THE SCENARIO: It is July 2016. Olympique de Marseille have named Frenchman Didier Leroy as their new manager after a disappointing 13th placed finish in Ligue 1 under Michel last season. Top scorer Michy Batshuayi has been sold to Chelsea, while a whole host of new players have been brought in. With the club now under new ownership, can Leroy challenge Paris Saint-Germain’s dominance of French football? Or will the former Champions League winners fall further behind their rivals from the capital?

Previous episodes: Episode 1, Episode 2

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1 September 2016

We begin September with two tough matches as we face Nice and Lyon, before two easier looking matches against Rennes and Nantes.

10 September 2016

Nice vs Olympique de Marseille

With Gomis out of action, Njie will be our main striker. I hope he uses this golden opportunity to stake his claim and convince us to sign him permanently at the end of the season…

… but he can’t do that if he himself gets injured, now can he? After starting the match well and playing a part in our opening goal (an own goal from Koziello), he falls awkwardly after a challenge and has to be substituted. It doesn’t really disrupt our game though, as further goals from Lopez, Leya Iseka (who replaced Njie) and Cabella seal a thumping 4-0 win. It’s impressive especially as we’re away from home but I’m more concerned about having yet another striker out injured.

FIFA 17 Olympique de Marseille Opponent Lineup

FIFA 17 Olympique de Marseille Match Facts

FIFA 17 Olympique de Marseille Goalscorers

FIFA 17 Olympique de Marseille Player Ratings

FML. My fears are confirmed after the match as Njie is ruled out for 3 months. Maybe I should have signed another striker on deadline day. As it stands I’ll be relying on two teenagers in Leya Iseka and Porsan-Clement for the next few weeks. FML.

18 September 2016

Olympique de Marseille vs Lyon

Lyon are up next in Ligue 1. Leya Iseka starts up front, while the rest of the team is mostly what you’d expect. Hopefully his enthusiasm compensates for his lack of experience, and Payet and Cabella are able to support him properly.

Cabella wins a penalty after half an hour after being fouled by Mapou Yanga-M’biwa. The ex-Newcastle man is sent off for the foul, and Payet confidently fires home the spot kick. We go 2-0 up just before halftime as Cabella squares for Leya Iseka to score his second goal in as many games. Lyon pull one back on the stroke of halftime through Tolisso, but Leya Iseka restores our two goal advantage in the second half. That’s three goals in two games for the young man. Perhaps I was worried about our striking resources for no reason.

22 September 2016

Rennes vs Olympique de Marseille

We visit Rennes next, and it’s an opportunity to rotate the squad a bit. The likes of Hubocan, Bedimo, Vainqueur, and Lopez are brought into the starting lineup. The attacking trio remains the same, as I seek to build some understanding and consistency in that area.

Leya Iseka (remember the name) continues his hot streak with the opening goal in the 41st minute and that’s now four goals in three games for him. Fellow teenager Lopez doubles our lead ten minutes after the break and despite Rennes pulling one back in the last minute, we’re good value for the win.

Monaco’s draw in their match means we are now tied with them at the top of Ligue 1 with 16 points each.

25 September 2016

Olympique de Marseille vs Nantes

I have to rest our new hero Leya Iseka for the match against Nantes as he is out of gas. Wary of throwing Porsan-Clement into the fire too early, I instead play Cabella as a striker with Thauvin taking his place on the flank. Cabaye is also rested as I go with a midfield trio of Sertic, Lopez, and Sanson.

In the end, a goal from Payet is enough to give us the win by the smallest of margins. It could’ve been more, but we weren’t able to take our chances. Cabella did ok as a striker, but we missed Leya Iseka’s presence in the middle. Still, we got the win which leaves us level with Monaco on 19 points. Behind us, there are three teams on 13 points including defending champions PSG.