The Champions League is a very hostile jungle forMarseille Olympic. Accustomed to collecting disappointments with each of its participations, the Marseille club is still experiencing a European campaign weighed down by obstacles.
After four matches, OM are in 25th place in the League phase rankings, one rank below the threshold for qualifying places for the play-offs. A disappointing result which does not only result from limitations on the ground. OM can indeed regret several unfavorable scenarios in terms of refereeing since the start of the competition. The penalty awarded to Madrid or Emerson’s red card in Lisbon had fueled the debates, but the facts of the game which marred the end of the match against Atalanta are even more difficult to swallow.
A quick reminder of the facts: Dea midfielder Emerson was the author of a handball in the penalty area in a confusing action at the end of the match. The match referee did not whistle a penalty, and on the counter-attack, Atalanta found the net through Samardzic (90th). A stab at the gong for OM.
The future of OM in C1 is written in dotted lines
In the Marseille ranks, the pill is difficult to swallow.
“Does it feel like you’ve been robbed?” For my part, yes. It’s hard to accept, deplored Mehdi Benatia. This is a situation where we clearly see that the player is taking advantage of an unnatural position, while Auba is arming himself to strike more. We can clearly see that the arm completely changes the trajectory of the ball. For me, there was everything they told us at the start of the year in meetings to call this penalty. Behind, in addition, it turns out that we take this goal which kills us. Obviously, it was a big responsibility. I would have at least wished he would have gone and seen the pictures. There are two minutes of play left. The least we can do, I think, is to check it out and form a more certain opinion perhaps. There, there isn’t even that. And, when you talk to them, they barely look at you. That’s something that bothers me even more than the penalty. They are arrogant. It’s disturbing. »
It will be necessary to remove doubts and wash heads. Because the rest of the menu promises to be plentiful for OM. With 2 English opponents at the VĂ©lodrome (Newcastle and Liverpool) and 2 Belgian teams away (Union Saint-Gilloise and Bruges), Roberto De Zerbi’s team will face tough opposition. And she doesn’t have many wildcards left. Last season demonstrated that a minimum total of 11 points was necessary to reach the play-offs. Which means 3 victories in the last 4 matches…
