If Marseille is struggling in the Champions League with two defeats in as many games, everything is going well on the national scene.
Winners of Angers on Friday evening (0-3), Igor Tudor's men temporarily took first place in the championship, pending the PSG match on Saturday evening against Nice.
A great start to the season that can be seen in the numbers.
23.
This is the number of points scored by Olympique de Marseille in Ligue 1 after 9 league games, the best total since the 1990-1991 season.
At the time, OM had crossed the finish line in the lead, winning their seventh national title in the process.
By way of comparison, the Marseille club, then led by Jorge Sampaoli, had only 15 units last season at this time.
We have to go back to the 2014-2015 season to find traces of such a start.
After 9 games played, Marseille was at the top of the championship with 22 points.
On the bench was a certain Marcelo Bielsa.
23 - Marseille have 23 points after nine 2022/23 Ligue 1 games, their joint-highest tally at this stage in the top flight, counting 3 points for a win, with 1990/91.
Leader.
#SCOOM pic.twitter.com/k9Kfd2A586
— OptaJean (@OptaJean) September 30, 2022
19
.
This is the number of goals scored by OM in the league so far.
In the 21st century, only Marcelo Bielsa eight years ago (23 goals) and Rudi Garcia in 2018-2019 (21 goals) have done better on the Marseille bench.
An effective attack, but also very diversified since no player has scored more than 4 goals in the league.
13.
Speaking of goals, here is the number of achievements scored by Marseille rookies this season.
This can be seen as a sign of a very changing workforce from one year to the next, without any real continuity, but the fact remains that the newcomers quickly got up to speed.
And in particular Alexis Sanchez, best director with 4 goals.
5.
The number of goals conceded by OM after 9 rounds.
If the attack is running at full speed, the defense also displays an almost flawless serenity.
Not since the 1986-1987 season have Marseille conceded so few goals.
At the time, the Marseille club had finished 2nd, just 4 points behind the Girondins de Bordeaux.
This is the 2nd lowest total in the history of @OM_Officiel, behind 1986/87 (4 goals conceded)! #SCOOM (0-3) pic.twitter.com/zJpisoQkry
— Ligue 1 Uber Eats (@Ligue1UberEats) September 30, 2022
0.
This is the number of defeats OM have had in the league this season.
Igor Tudor thus becomes the first Marseille manager to remain unbeaten in his first 9 Ligue 1 games since Jean Fernandez in 1992. It had been 14 years since Marseille had lost a single game at this stage of the season.
The Belgian Éric Gerets then directed his second exercise on the Marseille bench.
