At the conclusion of the league season, Olympique de Marseille secured a second-place finish behind PSG. The achievement raised questions, as Marseille’s season lacked notable accomplishments and featured numerous one-goal victories. Despite this, the club managed to maintain its position in the top two.
In a reflection on the season posted on the official Marseille website, team captain Steve Mandanda shed light on the somewhat peculiar campaign. The Franco-Congolese goalkeeper, currently in demand by Monaco for the next season, explained how the ambition to secure a top spot evolved over the course of the season.
“Initially, based on the objectives set by the president, we agreed, logically and in the media, to aim for the top 5 places. However, as the season progressed, our ambition grew. Now, we’re talking about OM. And OM has the duty to be ambitious, the duty to play at the top of the rankings every year, we must not hide it. As players, we knew that for economic reasons, it was imperative to secure one of the top three places, but it was also important for our pride. At one point, we could clearly announce that we were aiming for the podium, given our consistent presence there from almost the first day. We had to publicly validate our ambitions at the right time.”
