2 June 2006, by Sean Gillen

Tiago 2005/06 season review

Tiago comes of age at Lyon

“We’ll miss the player and the person,” were the words used by Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho, as Tiago, the man he had signed 12 months earlier from Benfica, made an emotional departure for a new challenge in Le Championnat just days before the transfer deadline in August.

Although the midfielder would be missed by team-mates, and his only season in England would not be regarded as a failure, few eyebrows were raised when Chelsea allowed him to move on after signing Lyon midfielder Michael Essien.

Despite early promise at Benfica, where he scored 13 goals in his debut season, his final year in Lisbon was also a quiet one. The move to Lyon to replace the highly-rated Essien gave Tiago the platform to really make a name for himself on a big stage.

Instant hit

He was an instant hit in France. With four successive league titles, he had joined a winning team, and Lyon had already won three of their first four games when Tiago made his debut in the 2-1 win against Monaco in September. A sensational 3-0 win over Real Madrid followed, before Tiago scored his first goal in the 1-1 draw with Lens. Another strike came soon after in a 3-1 win over Rennes as Lyon embarked in a 10-game winning streak.

After securing qualification for the last 16 of the Champions League by topping their group ahead of Real Madrid, Olympiakos and Rosenborg, Lyon’s first defeat of the season came on the 16th of December, 3-1 to Lille. They got back on track immediately with three straight wins, Tiago getting on the scoresheet in a 2-1 win over Marseille.

The new year saw Tiago draw praise from Lyon goalkeeper Gregory Coupet, who felt that the Portuguese had filled the void left by Essien: “Tiago has an incredible intelligence for the game. He has a sense for positioning and makes simple and efficient gestures. Tiago is at least as strong as Essien, and that means a lot.”

Lyon drew Dutch champions PSV in the Champions League and after a 1-0 win in Holland, Tiago had his best match of the season in the return leg. Scoring the opening two goals and setting up the third, Tiago was outstanding as his side began to look like genuine contenders for Europe’s biggest prize.

Self-sacrifice praised

Two more 4-0 wins in the league came before Lyon took on Italian giants Milan in the quarter finals of the Champions League. An even first leg finished 0-0, with Tiago’s professional foul in the closing stages earning him a yellow card and suspension for the second leg. Gerard Houllier recognised the sacrifice made by Tiago, putting the team before himself, and heaped praise on his midfielder after the match.

Tiago remained focused, scoring the only goal of the game at Troyes before Lyon were unlucky to go out of the Champions League after two late goals in Milan.

Lyon cruised to a fifth consecutive French title and Tiago got his seventh goal in the final game of the season in the 8-1 win over Le Mans. The 25-year-old was then called into the Portugal World Cup squad as one of the continent’s finest performing midfielders in 2005/06.

Season Highlight

Lyon 4-0 PSV - 08/03/06

Without doubt his performance of the season, Tiago scored two as his side hammered Dutch champions PSV. “It has probably been my best match with Lyon. It is the first time I have scored in the Champions League and I scored two goals, which is just wonderful,” Tiago said after the match.

                                       Season stats

* League and European appearances only; substitute appearances in brackets