Alexis Sanchez, Nuno Tavares and Jonathan Clauss are among a host of top-drawer players added to the Olympique de Marseille squad this summer to give new coach Igor Tudor options as he looks to keep OM challenging for a top-three finish while bringing an exciting brand of football to the club.
What has Tudor changed?
"He's got a big personality, he shares the values we want to put in place in our project: heart, ambition, play attractive, vertical football that's made for our fans." That's what Pablo Longoria, the OM president, said when presenting Tudor to the media as his new coach, and that is what has been provided.
Dimitri Payet said the style was "nothing like" that of Jorge Sampaoli, which was possession-based. Tudor's philosophy is certainly more "vertical" with the ball getting forward much more quickly.
WATCH: Marseille rip Reims apart in Round 1
The biggest change tactically is from a back four to a back three with new arrivals Samuel Gigot and Chancel Mbemba lining up with Leonardo Balerdi in the opening two games. That has given wing-backs Tavares and Clauss the platform from which they can burst forward.
It's been effective too in their opponents' final third: Clauss' cross was turned in by Wout Faes for OM's opening goal of the season and Tavares scored in the 4-1 win over Reims; Clauss provided the assist for his left-flank counterpart, who is on loan from Arsenal, to find the net against Brest.
The width provided by the duo means Cengiz Ünder and Gerson, used in wide positions by Sampaoli, are now more central. There are teething problems for both in getting accustomed to the role, but they have shown signs of the goal threat they can provide from that position, giving the central striker, Arkadiusz Milik in the first two games, support with runs from deep and even beyond him. Alexis Sanchez and Payet give Tudor further options in terms of creativity and goal threat coming off the bench.
Valentin Rongier was often played at right-back late in Sampaoli's tenure, but the former Nantes man has been moved back to his usual — and surely more effective — role of central midfielder, even captaining the team in the opening two rounds. Though he is capable of getting forward, Rongier's tactical awareness and ability to be as industrious off the ball as can be inspirational on it means he has a crucial role in providing the back three with an additional layer of security.
What has Tudor kept?
Not all that much. Tudor, who guided Hellas Verona to a creditable ninth place in Serie A last season, was appointed on 4 July, just three days after Sampaoli surprisingly left Marseille, the team he had taken to second place in Ligue 1 Uber Eats in 2021/22 and the semi-finals of the inaugural UEFA Europa Conference League.
Sampaoli had done that with a 4-3-3 that relied heavily on the midfield bursts forward from Matteo Guendouzi, who made his loan move from Arsenal permanent this summer. The France international has been encouraged to continue doing that under Tudor, giving OM the central thrust that Clauss and Tavares provide in wide positions.
How has it gone so far?
Performances in pre-season did not bode well. The only victory came over amateur side Marignane Gignac while OM drew with Real Betis, but lost to English Championship duo Norwich City and Middlesbrough without scoring before Italian champions AC Milan came to the Orange Vélodrome and won 2-0 a week before the Ligue 1 Uber Eats season kicked off.
WATCH: Lees Melou's stunner pegs Marseille back in Brest
The Round 1 defeat of Reims (4-1) got Tudor off to a positive start, even if the OM fans had whistled their new boss before kick-off. The team's display was not as impressive as the scoreline suggests, and Ruben Blanco was forced into a fine save at 3-1 at a time when if Reims had found the net, the closing stages would have been nervy.
Luis Suarez's impact in that game was significant — the Colombian, a summer arrival from Granada, scored twice and his movement and physicality means Tudor has a viable option to Milik to lead the line.
The 1-1 draw at Brest was similar: OM impressing in the first half, fading after the break, and with better finishing from Jérémy Le Douaron, the hosts would have picked up all three points, so there is work to be done.
"We created four or five dangerous situations in the first half, especially on the left. The problem is that we thought the game was over," said Tudor, whose team were pegged back after Nuno Tavares' well-worked first-half opener.
The new boss denied his team's second-half troubles were provoked by tiredness due to his intense training sessions. And when asked whether he'll change his tactics for next Saturday's home game with Nantes, his reply was, "No, we're going to keep playing as we have been doing." The Tudor revolution at OM continues...
