Champions League
3,961 days: OM face the specter of their trips to C1
18 HOURS AGO
It is not so much the statistics that have cause for concern on the side of the Canebière. OM are almost shooting at an average of two goals per game this season, in all competitions. A rather flattering number. In the league, Marseille have scored 20 goals in 10 matches with an expected average of 1.57 goals per match. Igor Tudor’s men have thus shown a certain realism in relation to the quality of their chances in Ligue 1. A welcome efficiency. But it also reflects the very clear margin of progress of the Marseillais in the offensive animation.
Creativity at the center of the problem
The phenomenon is almost visible to the naked eye. Bringing the game into the opposing camp is not a problem for OM. But the Tudor team is struggling when it comes to making the difference on placed attacks. Creativity is at the center of the problem, especially through the pass. Marseille thus totals less than 10 expected goals on an assist in L1 since the start of the season. Seven teams do better in the championship. If OM clearly seems to be perfectible in this area, it is mainly because it is better armed with creative profiles than the vast majority of elite teams.
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This can possibly be explained by collective parameters. Marseille started the season with a new coach and a game philosophy totally different from that of the last exercise, with Jorge Sampaoli. The adaptation to the Tudor style is still an ongoing process. But this does not fully justify the insufficient level of performance of most of Marseille’s attacking elements. With the exception of Alexis Sanchez, none of them manages to really exploit his qualities under the direction of the Croatian technician.
Trop de turn-over tue le turn-over
Tudor’s game plan may have something to do with it. On paper, his 3-4-2-1 can however put some Marseille players in value, with two offensive players to attack the half-spaces in support of a point. Dimitri Payet, Gerson, Amine Harit or Cengiz Ünder have the qualities to shine in this configuration. But they all struggle, to varying degrees, to position themselves and fully influence the attacking game in this system. A limited impact which partly explains why the danger comes mainly from the pistons at OM. When it should come from everywhere.
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Tudor’s workforce management is also in question. The Croat rotates much more in attack than in the other sectors of the game. And particularly on the two positions in support of the point. Playing time is relatively well distributed between Gerson (523 in all competitions), Ünder (464 minutes), Payet (387 minutes) and Harit (333 minutes). Tudor regularly changes duos from game to game. A turn-over necessary to spare egos and physical freshness. But maybe excessive. It does not allow any of these four players to chain matches to find their rhythm and be at their highest level of performance.
Paris, the example to follow?
It is the opposite case of PSG. Where the turnover of Christophe Galtier is much more limited. This involves negative consequences. Established on Saturday in Reims (0-0), the usual PSG reservists were clearly out of pace. Quite the opposite of the holders of the attacking trio, Kylian Mbappé and Leo Messi, who carve out the lion’s share of playing time and have been in radiant form since the start of the season. Defining the holders of his offensive sector and sticking to them, even if it means reducing the minutes of others, would be a way for Tudor to have his best elements at the top of their game.
On the question of the system, Marseille also has reason to draw inspiration from PSG. A switch to 3-4-1-2 can improve Marseille’s offensive animation. With a real leader capable of picking up to have the game in front of him, as Payet and Gerson know how to do. With a two-pronged attack that would give Alexis Sanchez even more freedom, and the prospect of finding significant support alongside him. Like Bamba Dieng, whose profile is sometimes sorely lacking at OM. The prospect of aligning Harit or Ünder as a breakthrough striker also makes sense in this configuration, close to that of PSG with the Messi-Neymar-Mbappé trio. They are obviously not the same players. But the scheme has virtues to remedy the offensive ills of OM.
(Statistics: fbref.com)
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