Ligue 1 Review | Marseille on a road to nowhere

Having spent last week in Marbella doing a training camp, the squad will now spend most of this week at their training ground, La Commanderie. Following the defeat to Lorient, they had their day off on Sunday cancelled and will have double training sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday, while from Thursday to Sunday they will sleep overnight at La Commanderie in a lock-in ahead of the showdown with southern rivals OGC Nice. 

The idea behind this approach could be seen in the post-match comments from Beye, when he said, “I saw a team that wanted to win, that played together, that fought for every ball… That is what I did not see from my team today.” The theory seems to be that if they can’t turn on their intensity on matchdays, then they will have to endure a week where they will have no choice but to demonstrate their intensity under the watchful eyes of management. 

Marseille and the eternal rebuild

With L’Équipe reporting that several witnesses have allegedly told them that the players are mentally and physically “marked” by a draining season, it does leave you wondering how suitable this response to a poor run of form is and how well the squad will respond to this. Already, La Provence has written that many within the dressing room no longer support their manager. 

The worry is that the management’s response will exacerbate an already tense scenario, when the reality of the situation is that the club has a favourable run of fixtures to right themselves before they face European rivals Stade Rennais (Beye’s previous team) on the final day of the season. Before hosting Rennes, Marseille play relegation candidates OGC Nice, Le Havre AC, and FC Nantes. 

This situation feels as if it is symptomatic of a club that has become trapped in an endless cycle of transition and eternal rebuild. Projects are torn down at the first hitch in the road, and players fly in and out through revolving doors. If the club hopes to right itself and reclaim its former status, perhaps the lesson it needs to learn is that the most extreme reaction is not always the right one. 

This week’s Ligue 1 sub-plots

• Lorient have come emboldened by their recent success, with the club on course for a top-half finish. The full takeover by Bournemouth owners Black Knight could see the club becoming a more aggressive force on the transfer market. However, they will have to do it without Olivier Pantaloni, the man responsible for the recent turnaround in fortunes for last season’s Ligue 2 winners. Read the full story HERE.

• Paris Saint-Germain suffered an unexpected defeat at home to rivals Olympique Lyonnais on Sunday evening in a match that has kept both the title and European race alive and well. For Lyon, the win sent them into third, while PSG are only a point ahead of RC Lens, although with a game in hand. Read how it happened HERE.

• AJ Auxerre thought they were on course for an invaluable three points in the race at the bottom of the table after they raced to a 2-0 lead against AS Monaco. A second-half comeback from the visitors would see the spoils shared, as Les Monégasques missed a chance to go level on points with Marseille. Read the full match report HERE.

GFFN | Nick Hartland