Marseille’s challenge undone as PSG strike back in style

To understand Marseille’s season, you need only look at their meetings with PSG. After a 1-0 win in September that prompted the local paper La Provence to splashed "finally" across its front page, the mood has been reversed: on Monday the same paper read "Rubbish" after a 5-0 defeat at the Parc des Princes that felt like a humiliation.

Facundo Medina had spoken of "seeking revenge" after a narrow loss in the Trophée des Champions in January, when Roberto De Zerbi was left in tears; on Sunday De Zerbi said he felt "deep sadness" and did not "have an explanation". There is, however, a clear factor behind the collapse.

This was Marseille’s 33rd game of the season and, extraordinarily, their 33rd different starting lineup. "It is the first time in my career that I’ve had such an unstable team – I don’t understand it," De Zerbi said.

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