Stats: Marseille travel well under Roberto De Zerbi
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Marseille: The Best Away Team in Ligue 1 McDonald’s – A Statistical Focus.
Still sitting in third place in the league after a convincing 3-1 victory away at Lens, Olympique de Marseille is the standout team on the road in Ligue 1 McDonald’s this season. Let’s break down the numbers behind their impressive away form.
After 12 games, Roberto De Zerbi's OM owe much of their current position to performances away from home. With yet another win on the road, this time against RC Lens on Saturday (1-3), Marseille have accumulated 18 of their 23 points this season away from the Orange Vélodrome. The team has won six of their seven away games, securing the best away points tally in their history at this stage of the season.
A Historic Start to the Season
For the first time ever, OM have won six of their first seven away matches. Their road victories include triumphs against Brest (1-5), Toulouse (1-3), Lyon (2-3), Montpellier (0-5), Nantes (1-2), and Lens (1-3). Their only setback came in late September with a 1-0 loss at Strasbourg. Notably, OM have already doubled their total away wins from last season (6 this season compared to 3 last season).
When compared to other clubs, OM’s current away record represents the fifth-best performance in Ligue 1 history after seven away games. Only two clubs have done better at this point in previous campaigns.
How Does De Zerbi Compare to His Predecessors?
Since the start of the season, Roberto De Zerbi’s men have scored 27 goals, including 21 away from home. This is the best tally OM has achieved under any coach in the 21st century. The only time they matched this output was under Marcelo Bielsa in the 2014/2015 season. Historically, they’ve only surpassed this goal tally six times, with a high of 37 goals in the 1948/1949 season.
In terms of points, only two OM coaches have done better in the 21st century after 12 matchdays. Marcelo Bielsa (28 points) and Jorge Sampaoli (24 points) both edged De Zerbi, who currently has 23 points. Igor Tudor also had the same tally the season before last, with a goal difference of +11, while Elie Baup and Philippe Troussier also accumulated 23 points but with a weaker goal difference (+5).
(Note: All data is calculated using the modern 3-points-for-a-win system, regardless of the era.)
