The Countdown is now on….

By: Magnusson | September 22nd, 2007

   

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Just when you thought it was not possible for us to play worse then we have been doing since the beginning of the season, our players make a point on proving us wrong. Marseille has just lost 2-0 to Auxerre who was before this game the only team to be playing a poorer football than us this year.

Marseille, playing in brown (we thought we could play in our Argentina jerseys but they looked too much like the Auxerrois kits, so they lent us their brown and pink ones), and without Samir Nasri (who had a gastroenteritis even before the Besiktas game) nor Julien Rodriguez (suspended), played the first half like my sunday afternoon football game. After many chances missed by Kahlenberg, Maoulida and Niculae, the latter scoring twice in five minutes (19′ and 24′) and could have scored even more a minute later.

Ronald Zubar was so pissed with his own performance on the right side of our defense that he asked to be replaced after 30 minutes of playing, faking a head injury. The look Albert Emon gave him when he was going to the locker room talked more than any words.

I know I’ve said it before but Habib Beye who was the only real right-back we had (add this to the fact that he was the heart and soul of our team) should have never been tranfered. The biggest mistake we’ve made all season.

All in all, marseille played the first 25 minutes of the second half but that was not enough. Auxerre, with a more than questionnable defense resisted hard enough and Sorin remained unscored upon. The most worrying fact was that Albert Emon who was furious during the first half and couldn’t sit down, didn’t move from his bench in the second half and seemed resigned on quitting his job. Pape Diouf left the stands five minutes before the end of the game and was seen on the phone. Maybe he was talking with his wife about what he wanted for dinner tonight or maybe he was talking with one of the potential replacements of Albert Emon.

From a professional standpoint, if Pape Diouf wants to fire the coach, he needs to do it now. There’s 10 days before our next match, Marseille not playing the League Cup this turn around. Now let’s see what they are going to do. In all cases, the countdown is on for Albert Emon’s future. Let’s not forget our next game is against Liverpool at Anfield Road. We don”t need this but it is imminent.

Here are the two Auxerrois goals. There’s no offside on the first one.

Category: French Ligue 1

   

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Comments  

• Shazback |  September 22nd, 2007 at 12:41 pm

  
  
  

  Emon is going to stay, I think. I might be making a very, very bad bet, but I’m going to say that he’ll be on the bench against Liverpool, and even for a few games after that.

  Diouf has constantly said that Emon isn’t the problem, and when you look at it, he isn’t. Ziani, Zenden, Cheyrou, Valbuena, Arrache, Gragnic… Only Nasri seems to be able to bring movement to Marseille’s midfield with some kind of efficiency and regularity. Niang is putting in good games as well, but Cissé and himself are quite unable to battle past 8 players to score without support from midfield.

  Beye’s departure was catastrophic, because Bonnart and Zubar aren’t able to keep even players like Lejeune, hardly one of the best wingers in the Ligue, let alone Europe, at bay. Faty and Givet aren’t able to work together, but their poor form means that they’re rotating with Rodriguez and aren’t settling into automatisms. Taiwo was… Useless, and has been handicapping Zenden, Cheyrou and Ziani by forcing the left midfielder to drop deep to help out in defence, rather than play forwards.

  One good point : Mandana. Carasso might not find it easy to be a starter when he comes back from injury.

  For these reasons, I don’t think that Emon will get the sack. At least, not yet. I think he’ll edge out a few decent results, but will be sacked in January (or late December). Probably because the new coach will only accept to join l’OM if he can go after a few players…

  

• Magnusson |  September 22nd, 2007 at 1:22 pm

  
  
  

  That would be a fantastic, FANTASTIC sign of maturity on our part not to sack the coach. That would mean that the president and the staff are ready to take all the heat and let the team work and not just fire for the hell of it. Marseille has done it way too much before (cases like Roland Courbis come to mind) and if he stays on, I’ll be applauding our new state of mind.
  Lorik Cana just said this “we knew we had to go out there and fight for our coach because he’s aman who’s worthy and tonight we’ve failed him.” That seemed like a eulogy to me.

  

• pride of Lyon |  September 22nd, 2007 at 7:23 pm

  
  
  

  I am sad of Marseille’s defeat (not saying I wanted Auxerre to lose either). We need regular teams up there for Europe. Marseille is one of the only clubs in France with a big enough wallet to go a longish way in Europe.
  I hope Marseille will wake up, because when they are on a winning streak, the atmosphere in the Velodrome is great (especialy in Europe).
  I hope Emon will stay. If the players support him, it is a good sign (rare enough on la Canebiere).

  

• Inara |  September 22nd, 2007 at 7:44 pm

  
  
  

  I just finished watching the game, and it was like watching a train wreck. I agree with Shazback, this lack of form isn’t Emon’s fault. The guy can only do so much – it’s not like he can put himself on the bench.

  To be honest, this reminds me of Lyon’s crap streak last winter, which was a series of disappointing performances that had no explanation.

  I really like Emon though and hope Diouf doesn’t start panicking and firing people left and right. I have faith that Marseille won’t become like last year’s PSG.

  

• Magnusson |  September 22nd, 2007 at 9:43 pm

  
  
  

  Diouf said something tonight. He said that last year between the 9th and 16th round, we were defeated five times and drew twice. we still finished in the CL. That’s true, at one point we were 11 points behind Lens. A season is long and Marseille can still have a great one. I’m not worried per se, I’m just affraid that we’re gonna fire the coach and nothing will change.
  Inara, we’re never gonna be Paris 2.0, they’re the only team in history to fire a coach when they’re second at the winter break. I still can’t understand why Laurent Fournier, with all his clout as an ex PSG captain, could have been so unceremoniously ousted.

  

• Julien |  September 24th, 2007 at 6:12 pm

  
  
  

  Damn I predicted Marseille to win this won for a prediction league.