The scheduling of the clash between LOSC and Olympique de Marseille is a subject at the origin of numerous debates, particularly on the small screen where different voices have recently been raised.
Just a few days ago, Wednesday, LOSC defeated SK Sturm Graz (3-2) after an energy-intensive game. His men, however, did not really have time to breathe, forced to travel to Marseille this Saturday (5 p.m.) in order to play the fifteenth day of Ligue 1 McDonald’s. Its close scheduling, less than 72 hours between the two matches, was strongly criticized by Olivier Létang at the final whistle: “We have a match in less than 72 hours. The boys will be ready, but we have to wonder about how the authorities work. I wonder about the fairness of the competition. I wonder about the health of the players and I wonder about the quality of the show”annoyed the president of LOSC in the mixed zone, in the bowels of the Decathlon Arena – Stade Pierre Mauroy this Wednesday.
This Friday, the day before the clash, Karim Bennani lined up behind Olivier Létang, validating the thesis saying that OM is advantaged by the calendar: “Yes, definitely. It’s not the fault of Olympique de Marseille, obviously, but when you have very high level matches every three days, this is the case for Lille who played a very important match for their European future, who had to fight until the end… The nervous impulse, the physical fatigue, the time to recover, you need at least two days to physically get going again and the match arrives straight away on Saturday. OM had six days, almost a week since the victory in Saint-Etienne, to prepare. Factually, yes, OM has an advantage”he judged in the show named
The Team de Greg.
“We know that Olivier Létang likes to whine”
This decided opinion is not fundamentally shared around the set, and in particular by Yoann Riou: “I don’t appreciate Olivier Létang’s statements at allhe blurted, announcing the color. Lille is going through a fabulous period, with a series of fifteen matches without defeat. Lille makes us dream by beating Real Madrid, Atlético, Bologna… You are in an extraordinary phase, everything is going well, you have the endorphin, the adrenaline, the emotions, you will not even feel it the fatigue. This team walks on water and has all positions doubled. It’s a shame, but we know that Létang likes to whine. It never did any good to complain like that. This won’t do anything. They don’t need that.”he strongly criticized.
Loïc Tanzi, journalist at The Teamtries to cut the pear in two. On the one hand, he sides with the Mastiffs, and on the other, criticizes the words of Olivier Létang: “There are two things in what President Létang says. Playing less than 72 hours later is a huge disadvantage. All coaches say it, the difference between 3 and 4 days of rest is extremely significant. Playing every 4 days is not a problem, playing every 3 days ishe says confidently, before taking a 90-degree turn. On the other hand, let him say that he played 25 matches and OM 15, he only had to be 18th last season. He wouldn’t have had this problem without playing in the Champions League. We can’t complain about that, we have to stop. […] The difference between the two calendars since the start of the season is also 50 million euros between the two clubs. If he wants, President Létang can return the 50 million euros, stop the Champions League and he will play less. He will be happy like that”he concluded, somewhat annoyed by Lille’s arguments.
