Marseille count the positives

When Anthony Le Tallec equalised for FC Sochaux Montbéliard five minutes before the end of extra time in the Coupe de France final, the look of resignation on the faces of the Olympique de Marseille players was all too revealing. The curse, they thought, had struck again.

Trophy drought
The pain of defeat by Paris Saint-Germain FC 12 months earlier was not about to be erased, the club's 14-season wait for a major trophy would continue and the hoards of Marseille fans watching in the Stade de France and on a giant screen at the Stade Vélodrome would once again trudge home despondent. Indeed, so fatalistic seemed the Marseille camp that losing the penalty shoot-out was little more than a formality.

Highs and lows
But while many expected the former European champions to wallow in that disappointment, they bounced back with their first victory at AS Saint-Etienne in 14 years, securing second spot in Ligue 1 and a place in the 2007/08 UEFA Champions League. Those seven days could be seen as a microcosm of Marseille's season, a campaign full of highs and lows in which their new-found resolve was ultimately rewarded. "I'll never forget that final but the true measure of a team is the league," said coach Albert Emon. "You need to be competitive all year, to pick yourselves up after each setback, and we've done that."

'Too nice'
Emon, a former Marseille forward, deserves credit for instilling hope once more at a proud club that had become perennial underachievers. After three separate spells as caretaker coach, he was rewarded for his loyalty with a two-year contract last summer. The popular Emon had a reputation for being a good, reliable man but few saw him as a gifted tactician. "I've always been wary of this image," the 53-year-old told L'Equipe newspaper. "When people describe me as being too nice to be a good coach, it means too stupid. When they say I'm sensitive it means I can't be tough with my players. Being typecast as a permanent caretaker was starting to get to me - I didn't want to do it for ten years."

Exceptional start
If Emon's longest caretaker spell in 2001/02 was marred by rumours that Bernard Tapie, then director of sport, was picking the team and choosing the tactics, there is little doubt as to who has been in charge this term. Emon's position was strengthened by an exceptional start that saw Marseille take 16 points from six games, earning the former OGC Nice coach the respect of his players and staff, as well as the freedom that he required to impose his own methods.

Courageous formation
With goals in Ligue 1 at a premium and several clubs accused of negative tactics, Emon's Marseille have been a refreshing exception. Even when results were not going their way in February and March, Emon persisted with a courageous 4-1-2-3 formation, picking Lorik Cana as a solitary defensive midfielder flanked by French internationals Franck Ribéry and Samir Nasri, forwards Mamadou Niang and Toifilou Maoulida on the wings and one of Mickaël Pagis or Djibril Cissé leading the line. "I think that football should be a show, particularly when you play at the Vélodrome in front of 60,000 people," Emon said. "My aim is to introduce an attacking style that can become Marseille's trademark for the next two or three years."

Nasri pledge
Emon's philosophy is certainly appreciated by France's recently-crowned young player of the year Nasri. The 19-year-old playmaker has stolen Ribéry's mantle as crowd favourite and draws frequent comparisons with Zinédine Zidane due to his graceful playing style and youth growing up in the port town. The similarities have not been lost on Zidane's former team Real Madrid CF who are already monitoring Nasri closely, but the teenager has been urged to remain at Marseille this summer by Zizou himself. "Of course I'm staying," a grinning Nasri declared last weekend. "I've been saying for the last six months that I want to play in the Champions League - to do that with Marseille will be incredible."

'Spectacular football'
Nasri's words will hearten Marseille fans as they look forward to only their third UEFA Champions League campaign since victory in 1992/93. It is unlikely, however, they will be getting carried away. Ribéry's future remains unsure, Cissé, currently on loan from Liverpool FC, may prove too expensive to keep, and certain areas of the team are in need of reinforcement. But while much work is still to be done and the trophies continue to elude Marseille, Emon has at least got the club moving forward and, importantly, brought excitement back to the Mediterranean coast. "We've got in the Champions League by playing spectacular football and hopefully we'll keep entertaining next year," director of sport José Anigo enthused. "We want to draw some great teams so that we get star players at the Vélodrome again. That's what the Champions League's all about - and we're not scared of anyone."