You had to see these ecstatic Marseillais, hopping arm in arm, at the foot of these still copiously packed turns, to measure the degree of relief and euphoria which surrounded the Vélodrome this Sunday evening. At the end of the 13th day of Ligue 1, OM found their way to success at home by winning against Monaco (2-1), which had not happened since September 14 and the arrival of Nice (2-0), an eternity on the scale of a season.
Trailing following a loss of an axial ball from Valentin Rongier concluded by Aleksandr Golovin (41st), the Olympians managed to react well via Luis Henrique (53rd) – author of his 6th goal of the season – then Mason Greenwood (89th), scorer on penalty at the very end of the match. In terms of content, everything was not perfect, and in particular it took another convincing performance from Geronimo Rulli – “a great goalkeeper, a great man and a great leader” according to Roberto De Zerbi – to win. But the Blue and White will also be able to highlight their great strength of character.
De Zerbi: “The beginning of an important story”
“I hope this is the start of an important story at the Vélodrome. Many people come for this type of meeting, it was a shame not to be able to express themselves. There was undoubtedly a mental blockage, with players not necessarily serene, not always lucid, with the fear of making mistakes, anxiety, reacted the Italian technician after his team’s 8th victory in the Championship. We saw it against Paris-SG (0-3), Angers (1-1), Auxerre (1-3), during the second period against Reims (2-2), or even in sequences against Nice (2-0). We weren’t ourselves. (…) I hope we have found the key, the way to play here. »
Struggling against low, tight blocks forced to quickly come out on the counter -Auxerre or Angers for example-, the locals were able to take advantage of the playing intentions proposed by Adi Hütter’s men to rush into the opposing gaps.
“It was an incredible match, with a great state of mind. This is something we worked hard on to get this victory at the Vélodrome. We are very happy to have achieved this success against Monaco,” greeted Greenwood, author of his 9th achievement of the year.
The English winger, more concerned with defensive withdrawals than usual, also returned to the Provencal week spent in Mallemort, a bucolic town located in the Aix hinterland: “It allowed us to rediscover a good spirit team and a good atmosphere. We are a lot of new players on this team, so this moment was really important for us. It helped us feel more like family, more connected as a team. »
Saint-Étienne and Lille in perspective before the holidays
The observation is also shared by the former Brighton coach, rather relevant in his choices of players and tactics – 3-4-2-1 block adjustable to 5-2-2-1 -: “This evening (Sunday), there were still some mistakes, but I saw the players I have been training since the beginning of July. They played with courage, organization, high pressure, taking risks in dribbling, trying things, with shots, crosses. I’m not objective when I talk about my players, I have so much affection for them… I’m happy to see them finally express themselves, to not be at 20 or 30% of their capabilities. »
After winning consecutively against two direct competitors in the race for Europe – Lens (3-1), then Monaco, each time after being behind by the score and with an identical starting eleven, the Olympians were perfectly repositioned and will travel to Geoffroy-Guichard next Sunday (8:45 p.m., DAZN) as runners-up to PSG.
OM will then host Bruno Génésio’s Losc on December 14, another strong rival. By having broken the curse of the Vélodrome last night, the Marseille club offered itself a real breath of fresh air, which can allow it to see what comes next with relish and appetite.
