Football Season Guide

Marseille might be one of France’s largest clubs but it was a surprise they finished second last season. With a thin squad and a serious injury to star man Florian Thauvin, the work that Andre Villas-Boas did to return them to the Champions League was exceptional. Juggling European commitments with domestic ones this season promises to be a tremendous challenge, particularly as they have little clout in the transfer market. The summer has been a tumultuous one, with reports of a takeover bid coming to nothing, the departure of sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta and the threat of Villas-Boas walking away. Crucially, the coach, who was so pragmatic and effective last season, remains in place. In terms of fresh additions, Marseille can only count on centre-back Leonardo Balerdi, who comes from Dortmund on loan, and Pape Gueye, a midfielder who has arrived from Le Havre and has impressed in pre-season. What OM do have is a strong team spirit, highlighted by Dimitri Payet signing a new contract on significantly reduced terms. He was their star man last season and symbolised much of the good work conducted by Villas-Boas as he showed an admirable attitude as well as no little skill. There was talk of a Payet-dependency for Marseille last season, but equally there are other key members of the team, including centre-forward Dario Benedetto, who is their only natural No.9, with the exception of Kostas Mitrogolou, who OM want to offload. In the midfield, there is uncertainty over the future of Maxime Lopez and Morgan Sanson, who could be sold, but Valentin Rongier remains a crucial dynamo. There is little doubt that Marseille are lacking strength in depth there. While the defence was not perfect last term, it was serviceable, although goalkeeper Steve Mandanda had to have arguably one of the best seasons of his career to help out.