Last season, on the evening of the 9th day, OM had just lost (3-1) on the lawn of Amiens and remained before that on three consecutive draws against Montpellier (1-1), Dijon ( 0-0) and Rennes (1-1). In the standings, André Villas-Boas’s squad had only 13 units and was in 8th place, ahead in particular by Nantes, Angers and Bordeaux. Training which, without offending them, all finished in the middle of the table when the coronavirus paralyzed the whole world and marked the premature end of the L 1.
Today, if we obviously have to hope that the championship will come to an end – and that this damn virus will disappear from our lives or that we can at least manage to live with … – the Olympians are ahead.
“We have 18 points, 5 more than last season with a late game”, also underlined Villas-Boas, Friday evening after the success (1-0) of his people in La Meinau.
The meeting in Strasbourg counted for the 10th day of Ligue 1, but Steve Mandanda’s teammates only played 9 matches, while waiting to be able to host Lens. Initially scheduled for October 30 and then postponed due to numerous cases of Covid-19 within the northern workforce, the reception of the Blood and Gold did not allow the Olympians to rebuild their health in Ligue 1, as had been the case. case in Lorient between the two losses against Olympiakos and Manchester City. But with the combined defeats of Rennes and Lille, respectively in Paris on Saturday and Brest yesterday, this match now appears to be an opportunity to be seized. Because in case of victory, OM would be 2nd, three points behind the Parisian leader.
Barring another setback by then – no date has yet been defined by the LFP – Villas-Boas will then be able to count on Hiroki Sakai and Alvaro Gonzalez, which should not have been the case for the first named. His absence in Alsace upset “AVB”, but postponements are part of the vagaries of a season, just like suspensions and injuries.
Perhaps also that in normal times, with a Vélodrome stadium as full as an egg and supporters necessarily turned against their team, the pressure would have been stronger on the shoulders of the Lusitanian technician and his players. But with “if …”, Jean-Michel Aulas and Lyon would perhaps have qualified for the Champions League, a privilege which the Olympians do not benefit from, for the moment at least.
Will they show a more conquering face on the European scene after the international truce? To do worse than in the first three matches of C1 would be difficult anyway. Except in terms of image.
This is probably why, in the privacy of the locker room, “AVB” has set a goal of six points to take on the return phase. This means that we will have to win against Porto and Olympiakos at the Stade Vélodrome. Nothing insurmountable, a priori. On paper, with executives back on their feet.
So, a miracle is always possible, but the adventure in the Champions League should not stretch beyond December 9, the date of the trip to the Etihad Stadium to face Manchester City. The Europa League remains a more realistic goal, however. But if OM are rid of all their European chores in a little over a month, they will then be able to focus fully on national competitions, and on Ligue 1 as a priority. A little over a year ago, it was after the slap received at the Parc des Princes against PSG (4-0) that OM began to collect good results. The Marseillais had then chained six victories in a row then 14 matches without defeat in Ligue 1. This series had started on the 11th day and had led them to 2nd place.
See you in two weeks for … the 11th round of the French championship. When it all started last season.
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