Perrin aims for seventh heaven

Over the past six years, Olympique Lyonnais have been a model of consistency in France, brushing aside their Ligue 1 rivals with ease and sometimes disdain. While traditional powerhouses AS Monaco FC, Paris Saint-Germain FC and Olympique de Marseille continually switch coaches and trade players, Lyon have progressed steadily in an ever-stable environment, improving their squad intelligently each summer.

Wholesale changes
In the last few months, however, that trend has been radically altered. Celebrations of a record sixth straight title were spoiled by reports of squabbles and unrest. Lyon's famous spirit seemed to be disintegrating, and for the first time in a long time changes were afoot at Stade de Gerland. Gérard Houllier resigned and key players Eric Abidal, Florent Malouda and Tiago were sold along with former captain Claudio Caçapa, Jérémy Berthod and Alou Diarra. Club mainstays Sidney Govou and Juninho Pernambucano worsened matters with a malicious public spat, while forwards Sylvain Wiltord and Fred face uncertain futures after breaches of discipline.

'Tension'
The man charged with restoring order is the former Marseille coach Alain Perrin. Fresh from a fine season at FC Sochaux Montbéliard where he lifted the French Cup, Perrin is relishing the opportunity to take charge of Ligue 1's premier club but knows he has joined at a difficult time. "There was some tension when I arrived, which is understandable when you've not had an entirely satisfactory season," Perrin told uefa.com. "Everyone was disappointed to go out of the UEFA Champions League against AS Roma. Since then lots of players have left, a new coaching team has arrived, a new system is being put in place... It's not been an easy period."

Pre-season success
If Perrin felt some early apprehension, he has been reassured by Lyon's performances in pre-season. Victory in the Peace Cup in Asia followed by a 2-1 success against Sochaux in the French Champions Trophy suggest the players have reacted positively to the new regime. "At first there was an observation period - I watched the players train and they got to know what kind of coach I am," Perrin explained. "But they've accepted me and now I sense there's a strong desire to start afresh and build something new. You get extra motivation when new players and coaches arrive but there's continuity too because the spine of the team - [Grégory] Coupet, Cris, Juninho, [Kim] Källström and [Jérémy] Toulalan - has remained the same."

Title target
Add to the mix new-signings Mathieu Bodmer, Kader Keita, Fabio Grosso and Nadir Belhadj, and consider that in Karim Benzema, Hatem Ben Arfa and Loïc Remy Lyon possess some of the finest young talent around, and suddenly the outlook is not so bleak. "Our minimum objective is to win the league," stated Perrin matter-of-factly. "People will say that's easy but it won't be because our rivals have got stronger." Marseille, in particular, are being tipped to mount a challenge, and Perrin acknowledged that AS Monaco FC and Paris Saint-Germain FC "are always a threat", adding: "These teams will have been encouraged by recent events at Lyon which is why it was important to win our pre-season matches." Yet as Houllier would testify, domestic success is no longer enough to quench the thirst of Lyon's supporters. Regardless of the club's recent problems, Perrin will be judged primarily on his results in Europe. "The expectations are huge," he said. "We have to win every game we play. I'm looking forward to the challenge."

This is an abridged version of a story in this week's edition of the uefa.com Magazine. To read it in full, click here.