André Villas-Boas wants OM to back up last season's runners-up finish with another podium spot in 2020-2021, and says Ligue 1 Uber Eats presents more interesting tactical challenges than the Premier League.
The Portuguese coach is sticking around at Orange Vélodrome with OM back in the Champions League for the first time since the 2013-2014 season. Villas-Boas told L'Equipe: "The objective is the same and that is to continue to demonstrate our force in France. I expect Monaco and Lyon to be more competitive and to get into the fight along with Lille and Rennes.
"We'll have to measure the effect of playing Champions League football. We'll no longer have the Coupe de la Ligue but we'll have a tougher fixture list with games closer together, and the Champions League on top of that. That's why we need to complete the squad. We can be competitive in France. And I think the fact that we'll play the six group games of the Champions League very close together is an advantage. You might know your fate after three or four games."
"Very interesting games to be played"
Villas-Boas - the former Chelsea and Tottenham boss - is full of praise for the French game after one season in the French top division: "I really liked the experience. First of all for the atmosphere and secondly for the competitive nature of the league. The matches are difficult, for example we had a lot of problems against Amiens or Nîmes for example. The teams are really well prepared, both physically and tactically. That means there are very interesting games to be played, games I want to prepare for. That wasn't always the case in the Premier League, where teams sit back and then knock the ball long without any playing principles."