OM torpedoes the yellow submarine!

It was in an electric atmosphere that Olympique de Marseille challenged Villarreal at the Vélodrome, this Thursday evening, for the first of its two rounds against Villarreal in the round of 16 of the Europa League. In the Phoenician city, everything catches fire more quickly than elsewhere. Just three weeks ago, the club was plunged into a violent and deep crisis after a series of disappointments. Promoted to the bench to succeed Gennaro Gattuso, Jean-Louis Gasset then set down his bags to restore confidence and coherence to a group in decline.

After three consecutive successes to launch his mandate, Gasset faced his first real shock on the European scene. And chance worked out well, since OM found an opponent coached by a well-known figure, Marcelino.

OM offers itself a perfect score!

We had to expect a real tactical opposition between two coaches with very distinct approaches, but there was no match, in reality. If Marcelino had concocted a grid to reduce the spaces and proceed against, his plan was shattered. Gasset had announced it: he wanted a pro-active team. His ability to bring this squad back to basics, both tactically and managerially, is the key to this renewal. Attractive, always on the move, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and his teammates delivered a score close to perfection to bring down the Spanish team.

After an already very coherent first quarter of an hour, the light came from Veretout, whose header on receiving a cross from Clauss threw the Vélodrome into ecstasy (1-0, 22nd). In the process, a thrill started by Harit pushed Mosquera to divert the ball into his own net (2-0, 26th). And then Mr. Europa League had to come into action.

Top scorer in the history of the competition, Aubemayang pushed his limits again by transforming a penalty with authority before half-time (3-0, 42nd), before offering himself the gesture of the evening with a small lob perfectly measured which fell like a dead leaf into the opposite net (4-0, 59th). The angle was impossible, the gesture perhaps not premeditated, but it symbolized this evening where everything turned out in the right direction for these overexcited Marseillais.

In a coherent system where all profiles are optimized, OM is getting back on track. Ndiaye revives in his nine-and-a-half role, Aubameyang presents a statistical record that looks good, Clauss has put his problems behind him, Merlin has acclimatized well, Harit was incisive, Veretout decisive, and Mbemba brought back all his personality since his return. To the delight of this reinvigorated OM, who placed one foot and four toes in the quarter-finals of the Europa League. Everything becomes easier when you do things simply.