Marseilles (AFP)

A very small rebound and only one point: beaten Wednesday in Rennes, OM no longer have many legs as the truce approaches and could not do better than a 1-1 draw on Saturday at home against Reims during the 16th day of Ligue 1.

The Marseillais remained on a series of six consecutive victories before going to Brittany three days ago and with only one point in two matches, their pace has therefore significantly plunged.

While waiting for the meetings of their direct rivals, they remain 4th, away from the podium, and their two late matches are a booty which may over time lose its value.

Asked Friday about the result he wanted during the Lille-Paris SG shock on Sunday, Marseille coach André Villas-Boas had mentioned a draw.

"It would be nice if we won ours," he said.

His men, not very inspired, did not offer him the three points hoped for, caught up by fatigue and the intensity of their Franco-European calendar.

The Portuguese technician was however able to align from the outset one of his most fit players, Pape Gueye, who was believed to be suspended.

But OM seized the CNOSF to contest the exclusion of its young midfielder in Rennes and, via this suspensive appeal, was able to make him play.

But despite this surprise reinforcement, OM on Saturday has long looked like the very sluggish one at the start of the season, which tore off points and wins by suffering more than seducing.

Faced with the Rémois, who very willingly gave up the ball to counter, the Provençaux thus offered a start to the match without any breath, simply marked by a header from Benedetto (11th) released by Rajkovic.

- Decisive Thauvin -

With several players (Sakai, Rongier, Kamara ...) clearly on the verge of running out of fuel, the Villas-Boas team was much less convincing than against Nantes, Monaco or at the start of the match in Rennes.

OM were particularly poor on the sides, apart from a few raids by Thauvin, in legs.

On the other side, Payet was much less so and he even tripped up in an unnecessary dribble in a dangerous position to offer the menacing Zeneli from the start a good ball and space.

The Kosovar accelerated, overflowed and centered towards ... Nagatomo, who scored with a sort of "Madjer" against his camp (21st).

The result was not much brighter but even with their heavy legs, the Marseillais had control of the match.

And just before the break, they were able to count on the good connection between Benedetto and Thauvin, again decisive after last week's game against Monaco, when each gave an assist to the other.

On Saturday, it was the Argentinian who served as the head of the French world champion for the equalizer, born of a nice movement launched from a diagonal by Caleta-Car and relayed by Sakai then Rongier (1-1, 45th).

Six goals, six assists: Thauvin's balance sheet this season looks good and he was still very present in the second act against Reims, which OM again dominated, but without creating any real threat in the surface of Rajkovic.

Before the last four matches of 2020, Villas-Boas had set a quantified target for its players.

"Twelve points would be exceptional, but eight or nine would be good," he said.

There will be seven, at best.

This will require going to beat Angers on Wednesday.

© 2020 AFP