Football Season Guide

Marseille had a mixed campaign last time out, missing out on the Champions League – which was their aim at the start of the season – but pushing through to the final of the Europa League, where they were ultimately defeated by Atletico Madrid. Little has changed in Rudi Garcia’s side, with the only player to have thus far departed Doria, who was away on loan last term in any case. Meanwhile, his place in the squad has been taken by promising young Croatia defender Duje Caleta-Car, a player who was part of the squad that reached the World Cup final. OM’s preparations were hampered by the loss of key attacking midfielder Florian Thauvin to the competition, and given the influence he enjoyed last term, they will hope that does not have a dramatic impact on their fortunes. Dimitri Payet may have to carry more of the burden early in the season, something that he is certainly capable of, even if his form was a little disappointing last term. In attack, Kostas Mitrogolou and Valere Germain had difficult first campaigns at Stade Velodrome but showed later in the campaign that they are capable of good things. Marseille may be light in numbers in the midfield, but they are not short of quality. Defensively, Luiz Gustavo is their key figure; he was superb last season. Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa was a constant, turning out 37 times last term, while Maxime Lopez supplemented this duo impressively. Morgan Sanson, who is another who can play deep, contributed nine goals and was more effective going forwards. There were issues in the defence, and little has been done to address those, particularly as Rolando faces an extended period out. Adil Rami remains an unpredictable performer, and it may be Luiz Gustavo is used alongside him as they are lacking reliable options in that sector. OM do have a strong collection of full-backs, who are good going forwards. Goalkeeper Steve Mandanda may have been named as the league’s best keeper last term, but in truth his standard is not that strong.