The convincing series of Provençaux was to end one day. At the end of a very animated Southern derby, the Marseillais therefore conceded their fourth defeat of the season in the league (1-3). The end result may be hard for the men of Igor Tudor, voluntary and clumsy, but it certainly cuts a long dynamic of several months, World Cup in Qatar obliges.
It was thus ten games that the Phocaeans had not bowed and they will be able to harbor some regrets, in particular with regard to a second act of much better quality despite a certain awkwardness in the last gesture. They can also tell themselves that they have come across a Nice formation in full swing since the beginning of the year and the arrival of Didier Digard on the bench.
Accounting, OM missed the opportunity to stay in contact with PSG, victorious over Toulouse (2-1), and to distance themselves from Lens (3rd), slowed down in Brest (1-1), or Monaco (4th ), Clermont scorer (2-0). He also missed the opportunity to put himself in the best position for the second Classic of the year, in the Coupe de France this Wednesday evening (9:10 p.m.). Against PSG, the Ciel et Blancs will play part of their season given the importance of the competition, which they have not won since 1989, an eternity on the scale of the round ball. Pablo Longoria assumed it, Igor Tudor too, the Coupe de France is a real objective and that will necessarily go through a success against the Red and Blue.
Established in the midfield next to Valentin Rongier, Mattéo Guendouzi showed a determined and confident face despite the setback of his people: “Everyone will be ready (against Paris), whether substitutes or starters. It will be a big match: there are very good players on both sides. We’ll have to be good on the counter-attacks because it’s a team that can be formidable up front with quality players capable of scoring at any time. We have done very good things since the start of the season, we continue to progress. It’s not because we lost that match that we will be less confident for Wednesday, quite the contrary. We will attack this match well and we will be ready. »
“We have to think about the next game”
In the auditorium of the Vélodrome, the Croatian technician admitted not attributing anything to his players and turned to the next deadlines: “It was a difficult match against a team which is in a good period. But I can’t blame my players: I can’t tell them they haven’t raced or created things. They wanted to do well (…) We must forget this match, turn the page and think about the next one. We know that we can’t win every time, otherwise we would finish the championship with 120 points. »
A speech also shared by goalkeeper Pau Lopez, less successful than usual this Sunday evening: “We have to think about the next game. Everyone has in mind the match against Paris in the Coupe de France. There are still a lot of very important matches. We found a better team than us, we have to improve and learn from this game. Today everyone is sad, it’s the truth, but from tomorrow it will change. »
The arrival of PSG on Wednesday is an ideal springboard to bounce back and guarantee a thrilling end to the season. Conversely, an elimination in the oldest of French competitions would mark a second big setback, which would be regrettable given the game intentions seen in Marseille for several months. Another reason for hope remains: during the last Classic (1-0) played at the Parc des Princes on October 16 in the league, OM lacked realism in the finish despite a convincing collective performance.
