Old dogs and new tricks: Aubameyang and Gasset drive Marseille’s revival

Ligue 1 clubs are being rewarded for making bold choices to change managers this season. Lyon under Pierre Sage are not yet mathematically safe but, with six teams and as many points separating them from the relegation playoff spot, they seem well placed keep their spot in the top flight. Rennes under Julien Stéphan will be chagrined to have conceded stoppage time equalisers in two of their past three matches, but they are very much in the running for Europe and are still in the Coupe de France. Nantes are still in a bit of bother, but a win against Strasbourg on Sunday would go a long way towards securing survival for Jocelyn Gourvennec’s team.

The recent appointment of Jean-Louis Gasset, seemingly the most desperate of the season in France, is proving the most inspired. Marseille have won all five of their matches under Gasset, scoring 18 goals and conceding only three. Given his ignominious departure from his position as Ivory Coast manager in January, Gasset appeared to be nothing more than an experienced pair of hands. But his cool temperament and understanding of French football has made him better suited to the pressure cooker at the Stade Vélodrôme than his predecessor, Gennaro Gattuso.

Marseille’s have climbed quietly to within three points of Lille in fourth, good enough for a Champions League playoff spot. Their victories have not been against top sides – Nantes, Clermont and Montpellier are still very much worried about the drop – but there is also a newfound freedom in their performances.

Gasset has not made many radical changes. He employs the same 4-3-3 as Gattuso, but his side is playing with confidence and self-belief. They were a little prosaic in their 2-0 win against Nantes last weekend but they were without several players (Jonathan Clauss, Samuel Gigot, Valentin Rongier and Amir Murillo) and are in the middle of a busy run of fixtures. Speaking after the game, barely containing a grin, Gasset said: “I’m proud of the team’s mindset. We showed solidarity even if it wasn’t necessarily easy to watch.”

In concert with his simple approach to man management and tactics, letting his squad express themselves, he has given more playing time to summer signings Ismaïla Sarr and Iliman Ndiaye. Both have been excellent since returning from the Africa Cup of Nations, but the real breakout star – or awakened giant, depending on the point of view – has been Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

Aubameyang, 34, is no longer the player who replaced Robert Lewandowski at Borussia Dortmund and then won the Premier League golden boot with Arsenal. Indeed, some fans were surprised that Marseille signed him on a three-year contract. They needed a striker as a replacement for Alexis Sánchez, given how poorly Vitinha had performed since becoming the club’s record signing in January, but Aubameyang had looked uninterested in his previous spell at Chelsea, where he was even left out of the team’s Champions League squad by Graham Potter.

He showed flashes of ability for Marseille in the Europa League, but did not score his second league goal until early December. A flurry of goals and assists in December did a little to ameliorate that but, when the club went on a six-match winless run, his lack of form was an issue once more, his only goal in that time coming against 10-man Monaco.

Under Gasset, though, Aubameyang has five goals in three Ligue 1 matches, with another three in Europe. Gasset has been quick to underscore his importance. “He’s the player. In any team, you have the player. You play him where he loves to be and then you build the team around him. He scores goals and drops back to work if he must, and even shows a measure of generosity.”

This generosity has quietly been a hallmark of Aubameyang’s importance. Not only has he scored 11 goals in Ligue 1 (only three players have more) but he is also joint top for assists in the league with seven – already a career high with nine matches to play. The veteran striker is back to his best, with Gasset the driving force. The manager has made him the team’s focal point and created a looser, more relaxed atmosphere around the club.

Marseille still face a challenging schedule, including matches against Paris Saint-Germain, Lille, Lens and Nice. But, on this form, there is every chance that their adventure in the Europa League will continue – they have a 4-0 lead going into the second leg against Villarreal – and that they could also finish in the European places. There’s life in these two “old dogs” yet.

Speaking of wily veterans, Nemanja Matic produced a composed display for Lyon at the weekend. Lorient are hardly worldbeaters, but the Serbian completed all 83 of his attempted passes. Despite his age, he has proved a much needed upgrade in defensive midfield, freeing Maxence Caqueret and Corentin Tolisso to become more involved in the team’s attack. It remains to be seen if Matic will retain this level to the end of his contract but he has undoubtedly been a worthwhile addition.

Monaco continued their mini revival on Sunday with a 1-0 win at Strasbourg. Despite Patrick Vieira’s side looking generally solid in a new-look 3-4-3, and worrying the visitors on the counter, Monaco’s academy came to the rescue for Adi Hütter’s injury-hit side. Coming off the bench with 20 minutes to play, Maghnes Akliouche set up teenager Eliesse Ben Seghir in a neatly worked team move. With Breel Embolo still weeks away from a return and Folarin Balogun not having the desired output, the club’s academy products will be vital as Monaco try to secure Champions League football next season.

Finally, the relegation battle continues to be played on a knife-edge. Montpellier and Le Havre recorded important wins to move into 13th and 12th respectively, but even Le Havre are still only four points above Metz in the drop zone, leaving six teams within four points of each other with nine matches to play. Lyon and Toulouse should just about feel confident of their safety, but we will not know the full picture until the last kick of the season, a fine advertisement for the depth and competitiveness of the division.