Ligue 1 2020/21: Lorient vs Marseille – tactical analysis

Marseille came into this game having lost in their UEFA Champions League opening game against Olympiacos. Therefore, they had to try and turn things around in this game to avoid losing two games on the bounce. In the league, they had won their previous game and drawn their other two, indicating that they still have to find their optimum team and way of competing. They will play Manchester City next so it would be encouraging for them to show signs of improvement ahead of that clash.

Lorient are new in Ligue 1 this year and now sit in 17^th place. They have won, drawn, and lost their previous three games, which gives mixed emotions. Even though they competed well against Marseille in this match, they need to start earning points now to avoid staying in the lower parts of the table for too long.

The game ended in a 0-1 win for away side Marseille, through a goal via a freekick. Lorient were brave in this game as they showed ambition to press high and be intense against Marseille. Their opponents had most of the possession, but most of this was sterile as Marseille did not create many chances. Lorient had less of the ball but had more chances, showing their effectiveness on the ball.

In this tactical analysis, we will see the tactics of both teams and how they decided to confront this match. In this analysis, we will observe Lorient’s high press and both teams’ build-up and attacking strategies.

Lineups

Lorient started with a 4-4-2, with Terem Moffi and Pierre-Yves Hamel leading the attack. The two in midfield were Laurent Abergel and Trevoh Chalobah, with Yoane Wissa and Quentin Boisgard to their sides. Then, the back four consisted of Houboulang Mendes, Julien Laporte, Andrew Gravillon, and Jérémy Morel.

On the other hand, Marseille went with a 4-3-1-2. The attack was made up with Darío Benedetto, Florian Thauvin, and Michaël Cuisance as attacking midfielders. The more defensive midfielders were Pape Gueye, Boubacar Kamara, and Valentin Rongier. Lastly, the full-backs were Jordan Amavi and Hiroki Sakai, with the centre-backs being Leonardo Balerdi and Álvaro González.