An exciting season was promised in 2011-12. It had only been a year since Lyon reached the Champions League semi-final, Marseille had finished in the top two in each of the past three seasons, while champions Lille had kept Eden Hazard for another year.
Add to that the news that PSG had come under new ownership from Qatar, with a promise to spend significant amounts to deliver the Ligue 1 and UEFA Champions League titles to the capital, it had shaped up to be an intriguing season.
But no one had thought Montpellier had even a passing chance to make the top three let alone the title. But years before Leicester, French football had their own Cinderella moment as the southern club stunned all to claim the Ligue 1 title with a vibrant attacking side led by young talents such as Younes Belhanda, Mapou Yanga Mbiwa, Remy Cabella and a still-yet-to-blossom Olivier Giroud.
CHANGES
Of course, the main changes came from the Parc des Princes as PSG’s new owners began to flex their muscles. The marquee signing was Javier Pastore, who signed from Palermo in Serie A for 42 million euros. His arrival was complemented by Jeremy Menez and Alex, while Kevin Gameiro also swapped Lorient for the capital. Blaise Matuidi was the other key domestic signing for Paris that year.
Lille saw their winning team be dismantled, as Adil Rami quit the northern side for Valencia, Gervinho to Arsenal and Moussa Sow to Fenerbahce. But most importantly, Rudi Garcia and Eden Hazard remained as the club planned their move to the new Stade Pierre Mauroy. Joe Cole and Dimitri Payet also came in to add to the side shorn of attacking quality.
After a narrow second place finish the year before, Alou Diarra was the main signing at the Velodrome, while Lyon cashed in on two of their biggest stars – Miralem Pjanic departed for Roma while Jeremy Toulalan went to Malaga in Spain.
SEASON SUMMARY
Montpellier had enjoyed a sturdy start to the league campaign, quickly taking up position on the podium. Indeed, they…
Source link : https://www.footballcritic.com/season-reviews/montpellier-stun-french-football-to-claim-maiden-title-ligue-1-in-2011-12/808
Author : editors@footballcritic.com (Martin Macdonald)
Publish date : 2024-07-26 14:00:00
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