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Last year Marseille, without reaching high levels, managed to escape early from the rest of the teams in the battle for second place and the interruption helped them to return to the maximum interclub organization.
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TRANSFER OR RETURN TO TOBEN
At the beginning of this season, there is a significant addition. It is not a transfer, but the return to action of the player Toven who lost last year by a center.
His presence gives Villas-Boas the opportunity to have three playmakers on the field. Low from the axis, the first to take the ball is Sanson and high on both sides is Page-Toven.
It is a fact that this is a team whose great advantage is the presence of Paget, Toven, but also the remarkable goalkeeper Mandata who, if he finds the rhythm, can maintain a defense on his own.
On the creative side, when the ball rests on these two world-class footballers, Marseille becomes very dangerous.
However, they are not enough to create a team that creates security that will remain this year, in the first three places of the Champion.
If I had to bet based on the image of the league so far, I would say that it will not happen, Marseille did not beat Lille, Rennes, Lyon last year and this year its three competitors have been significantly strengthened.
BOAS LOCATED MARSEILLE PATHOGENS FROM THE BEGINNING
Let’s take things from the beginning. Villas-Boas took over last summer from a team that had the advantages I mentioned above, but also pathogens that did not allow in recent years to enter the top three in the league.
Faithfully following the clear 4-3-3 with 6 goals and two inside midfielders, he identified Marseille’s problems. He tried to find solutions, he succeeded in other places, not in others.
However, from the first year he achieved the goal of being among the top three in the Champions League again. The problems that the Portuguese technician had to solve were the following.
DEFENSE CENTER
Marseille has been struggling with its defense for years. In the summer of 2018, that is, a year before Villa-Boas took over, the Croatian high plug, Tsaleta-Tsar, was acquired.
His first year was disappointing, but last year in the hands of Villa-Boas he became a stature, a benchmark in the defense of Marseille.
He had a great year, which made him a key player in the Croatian national team. He was helped by the presence of the experienced and more controlled Spanish stopper Gonthaleth, who last year played on loan and this year his rights were acquired with 4 million euros.
The Portuguese coach managed to tie a specific defensive duo, without this meaning that there are still no games in which Mandada plays only with the opposing team.
The really experienced goalkeeper and Page’s impressive last year are the main reasons why Marseille stayed second until half-time last year.
Let me point out here that it will be wishful thinking if Chaleta-Tsar does not catch up, who also left like Benedetto in the 87th minute of the match against Bordeaux with a slight sprain.
A mission has entered, if he does not succeed, the light and rather soft 21-year-old Argentine Ballerdi, who was acquired by Dortmund, will take his place and in this case the murderer El Arabi will be able to find oil.
TRANSITION OF DEFENSE
The main problem Marseille faced had to do with the defensive transition when the ball was lost. There were things that Boas realized early on that needed to change.
Garcia’s Marseille had the slow legs of Luis Gustavo on its axis, who from one point onwards played a stopper and in position 6 were Strutman’s also slow legs.
The Portuguese coach in the last days of August sold Gustavo to Fener and quickly made Strutman substitute, using the most athletic Kamaras in position 6.
Good news for Olympiacos. The people of Marseille recently learned that a punishment is pending for Kamaras to serve and he has no right to participate.
Strutman will definitely play at position 6 and will have as a duo of inside midfielders, Sanson who is a notable case and the lightweight Ronzier.
In other words, a trio with two inner midfielders and the experienced but too slow, after the many injuries that Strutman has faced.
KARARA KEY
In this area, Kamara will have the opportunity to dominate, with his athleticism, to fall on Strutman and Ronzier, to win balls and to give Olympiakos a significant advantage.
Villa-Boas’ plays and the introduction of a specific defensive duo and a more athletic 6, improved the situation, they did not completely solve the problem.
Chaos no longer prevails, but when the opponent accelerates, there is a problem, something we saw this year in the home game with Lille where the 1-1 final was a magical image. Marseille had to be crushed.
BENEDENTO DID NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM
A timeless problem at the top of the attack, with a constant search for center forwards to make a difference. Last summer, the administration donated 14 million euros to acquire Benedetto in general enthusiasm. The Argentine had scored 11 league goals until the break, he was the team’s top scorer and the eighth Champion.
However, it did not satisfy Villa Boas, as the Portuguese coach considered that he was very recently on the field and asked for a center forward in the summer.
The bad thing is that so far his image justifies it, since Benedetto plays badly in these first games and has not scored in any game.
In terms of creation, let them go. It passes with 66.3% last year, with 68.1% this year and has not registered assists with the Marseille shirt.
Boas pushed for a key transfer, which did not go through. On the last day of transfers, 18-year-old Brazilian left-back Enrique was acquired, who played 5 minutes in the 3-1 victory over Bordeaux last Saturday, but managed to do two good side actions and show that he can offer help. Rafinia may find it in front of him, for a few minutes in the second part, but he did not arrive.
IF BENEDENTO DOESN’T PLAY
Because Benetento came out in the 87th minute with a slight sprain from the match with Bordeaux and Boas is not crazy about his match, it is not ruled out that he will not start it in Karaiskakis.
If the Argentine stays on the bench, or will the nervous Germain start, who has the style of Salpigidis. That is to say, is it lower, a player for a duo that moves more outside the area, or we will see Marseille with a fake 9-year-old Payet, to duo with Toven and behind them, to play Kissans who came on loan from Bayern.
With this formation, which he brought in diamond, he played on Saturday in the victory over Bordeaux, only the one missing was Payet who was sanctioned. In the attack, Benetendo made a duet with Toven and Kissans came from behind.
DON’T TAKE A BALL
In any case, Olympiakos must know that the less the ball passes to Toven, Payet, the more confidence Marseille will lose. They must not allow the two great footballers to take the ball and start running head to head at home.
So far, Payet has not gone well into the season. Last year he was the best player in the Champions League after the trio from Paris, Ebabe, Neymar, Di Maria.
This year you are moving in shallow waters, at first the one who impresses on his return is Toven, who already has 3 goals and 4 assists in 7 games. It is a fact that on the field the two highest quality footballers will be on the opponent’s side.
It will take great care that neither Page gets one-on-one with Rafinias, nor Toven with Cholebas. If these conditions are created often in the game, Olympiacos will suffer.
If you restrict the two stars of Marseille, I see nothing more to fear from this team. If Martins neutralizes them, then he can take advantage of the fact that as a whole his own team is superior and at the center Kamara will be by far the most athletic footballer.
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