OGC Nice boss Lucien Favre back in Ligue 1 side's good graces after poor start
OGC Nice manager Lucien Favre appears to have steadied the ship at the Ligue 1 outfit after a rocky start to the 2022/23 campaign.
As a player, Favre had a reputation as an intelligent playmaker, reserving his best soccer for Geneva-based Servette FC where he made 193 appearances over two spells, scoring 48 times.
The midfielder also made 24 appearances for Switzerland.
A horrific leg break in 1985 put his career on hold but he returned eight months later and remained with Servette until his retirement in 1991.
After learning his trade in coaching roles at Swiss sides Echallen, Neuchatel Xamax and Yverdon-Sport he came to prominence in charge of Servette, the club where he had spent the majority of his playing career
Success there and at Zurich earned him a move to Germany where he took charge of Hertha Berlin and then Borussia Monchengladbach.
After a brief stint in charge of Nice, Favre returned to Germany to take charge of Borussia Dortmund, the side he managed up until 2020 when he was sacked following a string of poor results.
Now without a job, Favre has had a year out of the sport and has been linked with the vacant manager's role at Newcastle United.
Known for his intelligence and playmaking ability, Favre made just 30 appearances for the club before departing for Neuchatel Xamax, another Swiss side.
Favre enjoyed much more success there, scoring 14 goals in 51 appearances across two seasons before moving to Swiss Super League side Servette FC in 1981.
Now in his prime, Favre scored an impressive 28 goals in 59 appearances for Servette and his form saw him rewarded with a call-up to the Switzerland side as well as being named the Swiss Footballer of the Year in 1982/83.
In 1985, during his second spell at Servette, Favre suffered a serious knee injury at the hands of Pierre-Albert Chapuisat which caused him serious pain and discomfort for the rest of his playing days.
However, back in the 1990s, Echallens were in the Nationalliga C - the third tier of Swiss soccer.
Fresh from two years coaching their under-14s and under-17s, Favre led them to promotion in his first season - still the club's most outstanding achievement.
After four years in charge, Favre got his first taste of a professional club, becoming academy coach of Neuchatel Xamax.
He moved on from there to Yverdon-Sport in 1997. Upon his arrival, the side were struggling at the foot of Nationalliga B. However, Favre rallied the side, achieving promotion in his second season before recording a fifth-placed finish in the top flight - the club's best-ever placing.
Unsurprisingly, Favre's former side Servette snapped up his services in 2000 and he continued to impress.
In his second season in charge, Favre guided Servette to the Swiss Cup and took them on a spectacular UEFA Cup run before they were eventually knocked out by Valencia in the round of 16.
Having now had two seasons to build his own side, Favre rallied Zurich for a title charge in his third season. On a dramatic conlusion to the campaign, they beat rivals Basel to end the club's 25-year wait for the Super League.
The following season saw Zurich fail to progress from the qualifying rounds of the Champions League, but they did retain their league title.
As a result, Favre was named Swiss Manager of the Year for a second time.
Despite having the 13th-largest budget in Germany, Favre guided his side to fifth in the Bundesliga, earning them a spot in the UEFA Cup the following season.
Hertha Berlin were subsequently knocked out in the group stages but Favre continued to impress domestically, with a hugely impressive win over Bayern Munich taking his side top of the Bundesliga.
They eventually slid back down to fourth at the end of the season, but Favre's work earned him a contract extension until 2011.
Less than two years later, Favre took over at Borussia Monchengladbach with the club rock-bottom of the Bundesliga. His arrival immediately helped turn around their form. However, it still came down to the final day, with his side ensuring their survival courtesy of a play-off win over VFL Bochum.
Having struggled to survive in the Bundesliga, not many expected Favre to take the side up to fourth in his following season - a finish that earned them a place in the Champions League.
Favre again failed to progress his side through qualifying, seeing them knocked out by Dynamo Kiev. A less impressive eighth-place followed in the league, but not without back-to-back wins over champions Bayern Munich.
A number of key signings inlcuding Max Kruse and Christoph Kramer helped Monchengladbach climb back to sixth, but Favre's most impressive finish came in 2014/15 when he helped the club to third - and again qualify for the Champions League.
However, five consecutive losses at the start of 2015/16 saw Favre resign from his role.
And Favre quickly showed why. In his first season he achieved a third-placed finish with Nice - their highest league position for decades.
His return to Germany saw Favre take charge of Borussia Dortmund in 2018, and he had an immediate impact, becoming the first manager in Germany to win his first 15 games. A 4-1 win over RB Leipzig and a 4-0 demolition of Atletico Madrid made up part of his spectacular run.
Despite pushing Bayern Munich all the way, Dortmund ended the season two points behind the champions.
Favre started his second season well too, beating Bayern 2-0 in the Super Cup to claim his first silverware in Dortmund. He managed a similar second place, but this time 13 points behind Bayern in the standings.
Despite coming second twice, five consecutive defeats, including a 5-1 humiliation at home to newly-promoted VFB Stuttgart at the start of the following season were enough to see Favre sacked.
Lucien Favre is married to Chantal and is believed to enjoy acting, as well as boasting an extensive shoe collection.
OGC Nice manager Lucien Favre appears to have steadied the ship at the Ligue 1 outfit after a rocky start to the 2022/23 campaign.