The Challengers: A new-look Marseille able to challenge at the top?

September's international break acted as a new pre-season for Olympique de Marseille - after an inconsistent August with defeats to Rennes and Lyon, also amid the controversy surrounding Adrien Rabiot and Jonathan Rowe's departures from the club. A huge week in the club's season loomed - and on the other side of it Roberto De Zerbi's men are looking hopeful where they previously struggled.

“In August at Marseille, we’ve had what can happen in four or five years at another club. We have a lot of new players, we have to start again," said De Zerbi at a press conference before facing Lorient.

A loss to Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League was cushioned by a positive performance - especially from new recruits both defensively and in the midfield areas. This was only proved to be correct once more when OM defeated Paris Saint-Germain for the first time at the Vélodrome in Ligue 1 McDonald's since 2011.

WHAT THE STATS SAY
Lethal efficiency: OM have the best conversion rate in Ligue 1 (22%), making them one of the most clinical sides in the division.
Greenwood dependency: Mason Greenwood has been directly involved in half of Marseille’s goals (2G, 3A) and leads the league in chances created (14).
Fine margins in defeats: Both losses (Lyon, Rennes) were by 1-0 scorelines.

Marseille's stand-out signings

The final days of the transfer window saw a flurry of transfer activity. West Ham’s Emerson Palmieri was the first through the door, before Hammers teammate Nayef Aguerd quickly followed. Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Matt O’Riley then joined the club on loan, before the club announced the signing of 2018 World Cup winner Benjamin Pavard from Inter Milan.

During Marseille’s 4-0 drubbing of promoted side FC Lorient, Matt O’Riley, Emerson, and the exciting Igor Paixao (signed from Feyenoord this summer) made their debuts for the club. Englishman Angel Gomes scored his first goal for the club with a stunning volley on the edge of the box – whilst Facundo Medina and Timothy Weah featured again for Les Olympiens. Clearly, De Zerbi possesses some exciting new elements this season that make his squad, on paper, superior to the one that clinched UCL qualification late last season.

Against Paris Saint-Germain, Nayef Aguerd grabbed his second goal in just two games - whilst OM's defensive solidity and high press gave much to be admired on a historic evening for Les Marseillais. "But it’s still a victory and three points," said De Zerbi following the game. "We haven’t achieved anything yet. The most important match is on Friday in Strasbourg. I didn’t want to give the players a day off because it’s an important test. We need to take another step towards our goal of building a great team.”

Weah, Marseille's X factor

One of the most important new players for Marseille this season has been Timothy Weah, who signed this summer from Serie A outfit Juventus. Scorer of Marseille's opening goal at the Bernabeu, the American has offered both flexibility positionally and mental and physical effort - such as his pressing game against Paris Saint-Germain. "I had already seen him play for Juventus, so I knew his qualities. He is a very strong player, very useful for the team," said teammate Emerson Palmieri before facing Strasbourg this weekend.

Can OM keep it together to challenge at the top?

The objective for Marseille this season in the league looks to be to qualify once more UEFA Champions League football, but their performances against Real Madrid and PSG have suggested that there may be more to give bubbling under the surface. After a complicated start to the season, Roberto De Zerbi and Marseille are now looking ready to challenge for the rest of the season.