OM loves the second half

Second in the league table and 11 points ahead of the closest pursuer, Rennes, Les Olympiens are producing an almost flawless season. The key to OM's success in 2019-2020 often lays in the second half of matches -- where the Marseillais are often decisive, as they have shown in the last two league games, against Toulouse and Lille.

Dimitri Payet's and Co. have found the back of the net twice as often in the second period than in the first: 11 goals in the first half, 24 in the second. OM's 69% of goals scored after the break, leads this season in the league. Only Paris has found the net more often than OM in the second period (35 goals against 24). With a new level of the defensive organisation for Les Olympiens this season, after the break the Marseille nets have only conceded 10 times, nobody is better than that this season. Before Victor Osimhen's goal on Sunday evening, OM had not conceded a goal in the second period in L1 since December 21 and the home match agasinst Nîmes.

Other statistics show that André Villas-Boas' men are sharper when they return from the locker room: they shoot more often (191 vs 143), on-goal more (60 vs 45) and dribble more (137 vs 135). The matches against Toulouse or Lille are the perfect examples of when OM had to wait for the break to resume their march forward in order to take the three points. After the intermission, Les Olympiens are sharper and more clinical with more fouls committed and suffered but also more bookings ...
If the league only took into account the results at the break, OM would display a total of 31 points (6 successes, 13 draws, 6 defeats). With 52 points after 25 league matchdays (15 wins, 7 draws, 3 losses), Les Olympiens gleaned 21 points in the second half, or 40% of their current total.