Ligue day 8 – Marseille 2-1 Saint-Etienne
Coach Olympique Marseille – Marcelo Bielsa reacts:
– How do you explain the difference in your side’s performance in each half?
In the first 15 minutes of the second half we had a physical imbalance that was corrected with the introductions of Lemina and Alessandrini. They gave the team a real boost. Imbula was excellent in the first half and Thauvin was a constant source of danger with his running one-on-one. I preferred to sacrifice the two players to maintain a physical control over the game. In the last half an hour, we got control back and dominated the game, albeit with less spectacular play and finishing, but we still moved the ball well and defended stoutly. Despite the difference between the two halves, we still dominated 75 minutes of the match.
– You looked very relieved at the final whistle…
When you are only leading by a single goal, the feeling that you may not win increases. But objectively, we were a lot closer to scoring than they were. Apart from their goal and two or three other chances, we didn’t suffer too much. I saw a very good OM team in the first half and our performance lost its balance at the start of the second half. But I also saw an excellent opening 30 minutes.
– OM are now five points ahead of PSG, the favourite to win the league…
We have only played eight rounds of a 38-round championship. For the moment, I’m focusing on playing good football and not the league ladder.
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