Stade Rennais – Olympique Marseille: Great team performance from Les Phoceens (1-2)

Two teams in contrasting situations faced off, and the favorite came out on top. Olympique Marseille got the job done after a rather ordinary first half, and they continued to hold second place in Ligue 1.

Tactical analysis and match report by Juan Lauz.

The Stade Rennais sought to break their inconsistent run in Ligue 1 with a statement victory against the league's second-placed team. Les Rennais had lost their previous match away at Nice, leaving them just one point above the relegation zone. To change this trajectory, Argentine manager Jorge Sampaoli lined up Jordan James and Azor Matusiwa in midfield ahead of his back three, with Adrien Truffert as the left wingback and Lorenz Assignon as the right wingback. Further forward, Ludovic Blas operated inside on the right, Amine Gouiri on the left, and Arnaud Kalimuendo as the central striker.

The Olympique Marseille aimed to continue their highly positive momentum, having gone five league matches unbeaten, a streak that allowed them to overtake AS Monaco and claim second place. Italian manager Roberto De Zerbi set up his side with a back three consisting of Derek Cornelius on the LCB, Leonardo Balerdi in the CB, and Michael Murillo on the RCB. Quentin Merlin played as the left wingback, Luis Henrique as the right wingback, and the double pivot featured Valentin Rongier and Pierre-Emile Højbjerg. Behind the striker Neal Maupay, Adrien Rabiot operated as the left attacking midfielder, with Mason Greenwood as the right attacking midfielder.

Game controlled by Rennais, until...

As expected, Marseille took control of the game (behind Paris Saint-Germain, the team with the most ball possession in the . . .

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