(AP Photo/Claude Paris, File), Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. "I've been hammering it into the players since the Bordeaux game, we need to finish the job. Without him, Metz’s attacks would have struggled as he was the player who was being different for them. "Leonardo Jardim is the perfect coach for our project," Vasilyev told CNN this week. This strategy is commonly used by Barcelona by rapidly pressing the man in possession and also blocking all possible close options. This was especially effective in the first half, which was dominated by Marseille as they had most of the possession (66%) and a PPDA of 9.8, compared to Metz’s 26.5. Bordeaux also host a relegation threatened side in Lorient, who are looking to pull off a last-weekend escape after dragging themselves off bottom spot a month ago. Follow. Payet also has a wonderful eye for goal when the mood takes him, as he showed for France at the 2016 European Championship and in the return leg against Leipzig in the Europa League quarterfinals. The times Metz would attack, they would also have attacking full-backs, especially on the left side. For example, in the image below, the player in possession could only cross the ball with the striker not even being in the box. Marseille pressed high to recover the ball as soon as possible and start another attack. Steve Mandanda, voted the French league's best goalkeeper this season, is experienced at club level and has played 26 times for his country. Metz played a 4-4-1-1 with Farid Boulaya linking up the midfield and the striker. This is a very high number and shows that they allowed Marseille to play with plenty of time on the ball. Thauvin’s signature move is cutting inside defenders and then bending a curling shot in from outside the penalty area, in a style reminiscent of Bayern Munich winger Arjen Robben. This allowed for him to move forwards and also to be an easy passing option for the centre-back. Angers v Montpellier, Guingamp v Metz, Lille v Nantes, Lorient v Bordeaux, Lyon v Nice, Marseille v Bastia, Nancy v Saint Etienne, PSG v Caen, Rennes v Monaco, Toulouse v Dijon, Join the Therefore, the Marseille left-back is running to cover this player. Then, the defence was made up by Matthieu Udol and Fabien Centonze as full-backs with the help of John Boye and Dylan Bronn as centre-backs. Having now achieved eight points in five games, they need to step their game up if they want to compete well in the UEFA Champions League. Now their possession percentage increased to 46% and this allowed them to link up better. Eyewitness? "You have to congratulate them (Monaco). They can match the capital club's single-season record of 30 wins in Saturday's final game at Rennes. It is important to highlight the great game that Farid Boulaya played as he connected the midfield and the striker. But Gustavo, who has made 41 appearances for Brazil, is so versatile he slotted in effortlessly at center half when Marseille had injury problems in defense. See more about. Les soirées se suivent et se ressemblent pour l’OM, qui vient de concéder son troisième 1-1 consécutif. • Marseille's only previous home fixture against Cypriot opposition was a 5-1 win against Apollon's local rivals AEL Limassol in the 2012/13 UEFA Europa League. The striker and the attacking-midfielder had to keep switching between pressuring a centre-back or the defensive midfielder that came down to help. Metz relied on quick attacks to create danger. 1:45 min Saint-Etienne maintained their perfect start to the season with a 2-0 victory at the Stade Velodrome Ligue 1 Highlights Ligue 1 Highlights Marseille St Etienne He has scored 26 goals in all competitions this season and created another 16 for his teammates. Marseille will play Atletico Madrid in the Europa League … The 25-year-old winger is quick, whether over short distances or running from deep, and is a superb finisher. They would communicate with each other to see who should go inside. Through this counter-pressing, Marseille made sure that Metz had problems in creating plays. However, it was normal to see how Metz attacked with few people. This left the space in the wing for the left-back to run into and create danger. Additionally, this better pressure allowed them to have more of the ball because they were recovering it quicker. Marseille came into this game off the back of a bad run, having taken just one point from their previous two games. What hurt us most was the defeat in Barcelona. However, there was little pressure on the centre-backs when they got close to their line of pressure and this enabled them to freely move the ball until they found a good option.