9 July 2007, by Sean Gillen

Tiago 2006/07 season review

Third consecutive title earns Tiago dream Italian move

Tiago’s blossoming club career brought him another trophy in the 2006/07 season, at the end of which the classy midfielder earned a dream move to Italian giants Juventus.

The 26-year-old midfielder was once again a league championship winner, helping Lyon to their sixth consecutive French Ligue 1 championship. It was a third successive league title triumph for Tiago, who won the Premiership in England with Chelsea before heading to France in 2005.

Having excelled in his first season at the Stade Gerlande, Tiago began the 2006/07 campaign in sensational form, scoring three goals in six league appearances as the champions took their place at the top of the table with ten wins out of their first eleven games.

His performances in the Champions League were equally impressive. Tiago got his name on the scoresheet twice in the group phase, most notably in a 2-0 victory against Real Madrid, as Lyon topped their section and qualified for the last 16 of the competition.

Lyon had amassed a comfortable lead at the top of the table going into the New Year, and were able to focus their attentions on finally making a big impression in Europe. However, the team were dumped out of the Champions League by Roma following a 2-0 home defeat to the Italians in the second leg of their last-16 meeting. Tiago played all 180 minutes of the tie, which began with a scoreless draw in Rome.

The midfielder was having a quieter second half of the season - although he did score in a 3-1 win at St Etienne in March - and the team began to stumble badly after their European exit. In the end, the champions won just eight of their twenty league games after the turn of the year.

A French Cup final defeat to Bordeaux resulted in further criticism of the players, and manager Gerard Houllier. Despite eventually securing a remarkable sixth consecutive league title, questions have been asked as to whether the club are capable of taking the next step to become one of Europe’s elite clubs.

Clearly feeling that he had achieved all he could with Lyon, Tiago began to make noises about a move to a bigger club. After links with clubs such as Milan and Barcelona, the Portuguese ultimately opted for Juventus, which he had always insisted was his first choice of club, and the midfielder will be hoping to settle in Turin and firmly prove himself at the very highest level.

                                Season stats - Tiago

                        Substitute appearances in brackets