Three games; three wins; twelve goals scored and three conceded. It’s hard to deny that Jean-Louis Gasset’s debut on the Olympique de Marseille bench was a success. In Clermont, Saturday March 2, OM achieved a third success in a row in all competitions by crushing the bottom of the championship 5-1, on the 24th day of the League.
No Olympian coach had won his first three matches since the Brazilian Otto Gloria in 1962 – who had five successes in a row. But after Shakhtar Donetsk in the Europa League (3-1) then Montpellier the previous day (4-1) and a weak Clermont team on Saturday, which is heading towards Ligue 1, the Gasset version of OM will know a little more on its possible revival during the European clash against the Spaniards of Villarreal, Thursday March 7 at the Vélodrome stadium, in the round of 16 first leg of the C3.
In the meantime, the Marseillais are enjoying their rise in the L1 ranking: they are in sixth place and are regaining their ambitions, barely two weeks after the departure of the Italian Gennaro Gattuso, damaged by yet another poor performance in Brest (0-1 ).
A lack of realism which could have been costly
With a game carried forward, good offensive animation thanks to rapid ball circulation, OM largely dominated the first period on Saturday and logically took the advantage with a goal from Iliman Ndiaye who took a cross delivered from the right wing by Jonathan Clauss, pushed back by goalkeeper Mory Diaw (1-0, 23rd). But apart from this goal and then a resumption of Chancel Mbemba’s header diverted by Diaw upon receiving a corner played from the right by Clauss, the Olympians were not particularly dangerous against a completely harmless, even timid, Clermont team.
At the start of the second half, two successive shots from Ndiaye and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang were saved by Chrislain Matsima and Florent Ogier before Diaw diverted a volley from Aubameyang. This lack of realism could have cost OM dearly: Bilel Boutobba ? born and trained in Marseille ? equalized for Clermont following a poorly cleared corner by OM (1-1, 53rd).
Aubameyang, however, quickly gave his team the advantage by resuming, in two stages, after a first save from Diaw, a cross delivered from the right wing by Azz-Eddine Ounahi (2-1, 59th). Clauss, through whom danger often arrived, added a third goal with a powerful shot from the right (3-1, 67th).
The Marseille machine was then launched. Luis Henrique, who had never scored in Ligue 1 since his arrival at Marseille in 2020, brought the score to 4-1 at the conclusion of a counter started with a corner for Clermont (80th) before a final goal from Faris Moumbagna on a long shot (5-1, 90 2). Barely enough to bring a smile to the experienced Jean-Louis Gasset, on the edge of the field.
“Marseille and OM are not the place where we give you a break and I am aware of that,” he explained after the meeting. If confidence increases among the players, we will try to climb the ladder with the upcoming deadlines. »
Lille does the right thing in Reims
This success in Clermont is for the Marseillais only the second away where they were, until now, the worst team in the championship. It is important in the fight for access to the Champions League, the ticket to which is obtained by finishing in the top four of Ligue 1.
OM are 4 points from this fourth place provisionally held by Lille who won in the afternoon in Reims (1-0). The Northerners managed to keep their backs thanks in particular to goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier, and took advantage of a defensive error by Reims captain Yunis Abdelhamid on a back pass (56th). Pressing, Lille striker Jonathan David took the perfect opportunity to score his twelfth goal of the season.
With this narrow victory, the Mastiffs, who travel to Austria on Thursday in the Europa Conference League, won away in Ligue 1 for the first time since November 26.
Lille coach Paulo Fonseca was satisfied with “a tactically perfect match”, with “a very good state of mind”, but the Portuguese took the opportunity to point out the lack of motivation of his players against the less reputable clubs, causes according to him the disappointing results of the northern club outside its bases: “The problem was that we played against teams which are not very strong. I spoke to the players about it, we need to change this mentality. »
