Three straight defeats reignite OM relegation fears

Olympique de Marseille is going through an alarming spell: three consecutive Ligue 1 defeats — away to Monaco (0-2), against Paris FC (2-3) and at Rennes (0-1) — have erased the enthusiasm generated by the emphatic opening victory over Strasbourg (4-0). Bruno Genesio’s side now sits in mid-table, with a clash against PSG looming before the international break.

The situation is all the more concerning because the three teams that have beaten OM are direct competitors for European places. The fragile Marseille squad will also have to manage a packed schedule from next week with their Europa League campaign getting underway.

It is against this backdrop that Robert Pirès has sounded the alarm. The former French international, who wore the Marseille shirt during the 1999-2000 season, knows better than anyone how quickly a Phocaean side can collapse. “It’s a club that struggles to find stability but I knew it during the 1999-2000 season,” he said. “Laurent Blanc’s departure shook our team. We struggled to recover from it. Proof of that, we played our relegation battle on goal difference against Nancy.”

That season, despite a squad featuring William Gallas, Fabrizio Ravanelli, Christophe Dugarry and Ivan De La Pena, Marseille won just nine matches out of thirty-four, coming close to dropping into Ligue 2 until the final day. A painful memory that Pirès does not wish to see repeated: “I don’t wish on the players or OM to experience what we went through in 1999-2000.”

The former attacking midfielder, who left for Arsenal in the summer of 2000, nevertheless called on the current players to pull themselves together. “I want the players to show some fight. And if they need to chase a European place, they have to chase it because whatever happens it’s important,” he concluded, reminding Marseille supporters that they know how to make their voices heard when results don’t go their way.