Marseille (AFP)

Olympique de Marseille is moving forward only at slow speed, and may leave the breakaway, unless found the way to victory in Amiens, Friday (20.45) in advanced match of the 9th day of Ligue 1.

. "Black September"

OM stagnated after three draws against Montpellier and Rennes at home (1-1 each time) and Dijon (0-0).

"I hope that by the end of the season we will catch up to this average points I was aiming for, and that black September will be forgotten," sighs André Villas-Boas.

The Portuguese coach says with a smile, he knows he exaggerates, his team has also won three games in a row, two early September, but she is late on his board (he did not say what average points he was aiming for: two per game?).

"AVB" does not hide that "between us, we say that these are missed opportunities, even if we will only know at the end of the season."

But Marseille has missed opportunities to distance "our direct opponents, Monaco back up, Lyon ..." he continues.

The giant Marseille remains well placed (5th), but the very narrow ranking does not say everything. OM are three lengths from 2nd place and five from relegation ...

"We are good, but obviously it is insufficient for this month of September," concludes Villas-Boas.

. The fifth absent

The long column of absentees obviously does not help to do better. And a fifth owner added to the list, Kevin Strootman, suspended.

In the absence of the Dutchman, Villas-Boas should play without sentinel and divide the task between Valentin Rongier and Maxime Lopez, with Morgan Sanson in front of them in the formation called the inverted triangle.

Neither the former Nantais nor the "Minot" have the slaughter or "athletic qualities of Kevin," said Rongier, to mount the guard alone.

But the most problematic for the Portuguese technician remains "the absence of creative", including "the creativity of Dimitri Payet: even when the team is bad, it can make the difference by its technical level".

"Dim" is still punished for two games and Florian Thauvin (ankle) is not expected until January.

Behind also weighs "the absence of a leader like Alvaro" Gonzalez (injured), regrets Villas-Boas, "for organizing the block, to hold the line, remain compact, by his authority ..."

Boubacar Kamara is serving his last suspension match, the hinge Lucas Perrin-Duje Caleta-Car will play his third game in a row.

- "The answers are in the game"

Despite these absences, the answers are in the game, that's what I say to the players, "says AVB.

"We have the will, the mentality, the ambition, and we wets the shirt + as everyone wants," he adds with a smile. The Portuguese was well accultured in Marseille, he was impregnated with one of the slogans supporters.

The problem is not athletic, "I find the team physically good". "We played badly in Dijon not for the physical aspect of the game, but because tactically it was a disaster," he says.

No matter what the absences, "we have to do things well, it's only that we miss it, the whole emotional aspect, the ambition, is under control," says AVB.

Speaking of games, he relies on the example of Dario Benedetto. The three games in which the Argentine scorer scored are the three that OM have won, but he does not score.

No question of pointing the finger, "it's been three years since he had not played three matches of 90 minutes in a row," argues Villas-Boas.

But "Super Dario" could have done better, especially against Rennes, where he has twice shot from far, forgetting his partners better demarcated, Saif-Eddine Khaoui and Bouna Sarr.

"It's an individualism that does not look like him," defends the coach, but "Rennes defended well."

If the goleador that Marseille had been waiting for two seasons found the net in Amiens, OM may learn again to win ...

© 2019 AFP