Michel cannot fault Marseille players after loss

Marseille coach Michel said he could not fault his players, despite their Europa League defeat to Slovan Liberec.

Vladimir Coufal’s 84th-minute goal was all that separated the two teams as Slovan claimed a surprise 1-0 victory at Stade Velodrome on Thursday.

Marseille were wasteful in front of goal throughout the Group F contest, having mustered 31 shots, with 10 on target, and Michel insisted he could not have asked for more from the French side.

“We created a lot of scoring opportunities, they reflect our game,” Michel said. “But at this time the ball always goes to the other side. We fired shots on goal. I cannot ask for more.

“The fans whistled, it’s normal we are all disappointed after a defeat. But I’m not disappointed in the game because the team played well.”

Marseille have now lost back-to-back matches in the space of four days, following Sunday’s 2-1 defeat against visiting Angers in Ligue 1.

Michel added: “My duty is to maintain the morale of my team. I cannot fault the players because they played well.​

“I am not pessimistic, but realistic because if we lose with such a level of play, we must understand the causes. We played to the limit and if we do not win, we must find something to make things go in our favour.”