Already emptied of part of its audience, the Vélodrome lets out a bronca of which it has the secret, at the final whistle from Mr. Bollengier. For their first outing of the year, the Olympians fell through completely, starting with Roberto De Zerbi, uninspired in his starting XI, and his players, generally not up to standard.
To summarize, not much worked this Sunday afternoon in a full Vélodrome which had initially paid a beautiful tribute to its former coach Jean-Louis Gasset, who died on December 26.
During a topsy-turvy game, the Marseille supporters saw their team without energy, without legs and short of ideas. Whether with eleven or nine, in the wake of the expulsions of Arthur Vermeeren (26th) then Bilal Nadir (56th) – both suspended for the Champions Trophy against PSG next Thursday – the Phocéens have hardly proposed anything concrete, except for a few timid attempts.
They were even punished by valiant Nantes residents who had not won in Ligue 1 since… October 24. The Provençal setback thus took shape in several stages, firstly on a first own goal from CJ Egan-Riley (8th), saved by El-Arabi’s offside, then on a goal from Centonze (31st), well helped by an uninspired Rulli, and finally on a penalty from the former local Cabella (88th).
⏱️ 90+4′ | #OMFCN 0️⃣-2️⃣
Outnumbered, our teams are beaten by FC Nantes.
🗓️ Next meeting, Thursday January 8 at 7 p.m. for the Champions Trophy 🏆 pic.twitter.com/ZzjwOTHgsN— Olympique de Marseille (@OM_Officiel) January 4, 2026
“If there had been a sign, I would have shaken everything at the Commanderie”
Throughout a match played at a false rhythm, the partners of Benjamin Pavard, still average, never really seemed capable of equalizing. “We started off badly. Already, eleven against eleven, without energy, without the vigor necessary to play in Ligue 1, if you don’t have the right intensity, you lose against everyone. Vermeeren’s first red conditioned the match. Then, nine against eleven, it was even more complicated. We deserved to lose: without energy, you don’t win,” whispered the Italian coach in the Vélodrome auditorium, stunned and without response.
With this fifth setback of the year in L1, OM made a very poor performance on the 17th day and found themselves under threat from the pursuers. “We have to focus on ourselves. It doesn’t matter Lens or PSG. If we play with so little energy and desire, we deserve what happens to us. From the coach to the players, no one deserves more than third place, De Zerbi assumed. If there had been a sign (in the week), I would have shaken everything up at the Commanderie. Our players are good people, they care about the club. But losing against the red lantern is tough. We must get up quickly: tomorrow (Monday), we are going to Kuwait to face the best club in Europe. With humility, but also with pride. »
“A final to play against PSG”
The only Olympian to survive this Sunday, Timothy Weah delivered his analysis to Ligue 1+ : “It was very complicated this afternoon. It’s a match that we have to accept. We have to question ourselves because we have a final to play against PSG. »
Finally, the only brightening of a topsy-turvy day was the return to competition of Algerian striker Amine Gouiri and Ivorian winger Hamed Traoré, both of whom had been absent for several months. Way too skinny as we start the new year. After the poor performances against Angers (2-2) and Toulouse (2-2) at the Vélodrome this season, OM were once again scuttled last night, when a success would have allowed them to start the year well. Instead, the Olympians are preparing to return to Kuwait with heavy heads and cut legs.
