FOOTBALL – OM : Igor Tudor faces a problem in attack before Frankfurt
As OM prepares to meet Frankfurt in the Champions League, Igor Tudor is facing a problem that must be corrected quickly.
OM : Igor Tudor with a failing attack
After an interesting start to the season, Olympique Marseille seems to have run out of steam. Victorious twice against Sporting (4-1, 0-2), the Phocéens did not manage to prolong the Indian summer and seem to fall back into line. For now, nothing is still compromised in the Champions League before facing Eintracht Frankfurt this Wednesday evening at 9pm at Deutsche Bank Park. But the surprising defeat against RC Lens (0-1) this week has shown that OM is still far from its full potential.
Beaten by a strong team from Lens, Marseille dropped to fifth place in Ligue 1 after 12 games. In these conditions, the eyes of Igor Tudor are on the team, which has benefited from an ambitious mercato this summer, with the arrival of twelve important reinforcements. If OM is attractive in the game, it must be noted that efficiency remains one of the major drawbacks of the Marseille squad.
Author of a thundering start to the season, Alexis Sanchez now seems to be in decline, like his team. The Chilean striker has had trouble finding the net and has struggled to make his team shine in recent weeks. And for many observers, his repositioning at the point of the Marseille striker is for much. This is at least what Luc Sonor explains. The former AS Monaco striker, now a consultant on Europe 1, believes that the Chilean would be much more valuable in a system with two strikers or in support of a center forward.
“It is not only a striker that Marseille needs. We need people around the penalty area who can have enough talent to exploit the opportunities,” he lamented, pointing to the lack of realism of the Olympians.
Luis Saurez, a 10 M€ ball and chain for Marseille
Apart from Alexis Sanchez, who seems to be suffering in recent weeks, some elements of OM are still struggling to find their place. The most significant example remains the case of Luis Suarez. Recruited against a check of 10 million euros this summer, the Colombian striker is not up to this investment. If his adaptation time is mentioned to explain this disappointing start, the Marseille recruit struggles to live up to the expectations placed on him. To the point where he saw his teammate Bamba Dieng, pushed towards the exit this summer, pass him in the hierarchy of the strikers of the Olympique Marseille.
The former Granada center forward is now going through the games like a shadow on the Marseille bench. The question is: is it difficult to adapt to the efforts demanded by Igor Tudor? For now, the Phocaean coach will have to quickly correct this inefficiency of the Phocaeans in order to improve their performance for the rest of the current year. One of Igor Tudor’s main tasks will be to solve this offensive deficiency, while remaining very solid in defense.
Will Igor Tudor innovate in attack against Frankfurt?
For the trip against Eintracht Frankfurt, Igor Tudor will probably have to maintain his offensive animation with Alexis Sanchez at the top and the tandem Guendouzi-Harit in support. Unless the coach decides to let some members of his attack blow. Igor Tudor is able to do it, he already made a surprising coaching during the first game lost against Frankfurt, where the trio Payet-Sanchez-Gerson had been very disappointing.
Anyway, Marseille will have to be very efficient against the German team in order to win the three points in this 5th day of Champions League. Especially since the OM can already qualify for the 8th finals of C1 in case of victory in Germany and a success of Tottenham against Sporting next Wednesday. This European match will be decisive.
