Marseille (AFP)

Ghostbusters: OM, dumbfounded against Reims (0-2) and Nantes (0-0) is looking for an attack on time to move to Nice, in good shape and boosted by the officialization of his British rider Jim Ratcliffe, for the third day of L1 on Wednesday.

Argentina's Dario Benedetto, a rookie in the Marseille attack (EUR 14m), could have been OM's first scorer this season, but his failed penalty at La Beaujoire last week is a heavy symbol of meaning. .

"I was surprised, the ball is lighter than those I'm used to," he said in the columns of an Argentine newspaper.

As in 2015, the OM attack has not yet found the net. Above all, the lack of offensive animation is far from reassuring, as the move to Nice, Wednesday at the close of the third day of Ligue 1. A match shifted mid-week due to the G7 summit in Biarritz .

"This postponement is not ideal.Ten days between games, it's too long," said André Villas-Boas who had to adjust the time of its players to allow them to digest the disappointment of Nantes. "We played against U19s last Friday to keep pace," he said.

The Portuguese coach did not say if his team was finally able to score ...

The failure of Benedetto in Nantes does not worry André Villas-Boas. "Dario will be ready after the international break, he still lacks play and explosiveness".

"We do not have the velocity and explosiveness of an Ocampos (transferred to Sevilla FC, ed) for this, we have to wait for the return of Thauvin," said the Marseille coach, who thought recover his world champion for the trip to Nice.

- Thauvin waited impatiently -

But what he saw during the last sessions, including that at the Vélodrome before 3,000 spectators Sunday morning, did not reassure him. "There is a small possibility for Nice, but I am more confident for Saint-Etienne (Sunday, September 1 at the Vélodrome, editor's note)".

In the meantime, André Villas-Boas believes that his team "must be content to make basic for the attack". Will it be enough to contain the spirit of Nice, reinforced by the shareholder change officialized Monday? Patrick Vieira, the Nice coach, is still waiting for reinforcements.

Facing Marseille, he will have to deal with his group as it is since the recovery. With the satisfaction of keeping for the moment Adrien Tameze. "Adrien, this is the player I've used the most since I've been here (37 matches in L1 last season, 2 this summer, ed), that means everything. "It's a good thing, then the decision is to take it," said the Nice coach.

The leaders of Spartak Moscow had come to Nice a few weeks ago. An agreement was found between the two clubs on a transfer of about 10 million euros, but the former middle Valenciennes had declined the offer despite a very significant salary increase. He did not follow the proposal of Bologna either. Atalanta Bergamo, still in Italian Serie A, would also have shown interest. "If he left, he should be replaced by such a strong player.This period of the transfer window (closing on September 2, ed), it's difficult," added Vieira.

Nice will be able to ride the dynamic of its beautiful start of the season. The "Aiglons" were full of points and confidence. About the exact opposite of the OM, finally.

© 2019 AFP