourable format
"I'm fully satisfied with the new format," said the 40-year-old, whose team could book a place in the last 16 with two wins against Fenerbahçe. "I'm happy to get back to a round of 16 and then the quarter-finals. It brings up emotions and encourages great footballing moments."

Days of misrule
The knockout stages last season were the cue for the smaller teams to run amok leaving some of Europe's giants floundering in their wake. French success may be Lyon's priority, but the prospect of giantkilling in 2005 could provide a mighty incentive for Le Guen's men in Istanbul.