A year that began with Lyon as the pre-eminent force in French football ended with Bordeaux leading the country's top-flight clubs into the second decade of the 21st century. Under the guidance of former France international Laurent Blanc, Bordeaux swept to a league and League Cup double in cavalier style before cruising into the last 16 of the 2009-10 Champions League. The year had dawned with Lyon three points clear at the summit of the first division table, but all was not well at the Stade Gerland. Champions for seven years in succession since 2002, Les Gones were suddenly beset by inconsistency, short of goals and wretchedly toothless in front of their own fans. As the season reached its final phase, the chasing pack scented blood and it was Marseille who made the first move. A 4-1 win at home to Grenoble on April 12 took OM top for the first time since August, but with the finishing line in sight they stumbled to a 3-1 home defeat against Lyon in their third-last game of the season. Momentum had already been building at Bordeaux and they needed no second invitation to seize their chance, romping to the championship on the back of an 11-game winning streak that culminated in a title-clinching 1-0 victory at Caen on the season's final day. 'It's a huge satisfaction,' said Blanc after taking Bordeaux to the top domestic honour in only his second season at the club. 'Marseille said that they deserved the title more than us. They were right, but we did what was necessary. We've been doing a great job for two years and this is our reward.' It was the club's first league title since 1999 and if it owed much to the studious influence of Blanc it was also indebted to the brilliance of Yoann Gourcuff, who was crowned player of the year. Bordeaux had already claimed victory in the League Cup, beating second-tier Vannes 4-0 in April, but Guingamp struck a blow for the second division in the final of the French Cup when they came from behind to stun Rennes 2-1. 'It's amazing. We played together, we gave everything,' said Guingamp's match- winner Eduardo, who joined newly promoted Lens at the end of the season. Lyon's failure after nearly a decade of dominance sparked a summer of huge upheaval at the club, with home-grown striker Karim Benzema joining Real Madrid for 35 million euros and Brazilian captain Juninho taking his trademark free- kicks to Qatari side Al-Gharafa after eight years of service. Moving in the other direction were a host of multi-million-euro purchases including Argentine international striker Lisandro Lopez, French centre forward Bafetimbi Gomis and Lille's livewire Brazilian winger Michel Bastos. Marseille were similarly industrious, bringing in Argentine playmaker Lucho Gonzalez from Porto for a club record fee that could rise to 24 million euros and adding Stephane Mbia, Gabriel Heinze and Fernando Morientes to their ranks. The club also welcomed former skipper Didier Deschamps back to the club to replace Belgian coach Eric Gerets, who left after two years in charge. 'I know what I'm getting into and that a lot is expected of me,' said Deschamps, who led Marseille to the 1993 Champions League title. 'There's a lot of pressure wherever you go, but there's even more here. But I need that pressure if I'm going to express myself and get the most out of my team.' The key transfer business at Bordeaux involved the players who stayed put, with Gourcuff signing a permanent deal after his loan move from AC Milan and top scorer Marouane Chamakh remaining at the club despite a string of offers from the English Premier League. With his championship-winning squad largely intact, Blanc set about conquering the Champions League and he defied the doubters by guiding Bordeaux to the top of a group that also featured European heavyweights Bayern Munich and Juventus. Lyon were equally effective in continental competition, eliminating five-time champions Liverpool from their Champions League group to join Bordeaux in the last 16. Gourcuff and Chamakh combined once more to earn Bordeaux a 1-0 victory at Lyon in December that kept them top of the table going into 2010 and confirmed their place at the sharp end of French football's quiet revolution. 