Marseille wins over Brest and takes first place

toMarseille beat Brest (2-0) on Saturday 26 August at the Velodrome during the third day of Ligue 1, with Marseille temporarily occupying first place alongside Monaco. After three matches, Marseille lead their tally with seven points, even if they didn’t get them against Cador (Reims, Metz and Brest), make a good base for a rejuvenated floor-to-ceiling team in the doldrums whose identity remains highly uncertain.

Deprived of the Champions League, Marseille and Marcelino took a full week off work before receiving Brest, an unprecedented luxury this season. But that did not happen, and if Marseille got the three points, it is also because the bad luck that accompanied them since the start of the season left them this time alone.

The recording opened with the signature of Chancel Mbemba

The three points are of course welcome and Marcelino still feels some satisfaction from Saturday’s success – for example, the rise of Renan Lodi and the dynamism of Jordan Veretaux – but the overall performance remains very mixed. Thus, there was only one good moment in Marseille’s very poor first half and it came very quickly, from the fourth minute, when Chancel Mbemba headed in a flawless Jordan Veretaux free-kick (1-0). ).

What followed was terrible. Against Priestois, who gained confidence as the minutes went by, Marseille left the ball a lot to the opponents and also lost it a lot, the rare times they had control of it. After some progress shown in the second leg against Panathinaikos (2-1) and in Metz (2-2), we thought we would find Marseille in the first leg in Greece (1-0 defeat), playing at the pace of the experienced team. and unable to create danger.

Many opportunities for Bretonians

Holder For the first time since his serious injury in November, Amine Harith has been particularly struggling, and Argentine Joaquín Correa, who arrived in Marseille on Friday and made his pre-match debut at the Velodrome, has room to take him on the left. On the other hand, Albrighton had many opportunities, as Jeremy Le Duaron put an easy header into the arms of Pau Lopez (14th place), Steve Mooney, who set another goal just above (24th place), or two strikes from Mehdi Kamara (28th place) and Lou. Roundabout (30).

The start to the second half was again difficult and it took several good saves from Pau Lopez, who had had a complicated start to the season until then, to leave Marseille ahead. The game finally changed shortly after the exit of Elimane Ndiaye, who had not yet been freed since his arrival, and with the entry of Vitinha, who, on the contrary, exuded new confidence.

The Portuguese immediately occupied space in the area and after another fine cross from Lodi, broke through the Brest defense just enough to allow Ismaila Sarr to score his first goal for Marseille (2-0, min. 65). Vitinha again gave two golden chances to Verito and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, but the result did not move at all.

Marseille should not lose any more points after those already annoying points left by Metz. Finally, his budget before going to Nantes on Friday and then letting the armistice pass, is very correct. But the overall impression is less than that and this OM is still a bit baffling.