Olympique de Marseille: Droit au But

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COUPE DE FRANCE FINAL: OLYMPIQUE DE MARSEILLE VS. STADE RENNAIS

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Saturday 21st May, 20:59 Hours

Banyard: ”Welcome back folks! The teams are out and ready to go. Tonight’s referee is Fredy Fautrel. It will be Olympique de Marseille to kick us off here in the Stade de France.”

Cascarino: ”I can’t wait for this!”

FIRST HALF

Saturday 21st May, 21:00 Hours
Banyard: ”And we are under way in the showpiece event of the 2015/16 Coupe de France Final, here we go as Lucas Silva passes the ball to Michy Batshuayi and the Belgian plays the ball back to Karim Rekik.”

21:10 Hours
Banyard: ”The first real chance of the game goes Marseille’s way. They’re dominating possession 60-40 at the minute, and this move started with a fantastic tackle by Karim Rekik who dispossessed Sandro 10 yards from the Marseille box. Rekik was cool and calm on the ball, he slipped it into Lucas Silva, who spotted Lucas Ocampos breaking away on the right. The Argentine wonderkid, Marseille’s top Goalscorer this season spotted Michy Batshuayi free on the edge of the area, played the aerial ball over the top. Batshuayi controlled it took a touch and fired the ball towards goal but it was an easy save for Benoit Costil who pushed it out for a corner.”

Banyard: ”The resulting corner was taken by Lucas Silva, but was easily headed away by Mexer and Rennais cleared the ball out for a throw in to Marseille deep in the L’OM half.”

21:17 Hours
Banyard: ”Cheik M’Bengue has picked up a silly yellow card for pushing Lucas Ocampos slightly in the back. The Argentine seemed to make the most of it, but the first yellow card of the game is given to the Stade Rennais defender.”

21:19 Hours
Banyard: ”Another yellow card, this time for Alaixys Romao for dissent. He believed Marseille should have had a free kick after Michy Batshuayi tumbled over, but Fredy Fautrel waved away the protests but the Marseille midfielder badgered the referee more and he was left with no choice but to award the yellow.”

Cascarino: ”That was silly from Romao, just get on with it. It wasn’t a dangerous position or in the penalty area so just let the game play.”

21:22 Hours
Banyard: ”Michy Batshuayi has missed another chance for Marseille after he was played through by another long punt up field, this time by Abou Diaby. Rennes are playing a very high line here and that’s twice now they’ve been caught out by an aerial ball. There is a goal coming here.”

21:27 Hours
Banyard: ”GOAL FOR MARSEILLE! MICHY BATSHUAYI HAS PUT MARSEILLE 1-0 UP HERE AT THE STADE DE FRANCE! Javi Manquillo received the ball on the right wing from Lucas Silva in the middle of the Stade Rennais half. The Spaniard quickly moved the ball to inside forward Lucas Ocampos who played a sublime through ball to Michy Batshuayi who buried the ball in the bottom left corner of Benoit Costil’s goal! 1-0 Marseille.”

Cascarino: ”It’s a lovely goal from Batshuayi. He’s been criticised towards the end of the season for not taking enough chances but there was no messing around there, cool, calm, collected, and its 1-0. The Rennais defence should perhaps have done better but that won’t bother Marseille, they’ve got the lead.”

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Michy Batshuayi shouts with joy after scoring to put Olympique de Marseille 1-0 up in the Coupe de France Final against Stade Rennais.

21:29 Hours
Banyard: ”ITS TWO NIL TO MARSEILLE! SOME BEAUTIFUL FOOTBALL FROM MARSEILLE MEANS THEY HAVE DOUBLED THEIR LEAD! Rennais took their kick off, but Lucas Silva was brilliant, pressing them right from the off. He won the ball back, saw Abou Diaby in a lot of space. From there the French man saw Javi Manquillo in so much space on the right wing. Manquillo delivered a fantastic cross but it was just ahead of Georges-Kevin Nkoudou, but he worked tirelessly to keep hold of the ball, lifting his head and spotting Lucas Ocampos running in, playing the ball to the Argentine, who finished it off to make it 2-0 Marseille. Fantastic goal by Marseille, absolutely brilliant!”

Cascarino: ”Rennais’ didn’t even get chance to settle down, they lost the ball straight from kick off and bang it’s in there goal, and now they’re in real trouble of losing this final after only half an hour.”

21:38 Hours
Banyard: ”A second yellow card of the game for Rennais as Ludovic Baal is fouled for a trip on Lucas Ocampos, who has been running him the riot act all game. It’s been a repeated occurrence all throughout this game, and it is a deserved yellow card.”

21:44 Hours
Banyard: ”Now Marseille have their second yellow card, as Benjamin Mendy who has shown poor discipline all season, is shown yellow for kicking the ball away when Romain Danze had won Stade Rennais a free kick.”

21:48 Hours
Banyard: ”Its half-time here in the Stade de France, in the Coupe de France final, with Olympique de Marseille leading 2-0 at the break thanks to goals from Michy Batshuayi and Lucas Ocampos. It was a mad five minute spell for Marseille, but the football was immense and they hold a deserved lead going into half time. We’ll bring you some analysis right after this short ad break.”

HALF TIME

21:50 Hours
Banyard: ”Okay Tony, 2-0 to Marseille at half time, what are your thoughts?”

Cascarino: ”It’s been all to straight forward for this Marseille side. Stade Rennais’ problems are all coming from their decisions at the back. The defensive line is pushing too high, and with Marseille having multiple players capable of unlocking their defence by hitting a precise ball over the top of the defence. Mexer has been absolutely atrocious, and he’s missed several interceptions, and for me has been responsible, at least partially for both of Marseille’s goals.

But let’s not take anything away from Marseille. They’ve been fantastic and that one-two of goals, could well be the knockout blow for Stade Rennais. Michy Batshuayi’s finish for Marseille’s first was pretty special, Lucas Ocampos was fantastic in setting up another goal. But then for Ocampos to go and score pretty much straight from Rennais’ kick off was exceptional and the intent from Marseille was special to watch, and they deserve all the plaudits from this first half.”

SECOND HALF

22:03 Hours
Banyard: ”We are back under way here in the Coupe de France final between Stade Rennais and Olympique de Marseille, with Christophe Galtier’s men leading 2-0. Lets hope the football we see in the second half is as good as the football we saw in the first.”

22:09 Hours
Banyard: ”The first substitution of the game is made by Philippe Montanier as Giovanni Sio replaces Sandro, who has been relatively poor in this game so far.”

22:10 Hours
Banyard: ”First major chance of the second half as Lucas Ocampos’ corner is met by Georges-Kevin Nkoudou who hits a shot straight at Benoit Costil who puts it out for another corner. The resulting corner is cleared by Cheik M’Bengue, and ends up as a throw in just inside the Marseille half.”

22:18 Hours
Banyard: ”Marseille make their first chance of the game, as Abou Diaby who wasn’t fully match fit at the start of the game is replaced by former Lille OSC man Marvin Martin, who is rumoured to be involved in his last game for Marseille tonight.”

22:19 Hours
Banyard: ”Karim Rekik picks up Marseille’s third yellow card of the game for a trip on Paul-Georges Ntep but the resulting free kick comes to nothing. Still 2-0 to Marseille here at the Stade de France.”

22:20 Hours
Banyard: ”SURELY GAME OVER HERE AS MARSEILLE ADD THEIR THIRD OF THE GAME THROUGH GEORGES-KEVIN NKOUDOU. Michy Batshuayi finds Javi Manquillo about half way into the Rennais half and the Spaniard delivers a peach of a cross to find Nkoudou on the penalty spot and the youngster smashes the ball home, and celebrates wildly with the Marseille fans as Marseille go into a 3-0 lead here.”

Cascarino: ”It’s another fantastic move by Marseille, starting with Michy Batshuayi who is having the game of his life here. Fantastic football by Marseille and they will be deserved winners of this competition unless Stade Rennais do something miraculous.”

22:21 Hours
Banyard: ”Rennais’ response to falling further behind is to bring Juan Fernando Quintero, who has been fantastic on loan at the club this season off for Kamil Grosicki, in the hope that the Polish winger might provide some flair on the wings for Montanier’s team.”

22:24 Hours
Banyard: ”Philippe Montanier has played his final card here, with Sylvain Armand replace Cheik M’Bengue on the pitch in the hope that by adding some solidity to Rennais’ defence they can hopefully mount a comeback.”

Cascarino: ”It’s not looking likely at the minute though, they’ve been poor, really really poor.”

22:33 Hours
Banyard: ”The game has died down a bit now as both sides seem to have accepted the outcome, so Christophe Galtier has replaced the booked Karim Rekik with Dennis Appiah, recently announced to be in the preliminary squad for France’s UEFA Euro 2016 squad, with the defender set to play out the final 15 minutes of the game.”

22:37 Hours
Banyard: ”Lucas Ocampos is booked with 11 minutes of the game. You’ll never guess what for! Diving! Of all things! 3-0 up in the final and you’re diving?”

Cascarino: ”It’s ridiculous, it was so obviously not a foul, and Ocampos has thrown himself to the floor.”

22:38 Hours
Banyard: ”Now there is absolutely no reason to do this. Benjamin Mendy is sent off for persistant fouling, this time he has tripped Kamil Grosicki and Marseille are down to ten men.”

22:38 Hours
Banyard: ”In response to Mendy’s sending off, Galtier has bought on Paolo De Ceglie to replace Michy Batshuayi to make Marseille’s shape a little bit more solid. Still 3-0 here at the Stade de France.”

22:47 Hours
Banyard: ”OLYMPIQUE DE MARSEILLE ARE WINNING THIS FINAL IN STYLE. IT IS 4-0 NOW! Marvin Martin plays a fantastic ball out wide to Ocampos on the left. The Argentine winger cuts inside, takes the shot but it is saved by Costil. Armand misses the chance to win the ball on the rebound so Ocampos takes it down again and thumps a powerful effort past Costil to make it 4-0 Marseille.”
Cascarino: ”It’s over. It’s beautiful football from Marseille, even with 10 men they’ve been fantastic and Ocampos has been the star of the show. Wow!”

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Lucas Ocampos wheels away to celebrate after scoring his second and Marseille’s fourth.

22:48 Hours
Banyard: ”With barely any time of this Coupe de France Final to go, Tony I think it’s time for you to name your man of the match!”

Cascarino: ”My choice for man of the match was really easy. The player has put in a fantastic t, especially for someone so young. He’s scored twice, and assisted one of the others, and that man is Lucas Ocampos.”

22:49 Hours
Banyard: ”ITS OFFICIAL, OLYMPIQUE DE MARSEILLE HAVE WON THE COUPE DE FRANCE! They have absolutely thumped Stade Rennais 4-0 in the final, in one of their best performances of the season to be honest! Wow, it was absolutely brilliant by Marseille, and they are deserved winners of this competition. They’ve been brilliant through out whether that be by attacking and scoring goals or by staying tight at the back. Well done to Marseille! You deserve it!”

Cascarino: ”Well done to Marseille. They were simply brilliant here. The football was top drawer stuff and they deserve this trophy. The knockout punch, for me, came with the second goal. Rennais hadn’t had time to settle after going 1-0 down, but Galtier’s boys took the ball straight off them, put a lovely move together and thumped in a second goal to make it 2-0 and Rennes did not look like coming back from that at all. Deserved winners here! Well done Marseille.”

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Christophe Galtier punches the air at the final whistle as his Olympique de Marseille side beat Stade Rennais 4-0 in the Coupe de France Final.



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POST MATCH

23:10 Hours
Banyard: ”Welcome back to the Stade de France, for the Trophy Presentation Ceremony. Olympique de Marseille are deserved winners of the Coupe de France after a 4-0 thrashing of Stade Rennais.”

Cascarino: ”Yep, deserved winners through and through, a fantastic footballing performance from Marseille tonight, possibly there best and most comprehensive of the season. Well done to Christophe Galtier’s boys, a fantastic achievement, and this group of players has finally ended Marseille’s 27 year long wait for the Coupe de France title.”

23:25 Hours
Banyard: ”Well folks, that is that for the Coupe de France Final. Just a couple more things to do. Firstly, Tony, what do you think Marseille can achieve next season on the back of this triumph?”

Cascarino: ”Honestly, if they can improve their defensive issues they’ve suffered this season, keep their strikers firing all season long, and improve on their away form, I don’t see why they can’t challenge PSG and Monaco for the title. That has to be their logical aim for next season. As for the Champions League, if they get through the two rounds of qualifying they’re going to face then, I think it’ll depend on the group they got drawn into in all honesty. The Group Stages are difficult but providing they make the right signings they might be able to push for a spot in the knockout stages.”

Banyard: ”Okay, thank you very much for that Tony. After a 4-0 rout of Stade Rennais tonight, we shall leave the final words down to triumphant manager Christophe Galtier who spoke to Marcel Desailly earlier, before the presentation ceremony. From everybody here at ESPN, good night!”

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Desailly: ”Christophe, congratulations on winning the Coupe de France! Your boys were amazing tonight, you must be delighted! How does it feel?”

Galtier: ”Oh wow. Firstly thank you very much! It feels absolutely outstanding. I feel we deserved that and that we completely outplayed them. I spoke to Philippe after the game, and he passed on his congratulations, and said that we were the better team and that his lads failed to turn up, but that we were fantastic. I disagree about his boys not turning up, they gave us a good match for spells, but we were fantastic and to win 4-0, especially after our poorer run of form towards the end of the season is fantastic. For most of them, that’s the end of the season now, but some of them are going to the Euro’s so they’ll be hoping they can end the season on an even higher note, but for those not going, the party starts here! Well done lads!”

Desailly: ”Well done Christophe!”

Galtier: ”Thank you, good night!”

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END OF SEASON AWARDS

With the final whistle being blown on this season’s Coupe de France, another fantastic season of French domestic football is over. Paris Saint-Germain were crowned champions for the third successive season. The league champions also won the Coupe de la Ligue after beating Bastia in the final, while Olympique de Marseille beat Stade Rennais in the final of the Coupe de France, meaning that Marseille will meet Paris Saint-Germain in next season’s Trophee Des Champions. The UEFA Champions League was won by Bayern Munich, who beat Manchester City in the final, whilst the UEFA Europa League was won by Borussia Dortmund who beat French Champions PSG in the final in Basel.

CLUB END OF SEASON AWARDS

At Olympique de Marseille’s end of season award dinner, members of the club’s backroom staff and board announced the winners of the club’s end of season awards. Below is the list of winners of this seasons Olympique de Marseille club awards.

LIGUE 1 END OF SEASON AWARDS

There were 3 awards at the Ligue 1 End Of Season Awards Show that involved Marseille players. Or rather one certain Olympique de Marseille player. Remy Cabella was the only Marseille player to pick up an award this season, as he was voted Star of the Season, scoring 10 goals and assisting 12 in 32 league appearances this season. In the two teams of the season awards he was in prestigious company with the likes of Angel Di Maria and Zlatan Ibrahimovic in both places alongside the Marseille winger.

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THREE OLYMPIQUE DE MARSEILLE PLAYERS CALLED UP TO EURO 2016

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Three Olympique de Marseille players have been called up to their respective nations to compete at the UEFA Euro 2016 Finals in France. Michy Batshuayi who has one cap and one goal for Belgium, has been selected by Marc Wilmots and joins a star studded Belgium squad, including Eden Hazard, Kevin de Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku.

Representing Olympique de Marseille in the French national team is Steve Mandanda, who has made 20 caps for France, joins Dennis Appiah, who is yet to make his debut for France, in Didier Deschamps squad for the finals.

Both sides are in Group A, meaning that the Marseille players will come face to face with each other, with France meeting Belgium at the Parc des Princes on the 19th June. The other two teams in Group A are Austria and Finland, with the France vs. Austria game being played at the Stade Velodrome on the 15th June, and Frances game against Finland at the Parc des Princes, 4 days prior to that. As the host nation, Didier Deschamps men will be hoping to bring the trophy back home for the first time since 2000.

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At the start of the season I felt like goalkeeper was a position in the team where we looked as solid as solid can be, with our goalkeeping options being up there as among the best in the league. NICOLAS DOUCHEZ and YOYANN PELE were impressive in the five games that they played between the pair of them, and I can’t fault them because they have been pretty solid backups. However on paper, STEVE MANDANDA is a much better goalkeeper than both of them which is why he started 46 games for us this season. If only his ability on paper was as evident in real games though, as throughout the season he made quite a few errors which then led to the opposition scoring goals/ For that to happen as regularly as it did this season, it is alarming, and although he is by far the best goalkeeper in the squad, and apparently one of the best French goalkeepers in the world (he did enough to be selected in the France squad for the Euros), he needs to have a much better season next season otherwise he may find his number 1 spot up for grabs.

Rating:

A 3 star rating simply because of how reliable I found Douchez and Pele to be in when called upon, even if it was only for 5 games across the whole season. For a keeper of Mandanda’s quality to only have a 6.9 average rating after 46 games, for me isn’t good enough. A keeper of his quality playing in this side should have had a much higher rating and have been in contention for a goalkeeping award this season, but it just didn’t happen for him, and as previously stated, for me, he has next season to really impress me otherwise he could be in danger of losing his position as Marseille’s number 1 goalkeeper, even if he is closing in on the clubs record for league appearances.

At full back I have been extremely impressed with pretty much all four players we have in that position. They have been fantastic both in defence and going forward, and personally it is a shame that two of them, JAVI MANQUILLO and PAOLO DE CEGLIE are only here on loan, and will more than likely be going back to their parent clubs in the summer. Manquillo actually has the highest rating of any player in the squad, and his stats show why. Defensively he made quite a few tackles per game which was great and then offensively he was brilliant, scoring 1 goal and assisting 7. De Ceglie, with an average rating of 7.11 was also very impressive, and with 5.53 tackles per game, in theory he was defensively stronger than Manquillo. He only played 17 times for us, but that was due to the quality that Benjamin Mendy possesses, but when called upon De Ceglie was brilliant, and to add 2 assists is great. The two players that are actually here permanently were also extremely impressive. BENJAMIN MENDY, with 6.04 tackles per game in 37 appearances is the highest amongst our full backs, and considering he made a lot more appearances than the competitor for his left back spot, for him to have that high a percentage is fantastic. He also assisted a lot of goals, and his contribution to the assists total was brilliant and his crossing ability is second to none at this club if you ask me. The only downside about Mendy is his poor discipline and he was sent off three times over the course of the season, including in the Coupe de France Final. A lot of his fouls were unnecessary, and if he wasn’t so young, then I would be questioning whether bringing someone in with better discipline would be a good idea. BRICE DJA DJEDJE was having a fantastic season, and was steaking a claim to be our first choice right back but the injury that left him out until the end of April/early May was incredibly frustrating as the Ivorian was playing with real class. Hopefully next season he’ll be able to return to the form he was in before his injury. For those wondering what happened to MAURICIO ISLA, the Chilean’s loan was terminated during the season as he failed to make an appearance, firstly through a hip injury and then because of how well Brice Dja Djedje and Javi Manquillo were performing.

Rating:

Honestly this should have been higher, if it wasn’t for a couple of things. Obviously Manquillo and De Ceglie being on loan isn’t their fault, but not having them for next season, unless we can pull off deals for the two quite cheaply, will be of detriment to the squad, but they must be commended for their performances this season because they have been brilliant. Dja Djedje’s injury wasn’t his fault either but he was our best right back until the injury, albeit even if it did allow Manquillo to excel in the position, and Dennis Appiah came in as the deputy right back when called upon. However Benjamin Mendy’s ill discipline is what has really cost the full backs a 4 and a half star/5 star rating because being sent off 3 times in one season is not acceptable, especially not in a defensive position on the pitch, and like Steve Mandanda, if he has a similar season next season he’ll be in danger of being sold. With Manquillo and De Ceglie leaving on loan then, there is two spaces in the squad for a new right back and left back, so bringing a new player in in those positions is vital.

I stated in the squad report at the start of the season that we had been rocked by Nicolas Nkoulou’s departure but I’m not sure that if we had had the now Bayern Munich defender in our squad we would have done much different defensively. LOIC PERRIN made the most appearances of any player in the position, possessing a stat of 2.67 tackles a game, whilst picking up 6 yellow cards, and a 6.96 rating. Overall he was relatively impressive in his debut season, and for a player perhaps playing a level higher than he was at Saint-Etienne he was steady. Obviously I would have liked to have had his average rating higher but hopefully next season he can push on. KARIM REKIK started the season off well and tailed off a little towards the middle and at the end. He must be commended though for putting in positive performances when called upon to play at left back in the squad because of injuries to Mendy and De Ceglie. Rekik had a higher tackles per game, dribbles per game rating than Perrin in as many appearances, which personally shows that he will be a very important player for us in the future, and hopefully next season that 6.93 rating can improve. ROLANDO has the highest rating of any player in the central defender position, but I wasn’t really impressed with the player, and worried whenever a defender was attacking him, and for a player of his experience to have a lower tackles per game ratio than a youngster like Rekik is worrying. DENNIS APPIAH was a player we desperately needed in January, to provide some more defensive strength and in his 16 appearances for the club so far he has been exceptional, and combined with the strength of the season he was having at SM Caen during the first half of the season, he has thoroughly earned the call up to the France squad for the European Championships. Has also deputised at right back when needed because of Brice Dja Djedje’s injury. I said in the squad report that STEPHANE SPARAGNA was probably a player more for the future, and with only 5 appearances for the team this season that is probably more evident now, not that he wasn’t impressive when called upon. His 6.78 rating is allowable because of his age and inexperience and during the course of next season we need to find a way of getting him more first team football.

Rating:

I said in the squad report that I would have loved to have given our central defenders a higher rating and the same can be said now. For me Loic Perrin and Karim Rekik have been the best central defenders at the club when playing together and perhaps that needs to be the central defensive pair we really look at next season. Hopefully they can improve their average ratings and their performances and take them to the next level in their second seasons at the club. Dennis Appiah has also been fantastic so far and if he plays the way he has done for us since January throughout next season then we will have a fantastic centre back on our hands. As for Stephane Sparagna, we may look at loaning him out over the summer so he can get the first team football he needs to develop into the central defender we think he can be. Rolando might have got a good rating this season, but I really haven’t been impressed with him, as he has made too many mistakes and gave away quite a few penalties and free kicks during the season. This cannot happen when you’re a team challenging at the top end of the table, and he will most likely be sold in the summer as there is a player of similar experience and age available cheaply that will be a big improvement on the Portuguese centre back. I also feel as though we may need another body in this position to give us some extra cover/strength, especially with us now having to go through two qualifying rounds for the Champions League, so there may well be two new additions to this area of the squad ahead of next season. One of those new additions though could be Doria, who will be returning from his loan spell from Granada, although the Spaniards may yet activate the transfer fee agreed in his loan deal.

I called it at the start of the season how big of a role the three players capable of playing in the holding role would need to be, and they haven’t failed to deliver. LUCAS SILVA is going to be one hell of a good player in the future, and it’s a shame that it isn’t going to be here. Real Madrid just aren’t budging and providing any sort of feedback on how much they would be willing to accept for him, and I feel like if they did it would be an astronomically high fee. Playing in a deep lying playmaker role he has been exceptional and 82% pass completion rate, 3 assists and 4 goals is good enough for me, considering his age. That average rating should be higher because he has been truly exceptional this season and it will be a shame to lose him. ALAIXYS ROMAO didn’t start the season with as much game time as perhaps he would have liked but he worked his way into my starting XI plans during the middle of the season as he was a consistently strong performer, and made quite a few tackles per game. His ratio of tackles per game is higher than Lucas Silva’s because Lucas was often pushed further forward during games, with Romao dropping in deep. His commitment to the cause if highlighted by his 12 yellow cards if you asked me which, but no reds means he knows what he was doing. LASSANA DIARRA, perhaps hasn’t played as much as I or he probably thought he would. With the emergence of Lucas Silva as being a massive part of this squad, and Lass picking up a couple of injuries throughout the season, he has often been left unable to reclaim his place, but depending on how the summer unfolds for the club in the defensive midfield position, next season could well be a lot different.

Rating:

The first position to get the same rating it did at the start of the season as it has now. We have been pretty excellent in defensive midfield, and having the three players of real quality we have here is brilliant. All three have impressed whenever they’ve played so all credit to them. It is just a shame that Lucas Silva will be leaving the club, as like I said, it doesn’t look likely that we will be able to bring him in again, unless we can do so on loan. A new signing in defensive midfield is needed, and my scouts have already been out looking at the likely replacement for the last couple of months.

I didn’t think we would be as strong in the centre of midfield as we perhaps were. ABOU DIABY and ABDELAZIZ BARRADA both had excellent seasons. Stats like pass completion might not reflect this but then you have to remember the amount of games played, and for their position on the pitch we were trying to get the players playing there passing the ball a lot more frequently than say our central defender or full backs. They’ve both been really impressive this season, with Diaby scoring once and Barrada adding three goals. In terms of assists, Diaby added 6 assists, whilst Barrada did this twice. For Barrada he may need to add more assists to his game next season. MARVIN MARTIN was billed as a big signing for us last summer, as we were expected to play with a central attacking midfielder, but our change of tactic meant that we no longer used this position and so Martin was asked to drop deeper, into a role that he wasn’t the best at. In the twenty appearances he did make for us this season though he did well, scoring twice but failing to grab any assists, something that is pretty important for someone playing this role in our team.

Rating:

It’s a better rating to end the season than our central midfielders started with, purely based on the fact that Abdelaziz Barrada slotted into a central midfield position really well, and as previously said, if he can add more goals and assists to his game in that position then we have a quality plyer in the middle of the park. Abou Diaby had a solid season as well, and hopefully next season he’ll be able to stay a bit more injury free as he played an important part in the middle of the pitch for us this season. Marvin Martin really is better suited to a central attacking midfield role rather than in the centre of the park and he will probably be sold during the summer, so that a player of the quality he has got, can get the game time in his preferred position. As well as finding a replacement for him in the centre of midfield, I feel we do need another reinforcement in this area as when the injuries and suspensions piled up at the end of the season, we were struggling for bodies, so hopefully we can add some more quality to this position. Mario Lemina is a player that will return from his loan spell at Juventus, where he only made 9 appearances, unless the Italians activate his release clause in his loan contract.

I thought we would be very strong in the wing positions of the squad and my god we were exceptionally strong. We’ll start with the youngsters first though. GEORGES-KEVIN NKOUDOU never failed to impress in his 8 appearances in the squad, and was especially impressive in the Coupe de France final where he registered the third goal for us to seal the victory, and hopefully next season he can potentially step up another level and force his way into the starting XI a little bit more. BOUNA SARR was sent out on loan to Udinese in January, so hopefully he has had a successful season in Italy and can be in and around the squad next season. I don’t really know what to say about REMY CABELLA other than that he has been absolutely brilliant. Yet another loanee who has excelled at the Stade Velodrome this season. 13 goals and 16 assists was fantastic and considering he didn’t have the best of seasons last year at Newcastle, for him to hit form the way he has done for us this season has been brilliant, and a 7.64 rating really wasn’t high enough for him. Another player who has really impressed has been LUCAS OCAMPOS. He has been hugely tipped to be a star of the player for quite a while now and never really hit the heights expected of him, but this season he really stepped up to the mark. Playing as the left winger for the majority of his 42 appearances for Marseille this season, he chipped in with 18 goals, including 2 huge goals in the Coupe de France final against Rennais. The setup 9 goals as well is brilliant and if he can have another season next year like he did this year then we’re in for another successful year. ROMAIN ALESSANDRINI was another very impressive player for us, but his season was hampered somewhat by injury and the brilliance of Cabella and Ocampos, but hopefully he can keep playing the way he was doing this season, next year. His stats are impressive but compared to Ocampos and Cabella perhaps he needs to be adding more goals and assists although he did play nearly 20 less games than both of them.

Rating:

Another position to receive the same report both in September and in May. Nobody in this position on the pitch has failed to impress this season. Fortunately Remy Cabella has a £5.75 million pound agreed fee in his loan contract here, so hopefully we can strike a deal with Newcastle to keep him here permanently. If Georges-Kevin Nkoudou, can force his way into my plans a little more next season and Romain Alessandini can add more goals and assists to his game, then we can have another great season going forwards next season.

With the quality of players we have out wide, our forwards needed to be of the same amount of quality, as the way our team played this season, our wide men created a lot of chances for our strikers. MICHY BATSHUAYI was the top goalscorer with 14 goals, but what was even more impressive for me was the 4 assists he provided, as he played well as a target man, slipping players like Abdelaziz Barrada, Remy Cabella and Lucas Ocampos in to score the goals or get chances away. At the start of the season I was hopefully that he would potentially score more goals but 14 was a reasonable return for the youngster, and his performances have earned him a place at the Euros with Belgium. MAURO ZARATE started the season really well, but he did lose form, and then injuries and the form of Batshuayi and Adebayor kept him out of the starting 11 before he picked up the cruciate ligament injury that is going to keep him out until December. EMMANUEL ADEBAYOR couldn’t play his first game until the middle of January, and although his goal stats don’t reflect it, the 32 year old did have a good season and he was always a key player in any build up play that went through the middle for us. The emergence of JEREMIE PORSAN-CLEMENTE has been a delight to see and for him to score 4 goals and assist 1 in the 7 games he played for us, at such a young age, could be an indicator that he is going to a special player in the future.

Rating:

Perhaps we could have done better up front, but with our first choice forward, Michy Batshuayi being so young, hopefully he’ll become a more prolific forward. With any luck Mauro Zarate will return from injury in the same sort of form he started the season in for us, because he was looking decent during the first part of the season. Emmanuel Adebayor is getting on a bit now but hopefully, with Zarate injured, he’ll be able to step up when called upon during the first half of the season, especially as he has some vital Champions League experience. Jeremie Porsan-Clemente is a young striker with a lot of promise, but over the course of a full season, I’m not sure exactly how much football he’ll get, so like Stephane Sparagna, he may be loaned out next season. However the problem we have is, this summer we will not be looking for another striker, as there are other areas on the pitch that need new additions. If Porsan-Clemente is loaned out, then, at least until December, we will only have two strikers so maybe Porsan-Clemente will be in and around the first team squad until January.

Overall Squad Rating:

The same overall rating for the squad as it was at the start of the season. The rating would have been much higher had the players that have been exceptional for us, not only been loanee’s. Lucas Silva and Remy Cabella have been two of our best players this season but they’re on loan, and it doesn’t look like we are going to be able to secure deals to sign them on a permanent basis. Across the park in general we’ve been solid, and we managed to achieve our objectives and then exceed them in the league and in the Coupe de France so this group of players is clearly a very good squad, and hopefully with the right additions in the summer we can make up for the loss of key players like Lucas, Remy, as well add some extra touches of quality to take us up another level.

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2016-2017 SEASON TARGETS

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OLYMPIQUE DE MARSEILLE: TOP 5 SUMMER TARGETS

09.06.2016: With the Summer Transfer Window now open for business, here at L’Equipe we’re bringing you the top 5 transfer targets of each of the 20 clubs that will be participating in the 2016-2017 edition of Ligue 1. Today’s club under the spotlight is last season’s third placed team and Coupe de France Winners Olympique de Marseille.

5. LOIC REMY

At number 5 on our list of Marseille’s top 5 summer transfer targets is Chelsea forward Loic Remy. The French international currently finds himself on the transfer list at Stamford Bridge after growing tired of his lack of game time. With Mauro Zarate out injured until December and Emmanuel Adebayor turning 33 in the spring, Manager Christophe Galtier could be tempted to turn to Remy, who scored 27 goals in 68 league appearances for Marseille between 2010 and 2013, as the new man capable of scoring the goals for Marseille.

4. ADIL RAMI

With Rolando’s departure to Olympiakos on the 1st July confirmed the other day, Christophe Galtier is believed to be after an experienced defender to replace him. The Marseille manager is known to be an admirer of Adil Rami, after being impressed by the French defender during Rami’s days at Lille. The defender endured a torrid season at Sevilla last season, making only 9 appearances in all competitions, despite only signing for them last summer, and could be available quite cheaply or on loan should Galtier wish to pursue his interest in the 30 year old Frenchmen.

3. JONAS MARTIN

Olympique de Marseille scouts have been spotted at several Montpellier HSC games since the closure of the January Transfer Window, with reports believing them to be looking at Jonas Martin and the next player on our list. Martin looks comfortable in any role in the central midfield role, and with Lucas Silva returning to Real Madrid at the end of his loan spell and Marvin Martin expected to depart the Stade Velodrome, Jonas Martin would be an exceptional addition to Christophe Galtier’s squad. After making 35 appearances for Montpellier last season, having scored twice and assisting 4 goals, Wolfsburg are known to be tracking the midfielder who was named man of the match 7 times last season.

2. MATHIEU DEPLAGNE

Is believed to have been scouted multiple times since February. Marseille are in need of a new right back as Javi Manquillo’s loan deal will not be made permanent as Atletico are determined to use him in their La Liga campaign this season. Made 30 appearances in Ligue 1 for Montpellier this season and looks like a player that should be playing for a club at the higher end of the table, and Marseille could well be the perfect suiter.

1. REMY CABELLA

Last season’s Ligue 1 Star of the Season and Marseille’s Player of the Season, is currently injured at the minute and therefore not at the Euros. Has a £5.75 million pound agreed transfer fee in his loan contract which would mean Marseille would be able to sign a player that Christophe Galtier believes would be worth £25 million at least after scoring 13 goals and providing 18 assists during his season on loan at the Stade Velodrome. Signing Cabella would avoid Marseille needing to settle in a new face and would add a definite touch of quality to the squad.

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OLYMPIQUE DE MARSEILLE ANNOUNCE FIRST SIGNING

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Tiemoue Bakayoko (right) celebrates with Radamel Falcao after the Colombian striker scored during pre-season last summer.

16.06.2016: Olympique de Marseille have announced their first signing of the summer, as Tiemoue Bakayoko arrives at the Stade Velodrome, from local rivals AS Monaco for a fee of £5.5 million. However the fee may rise to £7.5 million with the add ons that Marseille have agreed to pay Monaco should the midfielder meet certain requirements

The youngster only made 9 substitute appearances for AS Monaco last season, and Christophe Galtier believes the young French midfielder can be a valuable addition to the squad and the perfect replacement for Lucas Silva who is set to return to Real Madrid at the end of his loan spell.
After failing to break into Monaco’s starting XI after being signed 3 years ago after an impressive season in the Stade Rennais midfield, the youngster said he was determined to break through this time at his new club. ”I can’t wait to get started here, get training, and hopefully I can show the boss what I can do, and he will believe I am good enough for the starting XI.”

Galtier himself added, ”I am delighted to have secured Tiemoue’s signature. He is a young man with an exceptional amount of potential and talent and he can be a very big player here. If he can get himelf fit, there is no reason why he won’t be in the starting XI for the game against Troyes in the first game of the season.”

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2016-2017 Ligue 1 Fixtures Released

The fixtures for the 2016-2017 Ligue 1 campaign have been released. Last season’s third placed side have been handed a relatively easy start, having been handed two home fixtures against Troyes AC and OGC Nice in their first two games of the season on 10th and 13th August. Following the visits of Troyes and Nice, Marseille play three games away from home against Stade Rennais, Toulouse and Guingamp.


Christophe Galtier’s men will face a very tough run of games in late October through to early December, as they face a difficult home game against Paris Saint-Germain. Alongside this Marseille face difficult away day visits to Saint-Etienne, Olympique Lyonnais and then AS Monaco, with other fixture in this run, being at the Stade Velodrome against newly promoted FC Metz.


In a crunch time of the season, Marseille will face 4 massive games in their final 10 games of the season. 4 of their most difficult games of the season for any club all come in April, as Marseille will host Saint-Etienne, Olympique Lyonnais and AS Monaco, as well as visiting the reigning Champions Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes. Alongside this, Marseille will also face Evian and Bordeaux at the Stade Velodrome, as well as visiting FC Lorient, FC Metz and Lille OSC. Christophe Galtier’s side will finish the season on the 20th May against Troyes, in a repeat of last season’s final game.

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In a shock turn of events former Olympique de Marseille assistant manager Franck Passi has been re-appointed as the assistant manager at the Stade Velodrome.

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The move came about after Claude Makelele was reportedly approached by undisclosed club in Spain. After hearing this news Christophe Galtier approached the former Real Madrid and Chelsea holding midfielder, asking him not to leave. After hearing this Makelele felt like Galtier and Marseille were holding back his career and handed in his resignation.

The move to re-appoint Franck Passi happened swiftly after Makelele’s resignation was received by Vincent Labrune and Christophe Galtier. Manager Galtier revealed that he had been in close contact with Passi, despite Passi’s contract being terminated upon Galtier’s arrival last summer, and that the pair were close. Galtier also stated that Passi had almost bitten his hand off to accept the post and continue where he left off.

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OLYMPIQUE DE MARSEILLE ANNOUNCE REMY CABELLA SIGNING

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Remy Cabella officially signs on the dotted line for Marseille after an impressive season on loan at the Stade Velodrome

23.06.2016: Newcastle United have officially announced that attacking midfielder Remy Cabella has left the club on a permanent basis, signing for Olympique de Marseille in a deal worth £5.75 million to the Tyneside club. Cabella spent last season on loan at the Stade Velodrome and was highly impressive, winning multiple awards, including the Ligue 1 Star of the Season and Marseille’s player of the season award.

Cabella, who scored 13 goals and provided 18 assists for L’OM during the course of last season, apparently signed for the club on a deal worth £61,000 a week, lasting until June 2020. The attacking midfielder, is currently out injured, meaning he is missing the European Championships which are underway in France, but declared that ”I am working my way back to full fitness all the time, and can’t wait to get going in pre-season with my new club. It is brilliant to be here permanently because I really enjoyed last season.”

Christophe Galtier declared that he was thrilled to have secured Cabella’s signing on a permanent basis, and admitted that he had only found out about the £5.75 million release clause in Cabella’s loan contract when the player was packing up his bags to return to the North East of England. ”Yes, I did only find out about a couple of weeks before the transfer happened. I had been badgering Newcastle all season over whether a deal could happen, I guess I just didn’t check my emails properly. It is fantastic to have him here and hopefully he can be just as fruitful this season as he was last.”