Never two without three for Olympique de Marseille?

Boosted by its two successes in the last two matches against Sporting Portugal, the Olympian club could qualify for the knockout stages of the Champions League on Wednesday 26 October if they win against Eintracht Frankfurt.

"In the Champions League, we raised our heads. It was very complicated after two defeats, but now we have our destiny in our hands. We will go to Frankfurt to play our football, win and qualify. I play football to win, not to defend and draw," said Marseille midfielder Jordan Veretout last week.

A success on Wednesday evening in Frankfurt would indeed be a great result for OM, since coupled with a victory for Tottenham against Sporting, it would be synonymous with qualification for the knockout phase.

Problem: since the declarations of Veretout, OM have chained a third consecutive defeat in the league (0-1 against Lens) after a match of very good quality but marked by recurring and crippling offensive impotence.

Of their three matches lost in L1, OM have only scored one goal, scored from the penalty spot by Payet against Ajaccio.

Saturday against Lens, the Marseillais touched no less than 43 balls in the opposing area, for only four shots.

And after 12 championship days, Igor Tudor's team is only the 9th best attack.

"With a bit of success, it will work in our favor"

"It's a lack of success. When you see the number of strikes we make, and there is always a foot in front ... They make a strike, countered too, but that's a goal", said relativized after the match the right piston Jonathan Clauss.

"We are not rewarded but what we do is consistent. With a little success, it will turn in our favor. We will quickly evacuate this disappointment and start again because we have something big to do. fetch", added the Olympian piston, facing the Frankfurt match.

But Marseille's offensive difficulties remain a concern when it comes to finding the Germans, winners in the first leg at the Vélodrome (0-1) and who have won four out of five times in the Bundesliga since this match.

The reasons for the scarcity are multiple and range from the awkwardness of some to certain tactical choices by Tudor, through the consequences of a very lively summer transfer window.

While the hesitations of some players in the opposing area sometimes make them regret the absence of a centre-forward, some remember the summer departures of Arkadiusz Milik and Cédric Bakambu, two real No. 9s, sometimes heckled by the Marseille public but experienced and skilled.

Alexis Sanches and Amine Harit alone on the front line of the attack

The Colombian Luis Suarez, who did the opposite and arrived at the Commanderie in August, has completely disappeared from the radar, with barely more than half an hour of play in the last five games, against Ajaccio.

Chouchou of the Vélodrome, Bamba Dieng has apparently overtaken him in the offensive hierarchy of Tudor, but while the management of the club wanted to part with him this summer and he is not qualified in C1, it seems still far from his best level and made a terrible entry against Lens.

In the end, OM's only reliable striker is Alexis Sanchez, who finds himself having to overcome a monumental task between pressing, orientation of the game, ball calls and undermining the opposing defense.

4 - Alexis Sanchez has found the fault for 4 different clubs in the Champions League (Barcelona, ​​Arsenal, Inter and Marseille), only Zlatan Ibrahimovic (6) and Hernan Crespo (5) having done better in the history of the competition.

Chameleon.

#OMSCP pic.twitter.com/6MCFCpTg8W

— OptaJean (@OptaJean) October 4, 2022

The Chilean nevertheless scores (6 goals in 13 games), but he seems to be poorly supported, with the only Amine Harit as a really offensive element at his side, in addition to the all-purpose midfielder Matteo Guendouzi.

On Saturday, Tudor assured that his team would win "almost all their matches" if they played every time like against Lens.

The Croatian technician therefore does not seem willing to change his plans and it is in his own way that he wants to see OM go straight to the point.

With AFP

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