Between the very convincing OM of the first day against Reims (4-1) and the disappointing and messy one which almost foundered last Sunday in Brest (1-1), where was the truth?

Saturday's match did not provide a definitive answer because it took an own goal from Nicolas Pallois in an uncertain end to the match (2-1, 82nd) ​​for OM to win and join Lens in the lead. of the provisional classification.

Still without Dimitri Payet, still a substitute, but with the return of Pau Lopez and the first tenures of the new idol Alexis Sanchez and Jordan Veretout, the Tudor team in any case immediately showed that they had found strength. ferocity at pressing.

The starting team of the Croatian technician, again whistled by the Vélodrome, only made way for one naturally offensive player - Sanchez - but the volume of play of Jonathan Clauss, Veretout or Valentin Rongier, as well as the power of Nuno Tavares helped compensate.

However, the first period was above all marked by the sometimes rather dazzling first steps of Alexis Sanchez in his new stadium.

At 33, the Chilean probably no longer has his legs from Barcelona or Arsenal, but the technique has remained pure.

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As long as he had gas, Sanchez tried a lot and missed very little, making himself available for the midfielders and opening the game with his catches and his sequences.

Clumsy Pallois

Apart from an initial opportunity from Clauss launched by Veretout (5th), he was thus part of all of OM's outstanding offensive actions in the first period, with in particular a nice pivot shot (37th) or a good through pass for Guendouzi (39th).

Above all, in the 13th minute, he should have obtained a penalty from a dangerous tackle from Girotto, OM ultimately only winning a corner.

But the technical accuracy of the player who arrived from Inter Milan is well above average and not everyone has done as well.

In the period of great Marseille domination, a few shots were thus badly played, by Guendouzi in particular, and Nantes was able to continue to hope.

Two counterattacks led by Fabio then Ludovic Blas, each time with Moses Simon at the conclusion, thus scared the Marseillais, saved on the second by a very good save from Pau Lopez.

Finally, OM found the opening on the second half of a corner, with a conclusion signed Chancel Mbemba (1-0, 70th), certainly the best Marseille defender of this hesitant start to the season.

Marseille then put themselves in danger with an avoidable penalty conceded by Samuel Gigot, sent off instantly.

Blas transformed it with a mule strike (1-1, 78th) and OM, then, looked really bad.

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Tudor was even forced to bring in an additional defender, Duje Caleta-Car, and take out Cengiz Under, who had barely entered and who went straight to the locker room, furious.

The affair could therefore have turned out badly but Pallois, with an awkward head, finally put Marseille back in the direction of travel.

Before the Champions League, the rest goes through Nice and Auxerre, with the reception of Clermont between the two.

There are points to take, and work to do.

© 2022 AFP