Marseille left Troyes with the points on Sunday night, but little of the anxiety around Bruno Genesio’s side was washed away by a 2-0 win. At the Stade de l’Aube, OM ended a damaging run in the sixth round of Ligue 1, finding victory for the first time since their 4-0 opening-day defeat of Strasbourg on 21 August.
The move
Genesio’s team had lost five consecutive matches before travelling to ESTAC Troyes: four in Ligue 1 and one in Europe. The result therefore carried immediate value, stopping a slide that had begun to unsettle Marseille supporters.
Yet the performance offered far less reassurance. Marseille struggled to create danger and could have left the Aube region with fewer than three points despite the final scoreline.
Former France international Jérôme Rothen felt the circumstances made the outcome the only meaningful element. “After four straight defeats, they had to stop the bleeding,” he said. “They won away from home and took the three points; that is all that should be kept from it.”
Christophe Dugarry agreed that Marseille had little option but to accept the win, but delivered a far harsher verdict on the display. He criticised the team’s technical level, pointing to poor first touches, misplaced passes and bad decisions.
- Jérôme Rothen: Marseille had to halt their losing sequence and take the away win.
- Christophe Dugarry: the collective display was alarmingly weak despite the result.
- Bruno Genesio: his side now need a clearer response in the matches ahead.
Dugarry argued that Marseille’s problems could not be explained by finances, insisting the squad contains enough quality to deliver a respectable campaign. But he questioned how a side once considered capable of challenging for a European place could look so unable to play forward, make runs or produce chances.
His conclusion was bleak: on the evidence of Troyes, he believed the team looked destined to fight relegation rather than compete near the European positions.
The French season around it
The win at Troyes gives Marseille a pause rather than a resolution. Their next test comes quickly, with Olympiakos due at the Vélodrome on Thursday in the second matchday of the Europa League league phase.
Genesio’s players then return to domestic duty with another significant away trip, travelling to Angers on Sunday. After ending the losing run, Marseille must now show that the night in Troyes was more than a result gained in a difficult spell.
