Marseille's Michel staying put amid relegation threat

Faced with the prospect of playing in France's second tier for the first time since 1994-95, Marseille boss Michel appears poised to stay with the club until the end of the season.

At least that's what owner Margarita Louis-Dreyfus reckons after an emergency meeting with Michel and club president Vincent Labrune after last weekend's loss at Bastia.

"The current situation is delicate and represents a big challenge for all of us," Dreyfus said in a statement on the club's website.

"As regards the short term, I'm reassured by the professionalism and the willingness of Michel to successfully complete this end of the season, with all his strength and energy."

The Madrid-born gaffer's first season in charge of the Cote d'Azur giants has been anything but straightforward.

Sitting 13th in the Ligue 1 table, six points clear of Gazelec Ajaccio and the relegation zone, Marseille is mired in a dismal run of results since its last league victory Feb. 2 at Montpellier.

Part of the problem has been the club's futility at the Stade Velodrome.

Olympique has failed to win at home since topping the same Montpellier side on Jan. 20 in the French Cup. Marseille has won just two of its 16 home matches in Ligue 1, second-worst to bottom dweller Troyes, and hasn't taken the three points at home in the league since topping Bastia 4-1 on Sept. 13.

If a 5-2 drubbing at home to Rennes before the international break was the straw that broke the camel's back, last Sunday's 2-1 defeat at the Corsican minnows was the coffin sliding off the back of the hearse.

With six league matches left, Marseille's only chance to take a positive from a disappointing campaign would be top-flight safety and success in the Coupe de France.

"I'm convinced that with his qualities as a competitor at the highest level and his great experience," said Dreyfus, "he will allow the players to express themselves fully on the pitch without fear or stress in order to allow them to finish the league honourably and, why not, to win the Coupe de France."

Marseille faces Ligue 2 side Sochaux on April 20 in the cup semifinals, with the victor slated to lock horns with the winner of Lorient and defending champion Paris Saint-Germain.