Post-Paris Saint-Germain Loss, Can Marseille Continue Marcelo Bielsa's Momentum?

It was a brave effort, but one that was doomed to failure. Le Classique between Paris Saint-Germain and Olympique de Marseille was broadcast in 52 different countries and didn’t disappoint. There was no fairytale ending, however, with France’s richest club, the champions, prevailing.

Having already done more than many thought was possible since Marcelo Bielsa arrived as coach in the summer, neutrals as well as the OM faithful will hope this isn’t an allegory for the season as a whole. The excitement that the Argentinian’s team have brought to a one-horse race of a league is more than welcome, and it would do the competition no harm to dance to Bielsa’s beguiling tune for a little longer.

Be in no doubt whatsoever, even in defeat, this was an accomplished, mature performance from Marseille, particularly on a ground on which they had lost their last four visits in Ligue 1. In the first half they were the better side. They were organised and daring but in certain key areas, the class gap eventually told.

Unfortunately for Bielsa, the gap between his attackers and those of the champions was appreciable. Andre-Pierre Gignac, propelled back into Didier Deschamps' France squad on the back of his early-season form, is now without a goal in four matches.

Romain Alessandrini was unfortunate to be denied a first-half goal by Salvatore Sirigu but looked a touch rusty. On the opposite wing, last week's match winner Florian Thauvin was desperately disappointing. Even if Bielsa’s theme is collectiveness rather than individuality, the banned Andre Ayew was missed on the left side, particularly in terms of defending against the excellent Serge Aurier. 

Having given credit where it’s due, it would not be right to duck the reality that Bielsa and his team are at a crossroads. The performance in Le Classique may have owed itself to good preparation immediately before the match, but it’s certainly arguable that the game arrived with OM all but in their worst nick of the season (excepting the opening two league matches).

Claude Paris/Associated Press/Associated Press

Defeat in a high-octane match at Lyon a fortnight before had taken its toll. It was not a deserved loss, but Marseille looked stumped for answers after Yoann Gourcuff’s second-half goal, which eventually truncated the visitors’ run of eight successive league wins. It came at a cost, with Jeremy Morel (who has since been injured) and an emotional Ayew receiving yellow cards which ruled them out of Le Classique.

Three days later, a hiccup turned into a genuine concern. OM exited the Coupe de la Ligue at Rennes and cracks appeared in the ranks. Brice Dja Djedje and Gignac argued after the whistle, a dispute that continued in training at La Commanderie the following day, with the latter apparently slapping the former.

As per Eurosport, Bielsa confirmed yet trivialised the spat, while defender Rod Fanni told Saturday’s L’Equipe (subscription only) that “it’s better to get in each other’s faces and then start running in the same direction that to turn our backs on each other.”

A highly-strung atmosphere under Bielsa is par for the course, given the physical and mental demands he puts on his players. At Marseille, a club and a city which wears its heart on its sleeve, one can expect that to be even more so.

The question is if the players who have served Bielsa so well to date can maintain the intensity that has driven their levels of performance through the roof. Bielsa’s time at Athletic Bilbao suggests that the downs are brutal when it goes wrong, so OM must aim to “hang onto the balloon and keep going higher,” to quote Withnail And I’s Danny.

OM’s desire, as seen in Le Classique, is a very positive sign. Yet one senses the hard work has only just started, as their players aim to turn something beautiful into something truly momentous.