Ben Arfa up for new Marseille mission

No sooner had Olympique de Marseille bid farewell to the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday night than they set their sights on lifting the UEFA Cup, with playmaker Hatem Ben Arfa in typically bullish mood following the 0-0 draw with Club Atlético de Madrid at the Stade Vélodrome.

Istanbul ambitions
Neither side distinguished themselves, but all that mattered for the hosts was clinching third spot in Group D, with rivals PSV Eindhoven losing 3-1 at home against Liverpool FC. "We've qualified [for the UEFA Cup] and that's the most important thing," Ben Arfa told uefa.com, before laying down a warning to any other teams hoping for glory in Istanbul on 20 May. "Whenever I enter a cup, I have this tendency of wanting to win it. We'll be aiming to go all the way."

Marseille regrets
The 21-year-old French international thinks much as he plays – with an unerring refusal to recognise limits – and he maintained that Marseille could even have come in the top two, despite the fact they ended a distant eight points behind section runners-up Atlético. "Honestly, I think we could have finished second," he said. "We started badly and lost our first three games, which really ruined our chances, but after that we played better in the last three matches. With a little more maturity and experience we could have taken second, although we're still happy to be third."

Defensive opponents
Victory over Los Colchoneros would have given his theory greater credence, but OM found the going tough against a side reluctant to get forward and allow their opponents space. "They didn't try to play," explained Ben Arfa, whose impressive array of touches, flicks and passes lacked end product. "They just defended and sent long balls forward. We didn't see a great Atlético team tonight, but in a way that was just as well for us. We managed to hold them at bay."

Zenden realism
His team-mate Boudewijn Zenden was a little more magnanimous, meanwhile, recognising the gap Marseille still have to breach at the highest level. "It was always going to be a difficult group," said the Dutch midfielder. "We knew Liverpool and Atlético were the big boys. We came third and we probably deserved that. When you look at our matches against Liverpool and Atlético, maybe we could have hoped for a little bit more, but every detail is important in the Champions League and that's why they finished one and two."