Marseille - the art of dropping points

You’ve probably seen that famous meme at least once - the one with a photo of an old man and a caption claiming he’s a 30-year-old fan of some club who insists that supporting it isn’t stressful. While the team mentioned often changes depending on the results - or, more importantly, on who makes the meme - we might have finally found a club that could become the go-to target for the joke: Olympique Marseille.

What's been happening to L'OM throughout the current season is absolutely hard to believe, as they entered added time with a 2-1 lead five times and failed to win each of those games! Yeah, you read it right - five times!

This phenomenon is so preposterous that it's hard to even define it. Is it bad luck? Can a club even be called ill-fortunate if it's reliving the same nightmare five times? Is it a losing mentality? Whose fault is it?

Marseille sack their best manager in the 21st century. Why?

The questions are numerous, but nobody seems to have a proper answer. Not the player, not the fans, not the club's management, not the ex-boss Roberto De Zerbi. After all, if anyone knew how to change Marseille's fortunes, this terrible run would have been ended long ago.

Everything started in October against Angers, when Robinio Vaz's brace completed Marseille's comeback, but didn't bring three points, as Ousmane Camara levelled in the 96th minute.

A month later, against Toulouse, the exact same thing happened. L'OM were 1-0 down at the break, Igor Paixao and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg put them in front, and then Santiago Hidalgo stunned the packed Stade Velodrome in the 92nd minute.

Hard to believe... (©Reuters/Yves Herman/Gallo Images)

On January 8, Marseille were on the verge of winning their first trophy since 2012. In the French Super Cup final against Paris Saint-Germain, Mason Greenwood's goal from the spot and Willian Pacho's 87th-minute own goal turned the tables after Ousmane Dembele's early opener. But alas...

Goncalo Ramos sent the game to the penalties with the 95th-minute equalizer, Marseille's players converted only one of three shots, and the Saints emerged victorious.

The previous three Ligue 1 rounds brought two latest disappointments. Against Paris FC, L'OM were 2-0 up until the 82nd minute. But then, Jonathan Ikone reduced the gap, and Ilan Kebbal from the spot in the third minute of added time stole a point from De Zerbi's crew.

Following the embarrassing 5-0 loss to PSG in Le Classique, the Italian was sacked, but his - or better said, Marseille's - legacy stayed at Velodrome.

Professor of losing points in the final seconds of match – Olympique Marseille

Yesterday's scenario for Olympique's nightmarish horror movie was the same as two weeks earlier against Paris. The rival was Strasbourg, Greenwood and Amine Gouiri gave the home team a comfortable lead, but its specialty, the art of dropping points, proved itself in action once again.

Sebastian Nanasi's 73rd-minute goal gave hope to the visitors but also caused panic among both Marseille players and fans. Once bitten, twice shy, states the saying. When something happens to you four times, you can't help it, you are terrified.

And, as it usually occurs, the worst-case scenario was realized deep in added time, in the 97th minute, when Joaquin Panichelli converted a penalty kick and set the final score, probably the most hated in Marseille - 2-2.

If they hadn't dropped 10 points the way described above, L'OM would have been trailing the leaders Lens by just 2 points. In reality, they are 12 points down, far from their first Ligue 1 title since 2010. Far from changing their losing mentality. Far from breaking this terrible curse and waking up from their worst nightmare.

LIGUE 1 - MATCHDAY 22

Friday

Rennes - PSG 3-1 (1-0)

/Tamari 34, Lepaul 69, Embolo 81 - Dembele 71/

Monaco - Nantes 3-1 (3-1)

/Adingra 25,28, Zakaria 30 - Centonze 45+1/

Saturday

Olympique Marseille - Strasbourg 2-2 (1-0)

/Greenwood 14, Gouiri 47 - Nanasi 73, Panichelli 90+7 pen/

Lille - Brest 1-1 (0-0)

/Perrin 71 - Lascary 58/

Paris - Lens 0-5 (0-2)

/Said 24, 38, Thauvin 58 pen, Fofana 90, 90+5/

Sunday

17.00: (3.35) Le Havre (3.35) Toulouse (2.35)

19.15: (2.00) Lorient (3.35) Angers (4.00)

19.15: (2.80) Metz (3.05) Auxerre (2.70)

22.45: (1.65) Olympique Lyon (4.10) Nice (5.50)

***odds are subject to change***