Marseille must relearn how to score and win with Milik
Olympique de Marseille lost little but no longer won and above all scored less, despite Milik’s return. Infernal calendar, player fatigue and limited workforce, Jorge Sampaoli must find the recipe to relaunch his team on Sunday (8:45 p.m.) in Clermont.
With one victory and five draws in their last eight games in all competitions, and only one but scored in their last three meetings, OM are in dire straits. The fireworks against Lorient (4-1) on October 17, for the opening of a series of five meetings in two weeks, would it have been a flash in the pan?
“We always expect more, but these matches, we could also have lost them“, Relativized Friday Jorge Sampaoli, after the draws on the ground of Lazio Rome in Europa League (0-0), at the Vélodrome during the classic against Paris SG (0-0) and in Troyes Wednesday against Nice (1- 1) for the replayed match of the 3rd day, interrupted in August by the invasion of the field by supporters at the Allianz-Riviera. “The results are often linked to small details, but we also have a busy schedule, with a lot of tension, against good teams.», Insisted the Argentinian technician.
Having started with a bang this season, OM (4th, 19 pts) is mostly offensive: not taking into account the match against Lorient, the Olympians have only scored three goals since September 22. A dearth which paradoxically increased with the return of Milik, scorer only against the Hakes.
“Adapt to your game”
Optimistic, Sampaoli recalls that the Polish international saw a but canceled for a tiny offside against PSG, that one of his heads against the same Parisians came close to the goal of Keylor Navas, and that he still had a great opportunity against Nice on Wednesday: “The scorers, it sometimes depends on the moments, but the team must attack more, (…) he will have to have the ball more time, more time in the opposing camp“.
Supporter of attacking football, “El Pelado»Knows that his striker (9 goals in 15 Championship games last season) is not yet in top form. “Milik is back after major injury, he’s going to need some more time», A temperate Argentinian. But it is also the Marseille game system that remains to be installed, with a now privileged 3-2-4-1 and the Polish striker alone at the forefront.
“It was important for us to get him back, but it’s true that the team must offer him more situations that adapt to his game.“, Insisted the Olympic coach:”But it will take a little while, he could not prepare with the group“.
Problem: Dimitri Payet, on a cloud since the start of the season, with already six but marked, accuses repeatedly matches. Valentin Rongier the metronome, now installed in his role of sentry, but preserved against Nice, could still be missing on Sunday, victim of a small injury. And the players on the bench seem for some far from the required level.
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“Our squad does not allow us to leave players exclusively in certain positions, they must be able to evolve to different positions“Sampaoli confirmed to justify his confusing 3-5-2 system against Nice. Result: players confused for almost half time, and an almost happy draw in the end.