The slap received against Tottenham two months ago Champions League it could have changed everything. In the end, Olympique de Marseille fed on this terrible disappointment to regain its splendor League 1. On an ongoing run of four victories, OM have moved up four lengths from the second place currently occupied by the RC lens. Can this positive dynamic be maintained to the end by Igor Tudor’s men?
NO, Lens will hold on to this dolphin seat
Runners-up in Ligue 1 last season after a breathtaking final, Olympique de Marseille would gladly sign for an identical result next spring. After 17 days, OM is third in the standings, 8 points behind the leader and Parisian rival, and 4 points behind Lens. On paper, Dimitri Payet and his teammates are clearly in the game. But the negative spiral glimpsed in the month of October is perplexing.
Recall that the Marseilles had lost three times in a row in Ligue 1 (Ajaccio, Paris and Lens), as well as two more times in the Champions League. Which, at the time, had cost them dearly. Same thing in step with this draw against poorly ranked Strasbourg, while two early goals seemed enough (2-2). At the same time, Lens have only lost once since the start of the season and just defeated Paris for the first time. Suffice it to say that Sang et Or are ready to move mountains in order to rediscover the sweet scent of the C1. Without forgetting Rennes and Monaco, respectively 2 and 3 points behind, who have not said the last word.
YES, OM will be as good as last season
By beating Lyon and then Monaco just before the World Cup in Qatar, Olympique de Marseille had already made a good impression. The card inflicted on Toulouse a few days ago at the Vélodrome (6-1), followed by a precious success in Montpellier, can only confirm the clear renewed energy of the OM. Relieved of any European competition, it is with a necessarily less busy calendar that the Phocaeans have started this second part of the season. This weekend they will challenge the fans of Hyères in the Coupe de France. But perhaps the essence is elsewhere.
In January, OM will pass two serious tests at home, against Lorient, sixth on the field and attraction at the beginning of the season, then Monaco, direct competitor for the podium. At the end of these two meetings, the Bouches-du-Rhône team will know something more about its real chances of getting on the second step of the podium. Before another complicated sequence between the end of February and the beginning of March (PSG and Rennes). The trip to Lens scheduled for early May is not yet on everyone’s mind. It might just be a matter of time.
