Third consecutive Europa League defeat for OM, Genesio points to collective attitude

Olympique de Marseille suffered a third consecutive defeat in the Europa League on Thursday evening, losing 1-0 away to Sturm Graz in Austria. A reversal that seriously compromises the European future of the Phocaeans, despite being in form in Ligue 1 with two consecutive victories.

The only goal of the match came from a loss of possession in midfield by young midfielder Nouhoum Kamissoko. The Austrian international recovers the ball and serves Oumar Diakité directly, who finishes without resistance. An error of inexperience all the more frustrating as Kamissoko had so far had a fine start to the season, notably scoring in the victory at Angers.

At his press conference, Bruno Genesio chose not to criticize his young player. “You can make mistakes, like ‘Kami’ did, that’s part of football, it’s learning,” said the Marseille manager. The coach instead pointed to his team’s collective shortcomings: “I’m disappointed by our attitude, we were dominated in all the duels, we got pushed around on all the key areas. And in European competition you first need to be present in that domain to exist.”

Genesio had nonetheless set high expectations before the trip to Austria, buoyed by encouraging performances against Angers and Olympiacos. “I expected much better after what we showed,” he acknowledged, visibly disappointed by the level displayed over the course of the match.

With three defeats in three European matches, OM find themselves in a delicate position in the league phase of the competition. The positive momentum regained in the league has not been enough to mask persistent difficulties on the continental stage, where the Marseille collective struggles to impose their game against less renowned opponents.