At the end of this 19th day of Ligue 1, Nice won on home soil against OM (2-0), find out what pleased… and displeased our editorial team.
TOPS
Laborde-Guessand winning duo
Left to rest during the European fiasco against Elfsborg (1-0), Gaëtan Laborde and Evann Guessand put the Marseille defense at bay. Always on good terms, the two men, well accompanied by Cho, multiplied the races to hamper Marseille from the first restart. Mission successful, it was on a high press that the duo pushed Brassier into error. The former Nantes player scored his 9th league goal of the season (7th). His counterpart almost imitated him a few moments later but fell on a strong goalkeeper (42nd). In the second period, the two players did not reduce their intensity until the break. Guessand became a decisive passer for Cho (51st).
Santamaria the beautiful surprise
Almost two months without playing, arriving on loan from Stade Rennais, Baptiste Santamaria was lined up from the start by Franck Haise against OM. A surprising choice, especially in such an important but profitable meeting for the former Lensois coach. With Boudaoui, he delivered a very convincing performance by winning the midfield duel hands down. With a good volume of play and clinical precision in his passes, he could have afforded a first assist with his new club if Rulli had not made an incredible outing (20th). Replaced by Ndombélé at the end of the match, if he is able to reproduce this kind of performance he could quickly establish himself as a key player for OGC Nice.
Dante the immortal
41 years old and yet against OM Dante seemed to be 18. On his legs throughout the game, he was the boss, carrying the Nice defense and disgusting the Marseillais. During the Olympians' few highlights, always well placed, he often intervened to cut dangerous transmissions until the last minutes of play (63rd, 90+2…). If he repeats this type of performance, the captain of the Aiglons is not about to give up his place to the youth at the heart of the OGCN defense.
Rulli alone in the world
Once again, he proved that he was undoubtedly the best goalkeeper in our championship. Abandoned on numerous occasions by his defense, Geronimo Rulli multiplied the miracles to try to keep his team in the game. Pressed from his first shots, he never panicked and often restarted cleanly to reassure his defense. The Argentinian transformed himself into a fourth defender on several occasions to protect the backs of Brassier who was often outpaced (20th). As usual, he made several remarkable reflex saves (42nd, 74th). If there are things to say about all of the OM positions, Rulli was once again impeccable in his cages.
-FLOPS
Clown bra
Shabby, pitiful, ridiculous… There are not enough adjectives to describe Lilian Brassier's performance at the heart of the Marseille defense. The former Brest player played with fear throughout the meeting and worried all of his partners. Guilty of a triple error coming from elsewhere on the first goal, he managed to: miss a check, lose the ball in his last meters, offer it to Evann Guessand and miss an intervention on his goal line which seemed to its range… all in a few seconds (7th). Stunned, he spent the entire match making dangerous restarts and chasing Guessand and Cho. Better than a sad list, Brassier's stats with OM don't lie: Marseille conceded a goal in the first 10 minutes of play in Ligue 1 in 3 of Brassier's 4 starts and only took one only point in his last 5 matches with the Habs in the starting lineup… Distressing.
Maupay lethargic
A slightly arrogant scorer on the way to his reunion with his former club, at the Allianz Riviera, Neal Maupay came back to earth. Copiously insulted (wrongly) by excited supporters, the player on loan from Everton did not disprove the cries from the stands on the green rectangle. Constantly going against the tide, shaken in the duels, he never managed to weigh on the Nice defense and failed everything he tried. Logically replaced after the second goal conceded, given his performance and that of his replacement Robinio Vaz (61st), Marseille supporters may be worried. The shadow of “great striker” will continue to hover for a good while if Pablo Longoria does not sign a reinforcement at the forefront.
Greenwood muet
“Strong with the weak, weak with the strong.” Perfect sentence to summarize Mason Greenwood's performances with OM. Endowed with obvious quality on the ball, the Englishman when faced with difficulty lacks character. He tried a lot at the start of the match (14th, 30th) while often being the only one to make a difference (34th) but faced with the impasse, the former Mancunian gradually faded away. Paris, Lyon, Monaco, Lille and now Nice, the list of missed matches is starting to be long, especially against the clubs at the top of the table. Against Lyon next week in an expected Olympico, the Englishman must quickly regain his splendor.
