Marseille needed a home victory, which had eluded them for two and a half months. This major success against Monaco (2-1), Sunday evening in Ligue 1, therefore reassured OM about the character and mentality of the Olympian group. The players also appreciated, from before the match, the banners and positive messages from the Vélodrome, which had set the tone for an evening resembling sacred union.
A huge relief for OM and the entire Vélodrome… Sunday evening's victory against Monaco (2-1) will perhaps be a psychological trigger, as Roberto De Zerbi hopes. But above all it is experienced, within the club, as a liberation because the weight of recent defeats at home was so heavy to bear. It is impossible to say that Marseille have definitively overcome the Vélodrome “syndrome” and will now become intractable again at home, but OM are enjoying it, while remaining lucid and realistic. Everyone is aware, in the Marseille locker room, that this shock changed on Sunday on a few details, and that OM can greatly improve in their offensive play, in their ball releases and in their defensive solidity.
De Zerbi appreciated the character of his team
The management of OM and especially Roberto De Zerbi demanded character and mentality. Marseille insisted… and never gave up, facing a strong client like AS Monaco. A good omen for De Zerbi. “I hope this is the start of a great story,” appreciated the Marseille coach after the meeting. “We had a mental block at the Vélodrome which prevented us from playing calmly. I saw my players doing what we have been working on since July 6: playing, running, fighting, taking risks, with high pressure. is the team that I see every day. What I feel is honestly joy to see my players express themselves with their qualities. A joy which was expressed during the celebrations on the pitch, with even the presence of some managers just after the final whistle, a sign of the importance of this victory at the Vélodrome, after the doubts and the rants of the last weeks.
The Vélodrome banners and messages boosted the players
From the pre-match, the atmosphere at the Vélodrome had set the tone for an evening which was to be one of sacred union between OM and its supporters. “The Vélodrome is with you”, the southern bend had displayed on a huge banner, while the groups of supporters of the northern bend had prepared a highly successful event with a huge “Go OM… to life and death” on blue background, with several thousand flags. As if to reassure the players and send a message: everyone will be in unison, and there is no reason to be afraid in this Vélodrome. The half-time did not give rise to the slightest reaction, despite the advantage for Monaco at the break (0-1). And Elye Wahi was able to appreciate, in the second half, a huge cheer when he came on, whose performances were widely criticized.
Second in Ligue 1… with real room for improvement
The Vélodrome had decided to send positive waves to the players and the Olympians admitted, after the match, to having felt this ultra positive atmosphere, even when Marseille was in difficulty. “It’s true that we needed a victory at home, we missed it,” smiled Geoffrey Kondogbia on Sunday. With a message full of wisdom. “We shouldn't have been worried. In football, as in life, you need time. There is a new group in place, with new methodologies to assimilate. Since the start of the season, we have seen that we digests them quite well, so that’s positive. You really shouldn’t take your foot off the gas.” This is also what reassures OM: this team still has immense room for improvement, De Zerbi is convinced. Despite this, it is well within the passing times, with this second place in Ligue 1.
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