Olympique de Marseille head into the international break in the Ligue 1 relegation zone, holding just a one-point advantage over bottom side Le Havre AC. This precarious position follows a fifth consecutive defeat, a 1-0 loss to Paris Saint-Germain in Le Classique on Sunday night.
It marks the first time in the club's history that they have lost four of their opening five league matches. Manager Bruno Genesio is only the second coach in Marseille's history to start with four defeats in his first five Ligue 1 games, matching a record set by Willy Kohut-André Gascard back in 1938. "Genesio is only the second manager in OM’s history, following Willy Kohut-André Gascard (back in 1938), to start life in the dugout at the Vélodrome with four defeats in his first five Ligue 1 games," notes the historic stat.
This dismal run erases the promise of a 4-0 opening day win over Strasbourg in August. Le Havre AC, currently 15th with one point from two matches, will be Marseille's first opponents after the break with an away trip to the Vélodrome scheduled for October 24th. The last meeting between the sides on May 10th ended in a narrow 1-0 win for Marseille. Havrais fans can check the full schedule for the run-in on our fixtures page.
Genesio's task to turn things around is now monumental, with pressure mounting. Their next fixture is this key six-pointer against Le Havre.
This story first appeared at sports.yahoo.com
