Sad atmosphere: the poster for the 6th day of Ligue 1 will take place in an OL Park limited to 1,000 people by health restrictions, to a dismal air of "we-we-too-play-badly".
"We're playing badly at the moment," admits Marseille coach André Villas-Boas.
“In comparison with last season, in possession of the ball, we are badly, we lose too many balls, we have to improve”.
"We did not have a good match" in Lorient (1-1) on Sunday, recognizes the Lyonnais Rudi Garcia, railing against what he calls "the diesel departures" of his team.
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Even if OM have two points more than OL (8 against 6), the two top names are slightly behind on the podium train, their goal.
However, everything had started well.
Memphis Depay and Florian Thauvin initiated a canonical start for their teams, materialized by a 4-1 success against Dijon for OL and a feat against Paris SG (1-0) for OM, who had no longer beaten its rival since 2011. But behind it is sagging.
The Phocéens took only two points in three home games, while the Gones remain on three draws and one defeat.
In search of confidence
"Why are we bringing in fewer centers?
Why are we less in the area?
Why are we less offensive? ”Wondered OM midfielder Morgan Sanson after the sluggish draw against Lille (1-1).
“We are aware that we have areas for improvement, echoed Lyon side Léo Dubois.
We need to score more goals, to be better at the finish. "
Between two teams in search of confidence, OM can welcome the configuration of a match where they would leave the ball to better counter, as at PSG, but Villas-Boas is not sure.
"At the moment we are not good in defense, or against, or attack, or anything," he says with a bitter smile.
His counterpart Rudi Garcia wants to be reassuring on the statistical indicators.
"We are ahead on virtually all the criteria of Ligue 1," he says.
OL is the team that shoots the most, but it takes 17 shots to score a goal according to League stats (LFP).
Garcia believes that his team is above all "in a point deficit".
"We are not in the place where we should be", he says, while Lyon is absolutely seeking to find Europe, which he is not playing this season.
Crisis for the loser
Finally, the two clubs are threatened by "the closure of the transfer window, especially for OL", believes "AVB".
The undecided future in particular of Houssem Aouar and Depay weighs on Lyon, and doubt will reign until the end of the transfer window on Monday evening.
In Marseille, AVB assured Friday that there were "no offers" for its players, but rumors send Duje Caleta-Car to England.
According to Dubois, "we can not have excuses for the transfer window and there is a very good atmosphere between us now".
All this atmosphere adds to the dramaturgy of this Olimpico.
"If we draw, both remain zero, if we have one that succeeds, one comes out of the crisis, the other remains in crisis", summarizes Villas-Boas, while stressing that "it remains a whole championship to play ”.
To get by, the two camps promise in chorus to roll up their sleeves.
“We are working a lot,” says Lyonnais Dubois.
We're playing a lot in goal right now in training.
Everyone has to feel involved in scoring goals. ”
“We try to find a solution by discussing with everyone,” explains the Marseillais Sanson.
But if we had the answers, we would be able to do it on the ground. ”
The promise of work is another thing common to both rivals.
It remains to be seen who will be the best Olympic worker.
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