Thibaut Simon, Media365: published on Sunday, May 3, 2026 at 6:50 PM
Humiliated on the field at Nantes (3-0) in the 32nd matchday of Ligue 1, OM faced criticism from the local press, which was harsh on the Phoenician club.
On Saturday at the Beaujoire stadium, Olympique de Marseille sank (3-0). “A collective shipwreck” as mentioned by La Provence. Already beaten by the Canaries at the Velodrome on January 4 (0-2), OM collapsed, suffering a third winless match. Now seventh in the standings with 53 points, the team led by Habib Beye is no longer in the qualifying positions for Europe next season. With two matches left, the Phoenician club could end their season in the worst possible way. The local press did not mince words in explaining the Marseille debacle. In the columns of La Provence, each player received a zero, evidence of the lack of motivation and the nightmare experienced by OM.
“No one to bail the other out” for the local press
“Scandalous” for Greenwood, “catastrophic” for Traore, and Hojbjerg described as “a kitten” again, each OM player was heavily criticized in the Phoenician press. A professional fault according to them. Even the most experienced players failed to stand out. La Provence specifically points out that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang “provided more assists to the Nantais than to his teammates”. When Leonardo Balerdi is “humiliated”, Facundo Medina is deemed “ridiculous” based on his performance.
In a season where Roberto De Zerbi left the club, the Marseille staff was also heavily questioned. Habib Beye stated he will not resign, but his days seem numbered. Like him, sporting director Medhi Benatia was criticized for his attitude towards Himad Abdelli. Signed in the winter, the former SCO midfielder was not in the squad on Saturday in Nantes. La Provence concluded its analysis by criticizing the behavior of the Marseille manager. “Medhi Benatia should have interacted more with Himad Abdelli during the day at the Nantes train station…and listened to him talk about the lack of investment,” the Phoenician newspaper reported. In Marseille, tensions are rising.
