Rongier, Gigot, Ounahi, Mughe and Gueye. Five absentees and one return, that of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to challenge RC Lens at the Bollaert stadium, an annoying habit for Olympique de Marseille before facing one of the competitors for the Ligue 1 podium, this Sunday evening (8:45 p.m.). Including that of captain Valentin Rongier, one of Gennaro Gattuso’s key men since his arrival at the head of OM, since he has always been established by the Italian coach.
The midfielder suffers from a torn bone, contracted during the draw against Losc (0-0) last week and will have to undergo surgery this Monday. A hard blow for the former Nantes player to live poorly, to the point of having “tears in his eyes”, as Gattuso confided at a press conference this week, and which will above all force him to stay away from the field for Several weeks. His year 2023 is over.
A long series of injuries
A new injury to OM, which is part of a very long series since the start of the season. A third of the way through the championship, Olympique de Marseille has no less than thirteen injuries that we have listed for you in a non-exhaustive list:
- Goalkeeper Pau Lopez
- Central defender Samuel Gigot
- Right side Jonathan Clauss
- The left side Ronan
- The other left side Murillo
- Midfielder Geoffrey Kondogbia
- Midfielder Jordan Veretout
- Midfielder Valentin Rongier
- Midfielder Azzedine Ounahi
- The middle Amine Harit
- Winger Ismaïla Sarr
- Winger Mughe
- Winger Iliman Ndiaye
- Striker Correa
- Striker Aubameyang
A fairly long list which, however, does not worry more than that within the club. “We are within the usual deadlines and the peaks are generally in September/October, we know that. And above all, no less than 40% of our injuries at this stage of the season are traumatic and were therefore caused by direct impact,” we explain to OM. While emphasizing the effectiveness of the medical staff in terms of rehabilitation, as the return of Amine Harit, victim of a cruciate ligament rupture, demonstrates.
According to OM, “60% of injuries are muscular and it remains the number one injury for footballers at all times of the season, despite all the preventive protocols in force”.
“You obviously hit organizations”
But for the physical trainer of one of OM’s regular starters, changes in coaches at the head of the first team can upset the players, “regulated like clocks”. “Changing pace, menu, sessions, meeting time, you change everything. You obviously hit the organizations. It’s like a Formula 1 car. If you run it at 320 km/h for a season and then they go at 210 km/h, that poses problems,” he says.
The transition from Igor Tudor and a season “which drains the guys”, to a much less intense preparation with Marcelino, according to our information, can also explain this sudden overheating of Olympique de Marseille. But “the club is mainly located in the soft underbelly of Ligue 1 over the period 2015-2023. Over the last two seasons at the same period, we have more injuries than in 21/22 because we now play football which requires more high-intensity races,” says Olympique de Marseille. Except that for the moment, we see more the consequences in terms of injuries than the results with this high-intensity football. And opposite, RC Lens, which offers football at least as attractive, arrives with a full group.