Topsportslab / Olympique de Marseille

Physical superiority in French Ligue 1

Situation

Olympique de Marseille (OM) was founded in 1899. They are the most successful French football team in history. OM have been French champion 10 times. In 1993, OM became the first French club to win the UEFA Championships League. In 1994, OM were relegated because of a bribery scandal. During the subsequent years, OM made it back to Ligue 1 and frequently contested the number 1 position with its main rivals.

The Challenge

For the 2014/15 season, a new head coach was appointed. He was tasked to implement methods based on the latest scientific knowledge to help the performance of his players. The game is constructed on possession, duplication of effort and aggressiveness in recovery of the ball. Therefore physical excellence is paramount.

Project Highlights

In June 2014, TopSportsLab’s founder Jan Van Winckel was hired as head of strength and conditioning. Jan has been successful in both physical optimisation of top teams as well as the implementation of injury prevention strategies maximising the availability of the best players. Jan has fully implemented the TopSportsLab system. He has been able to fully align it with the football strategies and objectives of OM’s head coach.

Achievements