Laszlo BÖLÖNI

Following in the footsteps of Halilhodzic, Laszlo Bölöni joined Stade Rennais in 2003, having just won the Portuguese League title with Cristiano Ronaldo’s Sporting team. In 2003/2004, the Rumanian Manager set his side up with a defensive 4-4-2 formation, with only Frei, Monterrubio or Piquionne as attacking options. The arrival of Kim Källström in the winter of 2004 added some much-needed balance between attack and defence, and the team finished 9th in Ligue 1. Bölöni was to make history for the club in the next season, finishing 4th (ahead of Marseille and Paris Saint Germain) which meant that they had directly qualified for the UEFA Cup. The season 2005/2006 saw a much more offensive 4-1-4-1 formation adopted, with Utaka and Gourcuff joining the ranks. The team eliminated Osasuna before putting in a somewhat lacklustre performance in the group stage. After that, they put together two astonishing runs: 5 defeats in a row, followed by 8 wins on the bounce. The frustrations of their last match against Lille (2-2) meant heartbreak at not qualifying for Europe (finishing 7th). Following a bust-up with influential players, he left to join Monaco in the summer of 2006.