Ligue 1 special: A crisis situation at http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Olympique-de-Marseille-c40127?
Much to the surprise of fans and many Ligue 1 viewers around the globe, Olympique de Marseille are yet to register a win in the 2011/2012 Ligue 1 campaign.
The winless run presents a major problem for coach Didier Deschamps who is in charge of one of the biggest Ligue 1 teams in http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/France-c2899. Currently, Marseille are lying in 17th place in the Ligue 1 standings with just three points taken from a possible
fifteen.
Roughest possible start
Les Phoceens have not seen such a painful start to the season since the 2005/2006 campaign. This season, Marseille started with three draws and then lost to Lille (3-2) before recording their latest defeat at home to Stade Rennais.
With all respect to Stade Rennais, the Bretons played really well and shook off their defensive frailties. However, Marseille never really looked like a daunting prospect for Rennais throughout the game and deservingly lost the match.
Didier Deschamps know fully-well that the situation is getting serious and if Marseille do not record a victory sooner, their title aspirations will fade away. Except for Marseille, all title contenders, Lille, PSG and Lyon have recovered well from their
respective failings in the first week of Ligue 1 action.
The task (to stay in contention for the Championelle) is already hard as it is for Marseille and it might turn in to a crisis situation at the Stade Velodrome if things do not change.
While talking to media after the team’s second consecutive defeat, Deschamps said, “I cannot speak about a crisis but I talked to them tonight. I will speak with them (players) tomorrow. We cannot deny reality. This is definitely not good for the confidence
and serenity of the squad.”
A crisis on the horizon?
In their first five games, Les Phoceens have conceded eight goals and have scored six goals. A goal difference of -2 is a statistic that is something that’s alien to a club of Marseille’s stature but it is now a reality which cannot be denied.
A week back, Deschamps admitted that his side has found it hard to adjust to a new system. However, the French tactician is not willing to change tactics in the near future and is still hoping for his players to adapt to the new style of play as quickly
as possible.
Vote of confidence
Marseille president, Vincent Labrune did extremely well in saving the club’s financial standing. The chairman is still hopeful of a turn around and has given his full confidence to the under-pressure coach. “We win together, we lose together,” Labrune was
quoted saying while giving an interview to Canal +.
However, the urgency is there. For a club such as Marseille, each performance-con is thoroughly scrutinised. Sporting director Jose Anigo took a swipe at fans by saying that the fans are always losing their faith in the team whenever things go wrong.
However, the sporting director feels that the reaction of fans does not prevent players from taking their responsibilities.
While talking to OM-TV, Anigo said, “This is the story of a game you lose because you are not confident. You have players who are under pressure. But at a club like Marseille, there is always pressure. Some revel under the pressure while some find it hard
to adapt to.”
However, in many cases it has been seen that when things are not going right for the club, a few people do take a stand. Didier Deschamps should be one of those man who has to shake things up in the dressing room. With Lucho Gonzalez now at the club for
one more season after a long transfer saga this summer, the club should be expecting more from the Argentine.
With so many senior players not being able to perform at their best, the time has come for those players to stand up and use all of their experience to solve a growing crisis at the club that has the players in the squad to turn things around.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in the article are of writer’s own and do not reflect bettor.com’s editorial policy.
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