• Olympique de Marseille returns to the Champions League in London this Wednesday to face Tottenham (9 p.m.).

  • The Olympians will be relieved of the weight of the record number of defeats in a row in the competition (13), after the victory against Olympiakos (2-1) in their last participation in 20/21

  • Pablo Longoria, the president of OM, has "ambitions" for this Champions League campaign and hopes to be "competitive".

An anthem which made the pride of Olympique de Marseille, but which now takes on a share of shame after the last two participations of the Marseillais.

OM return to the Champions League this Wednesday, against Tottenham (9 p.m.), after two disastrous campaigns marked by the shame of becoming "Forever the first".

That of chaining 13 defeats in a row, spread over three campaigns of the most prestigious of European competitions: 2011/2012, 2012/2013 and 2020/2021.

“It started with Deschamps.

We suffer.

To do shit in the Champions League, you still have to be there.

We're here and we're doing shit.

But I'm more concerned about giving a good image because that's not normal.

We are so weak, we concede goals like that all the time.

The advantage is that this Champions League will end quickly.

I just want us to give a good image now ”, lamented André Villas-Boas, covered with shame after the defeat (3-0) of OM in Porto, his former club, moreover.

Grégory Pujol, former record holder for the number of defeats with Anderlecht, even confided to

20 minutes

that “their result in Porto”, had “snatched a small smile” from him: OM had just equaled them. 

Summer transformations and “affordable group”

Fortunately, a short month later, the men of Villas-Boas ended up washing the affront by winning, in a snatch at home, against Olympiakos (2-1), to finally stop this infernal spiral of the number of defeats in a row in the Champions League at 13, after another setback, still at home, against Porto a few days earlier (0-2).

Enough to free Igor Tudor's players from this heavy record before starting this 2022/2023 OM campaign: they won't be able to do worse than their predecessors anyway.

And with the profound transformations of the summer, "recruitments, with the new type of game, more physical football", and a few players who know what we are talking about (Sanchez, Bailly), the president of OM, Pablo Longoria hopes to "narrow the gap" with European heavyweights.

But also an “affordable group”, made up of Tottenham, Eintracht Frankfurt and Sporting Portugal.

“From the moment you participate in the most prestigious competition in Europe, you have to be up to it.

Up to the expectations and competitiveness of the opponents.

For us, the C1 is match after match, it's a competition where strategy is important.

You have to play it with the calculator, with good performances at home and good resistance away”.



OM, not so bad student in the UEFA index

If there is one who has taken out the calculator, it is Nash, a supporter of Olympique de Marseille, who loves to delve into the mathematical intricacies of the UEFA index on the networks.

Contrary to many criticisms at the time, OM did not weigh down France's index that much after these starving campaigns.

“That of nine years ago is not taken into account anyway since the index is calculated over the last five years.

Under Villas-Boas, for example, OM scored six points on the UEFA index when Rennes scored only five, Nice three, and Reims two.

Only PSG and Lille have done better with 24 and eight points, ”he recalls.

But to be "profitable" from the point of view of the UEFA index of his country, and thus obtain more qualifying places for European competitions,

An important detail for the UEFA index of French clubs, but also and above all that of Olympique de Marseille, because the club can no longer count on its 2018 Europa League final, which allowed it to pocket 19 points, from next season.

And who says less points, says even less chance of avoiding the famous hat four of all the dangers reserved for non-grades of the C1.

“Even with these points taken into account, OM were only in pot 4 in the Champions League pool draw.

And the following seasons, until last year, are not famous with three, zero, and six points.

It is imperative to harvest some this season to be a little more protected in the draw, and to continue to grow, ”recalls Nash.

Before getting there, OM hopes to prevent its supporters from having to hide under the sofa when we talk to them about Europe.

The latter, unfortunately deprived of a stadium during the last campaign because of restrictions linked to the Covid, have not known the Champions League for almost 10 years.

They would live badly a new edition passed to collect the jokes of their colleagues of L1. 

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  • Sport

  • Soccer

  • Champions League

  • Olympic Marseille (OM)

  • Igor Tudor

  • Pablo Longoria

  • Marseilles

  • Paca