OM - Manchester City (0-3) : The step was too high
STRONG CHOICES BY AVB
Without Payet, without Benedetto and in 3-5-2. This is the composition chosen by André Villas-Boas to face Manchester City on the second day of Group C of the Champions League. The number 10 of OM was suspended during the last two matches of the Olympique's Ligue 1 Uver Eats. Two matches won by the Marseilles team. The Reunionese's lacklustre performance on the pitch of Olympiakos did not plead in his favour.
As for the Argentinian striker, he has not yet unlocked his goal counter this season, either in the L1 or in the Champions League.
UNIQUE FIRST HALF
As soon as the German referee blew the whistle for the match, Pep Guardiola's players put their foot on the ball and only on very rare occasions did they let it go. The Mancunians moved the ball around the Marseille half of the pitch looking for a breach in a defence grouped together with five elements and three midfielders who were inevitably backward in such a situation. The two low lines prevented the visitors from getting really dangerous chances but they had to hold on and above all not make any mistakes. Unfortunately, it came and faster than expected. On a badly adjusted pass of Rongier, De Bruyne took the ball and ran on the right side before sending a cross to Ferran Torres who scored from point-blank range.
After the opening goal, the Olympians were more enterprising but they were, on the whole, deprived of the ball and therefore of a solution. The Citizens even almost doubled the lead when Balerdi lost another ball, but De Bruyne just missed the target.
A cross from Cuisance, after a nice collective move, directly into the gloves of Ederson, a solitary raid and a long distance shot from Radonjic (the only shot on target for OM in the first 45 minutes), this is what the Marseillais managed to get in the first one-sided first half which only turned out to be a mistake.
BETTER SECOND HALF BUT....
The men of André Villas-Boas came back on the field with better intentions than in the first period. Possession didn't change, it was still in favour of Manchester City, but when they recovered, the riders from Marseille tried to be more incisive, sharper. Thauvin's 55th minute shot hit Ederson's post. But envy and willpower were not enough. England's dominance was translated into new goals. First from Gundogan in the 76th minute and then from Sterling five minutes later. At 0-2, André Villas-Boas brought freshness to his side with successive substitutions from Sanson, Payet, Benedetto and Gueye.
But even with all the best will in the world, the march against one of the top clubs in the world was too high.
