At the Velodrome stadium,
Arriving at the Stade Vélodrome on Sunday evening, we wondered about the management of Dimitri Payet by his coach Igor Tudor. Returning late at the end of the match against Monaco (1-1) last Sunday when Ruslan Malinovskyi had plunged since the hour mark, number 10 was this time established as a thank you for his constant involvement during training , as his coach had explained in a pre-match press conference. It is ultimately the first of too many errors made by Olympique de Marseille on Sunday evening at the Stade Vélodrome, which will have mainly cost the defeat against OGC Nice (1-3), the first in the league since the end of October, against Lens (0-1).
When the starters were announced for this match, the 65,000 spectators at the Vélodrome stadium cheered their favorite, but they were quickly disillusioned when they saw the performance of their number 10. And this Monday morning, they must understand why Igor Tudor does not start him more often. One out of two passes at the opponent’s feet, too timid defensive withdrawals, we especially did not feel he was rhythm enough to keep up with his teammates, imposed by the Tudor style.
Almost decisive changes
Even before the Croatian could rectify anything, the damage was done. OM had already conceded two goals at half-time, a first this season. Beyond the bad choices of the coach in his initial composition, we will also remember the drop in diet of Pau Lopez. Impeccable, or almost, since the start of the season, the Spanish goalkeeper is at fault on the first two goals from Nice, almost copied and pasted. First on a strike from Laborde, pushed back on Diop (38th), before a new attempt from Thuram, released this time in the feet in the former Montpellier (44th). Even if each time, the defense could have been more reactive, like Mbemba, below his usual level, and a hesitant Balerdi like at the start of the season.
At the break, Igor Tudor was finally able to see his copy again by replacing Payet and poor Vitinha with “a good match with a good margin of progress”, according to the Croatian, for Malinovskyi and Alexis Sanchez. That we were rather expecting to see the match start, the opposite of the OM coach’s choices, which he justified by the obligation to adapt “with three matches in six days, Sanchez cannot play 90 minutes each time”. But as often his choices during the match are the right ones, and the Ukrainian scored his first goal with Marseille (60th), at the same time as he gave hope to the entire Vélodrome.
But it was Alexis Sanchez who then made a mistake twice, first preferring the foot rather than the head (79th), before sending his recovery directly to the Schmeichel, safer than his Marseille counterpart (84th ). New error, defensive, this faith, for Leo Balerdi by quietly letting Brahimi open his left foot to crucify poor Pau Lopez (86th) for a third and last time. “The three, there is no difference. Take two goals after two saves… Sometimes it’s football but you can always improve, ”he retorted after being asked which goal he felt most at fault.
“Quickly forget”
However, everything is not to be thrown away on the side of OM, which we have seen more coherent than during the defeats against Ajaccio (1-2), or against Lens (1-1), the last in Ligue 1 more than three months ago. “The performance is not zero, it’s small details at the top level and that’s what makes the difference. There were some great things, we don’t deserve to lose but there are some great teams opposite, we can’t win everything. We keep our feet on the ground, we know that we are on a good dynamic and it is not this defeat that will put our heads in the water, ”analyzed Mattéo Guendouzi.
Igor Tudor asked his players “to quickly forget this match and focus on the next one because we can’t win them all, otherwise we would reach 120 points at the end of the championship”. OM have 46, and retain their second place in Ligue 1 on goal difference, while seeing PSG move away with an eight-point lead. What to come down to earth, two days to welcome the Parisians, but for the Coupe de France this time.