What comes up must go down. Marseille have been French champions nine times however Les Phoceens endured a woeful season in which they finished tenth.
Football is a funny game. Things can change in a matter of weeks or in some cases, days. The same can be said of Olympique de Marseille, a club that won its first Championelle in 2010 after a long wait of eighteen years.
The first French club to win the UEFA Champions League is in turmoil these days. On the last day of the 2011/2012 campaign, Les Phoceens were handed their 14th defeat of the season by Ligue 1 strugglers FC Sochaux. The Rhone giants managed to win only 12 games in the entire campaign, thus summing up a forgettable campaign.
Terrible form of the Rhone giants is down to many reasons. Didier Deschamps was not happy with players at his disposal. Key players were out injured and their replacements were not performing well. On top of that, Deschamps’ expensive signing, Andre-Pierre Gignac failed to rediscover the form that had convinced Les Phoceens to pay Toulouse 16 million Euros for his services.
Big-money signings have flopped badly in Ligue 1 over the years. Same can be said for Marseille. In the summer of 2009 http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/FC-Porto-c39186. Didier Deschamps did not enjoy the best of time in transfer window. Bad blood between coach and the sporting director of the club, Jose Anigo provided assistance to that matter.
Uncertain future of Didier Deschamps at the club was also a major factor behind the terrible form of Les Phoceens. Deschamps has been linked to various clubs including http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Roma-c31603 who are keen to attain the services of the former Juventus manager.
Despite enduring a woeful season, Olympique de Marseille had quite a few joyful moments in the 2011/2012 campaign. Winning Coupe de la Ligue was one of those moments. Marseille managed to perform well in Champions League despite playing terribly in the league. The home win against cash-laden bitter rivals Paris Saint German was a rare moment of joy for the club in an otherwise woeful campaign.
While talking to reporters, Coach Didier Deschamps said that despite finishing 10th in the campaign, Marseille deserve some credit nonetheless. Eliminating the likes of Borussia Dortmund and http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Inter-c39567 Milan in the Champions League showed that the club is capable of beating any team in the world.
However, a tenth place finish in Ligue 1 sums up the bitter truth for the nine-time French champions. Olympique de Marseille misfired on all cylinders and it is no surprise that they finished the campaign so low.
Without any doubt, Marseille need a major rebuilding in the summer if they are to compete for the title again. With no Champions League football next year and keeping in mind the current financial woes of the club, it will be really hard for Les Phoceens to hold on to their stars players and invest in the market.
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