Ligue 1 season has just started and it's already boiling at Marseille

Port cities have their own peculiar dynamics - people from all walks of life converge there, cultures and mentalities collide. And when such an environment is home to a major football club, the tension never really stops.

For more than a decade - fifteen years, in fact - the league trophy has not set foot at the Velodrome. Yet every pre-season in Marseille the balloon of expectation is inflated, only to burst by the time winter arrives. This season might follow the same script, even though the French giant invested €65 million in reshaping its squad, bringing in the likes of Adrien Rabiot, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Mason Greenwood, Timothy Weah, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Igor Paixao, and Leonardo Balerdi.

But the pressure is already boiling over in Marseille. The first cracks have appeared.

Ten-man Rennes stun Marseille in stoppage time for superb Ligue 1 start

Expectations were huge, as always, but the real question is what kind of Marseille we will see this season. The dressing room is packed with strong personalities, and when results don't come, that rarely ends well. After losing to Rennes in the opening round, tempers flared in the locker room.

An incident occurred - or rather, several small ones. Raised voices followed the defeat, with goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli, captain Leonardo Balerdi, and Danish midfielder Hojbjerg taking the lead. According to RMC, players could be heard saying: "We have no right to play like this. There's not enough respect. We have to wake up." It was an attempt to jolt the team into life.

That in itself was not unusual, but things escalated when Adrien Rabiot and Jonathan Rowe got into a minor physical altercation. Coach Roberto De Zerbi allowed his players to speak their minds, but Rowe - feeling singled out - pushed back against accusations that he hadn't worked hard enough.

The two came chest-to-chest, shoulders clashing, but no punches were thrown. Even before this, Rowe's future was uncertain. The England-born winger, also eligible for Jamaica, arrived for €14.5 million but has struggled to convince, and this conflict has only nudged him closer to the exit door.

The return flight from Rennes was grim - heads down, silence, a heavy mood in the air.

Sparks can either ignite a fire or burn themselves out harmlessly. Much will depend on De Zerbi and his ability to channel all that raw energy into something productive.

LIGUE 1 - MATCHDAY 1

Friday

Rennes - Olympique Marseille 1-0 (0-0)

/Blas 90+1/

Saturday

Lens - Olympique Lyon 0-1 (0-1)

/Mikautadze 45+1/

Monaco - Le Havre 3-1 (1-0)

/Lloris 32 og, Dier 61, Akliouche 74 - Ndiaye 67/

Nice - Toulouse 0-1 (0-0)

/Sidibe 89/

Sunday

16.00: (3.40) Brest (3.50) Lille (2.25)

18.15: (2.70) Angers (3.20) Paris (2.90)

18.15: (2.40) Auxerre (3.45) Lorient (3.15)

18.15: (3.20) Metz (3.45) Strasbourg (2.35)

21.45: (8.00) Nantes (5.30) PSG (1.35)

***odds are subject to change***