Baup backs defensive mindset

Marseille head coach Elie Baup has claimed he wants his team to score more goals after notching yet another 1-0 victory in Ligue 1.

Saturday’s win over Brest saw Marseille extend their streak of clean sheets to six matches with Baup’s side having only scored more than one goal in one of their past 12 games.

Marseille have copped a lot of criticism for their style of play this season with the south coast club sitting second in Ligue 1 with the 13th-best attack in France’s top flight but Baup will not apologise for his team’s defensive prowess.

“It is a huge satisfaction to have kept a clean sheet,” Baup said after the win over Brest.

“It is the seventh game without conceding a goal.

“We can rely on that but as I always say, the last games of the season will be very tense and the defence will make all the difference.”

In their run of seven games without loss, Marseille have been involved in three scoreless draws, while notching four goals.

Baup maintained that although he would love to see Marseille hit the back of the net more often he is certain a solid defence will be more crucial in the final month of the season.

“Everyone tells us we have to score more, the journalists write lots of articles about it, everyone hopes for a higher score from Marseille and we are the first ones trying to achieve that,” Baup said.

“But more seriously, we always try to score and to go forward.

“Our opponents did well and we didn’t take chances but I think that it will be like that until the end of the season.

“The whole season was like that, so it will be too complicated to change it.”