2023-09-29 01:22:14
It was his first major oral, after arriving in a chaotic context. Officially appointed coach of Olympique de Marseille on Wednesday evening, in succession to the resigning Marcelino and to close an unprecedented episode of crisis within the Marseille club, the Italian Gennaro Gattuso (45 years old) was inducted this Thursday as new coach of the Phocaean club.
In Italian in the text but with a frank verb that we know, the one who has already led his first training session on Wednesday with his new group wanted to mark his intentions, and a form of break with his predecessor. “I have a different vision of the game from Marcelino,” he explained. I don’t like talking about my predecessors, but I’m not a fan of the two lines of 4, the 4-4-2. I prefer 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1. » In terms of play, Gattuso set out a few simple principles: “play starting from very low”, “I want a compact team, which wets the jersey”, an “intensity” which “modern football needs”, “break the lines, having a fast team.”
Go find Europe
The objective is clear: secure the top 4 at the end of the season. “The watchword is Europe. I have a contract extension which is linked to qualification for the Champions League, so I better finish in the top 4, otherwise I’m going home. »
Arriving in the middle of the week, three days before a clash against Monaco at the Stade Louis-II (Saturday, 9 p.m.), Gennaro Gattuso says above all he wants to “try to do as little damage as possible”. “It’s hard to imagine that I can impose my game in such a short time,” he asked. For the rest: “Matches are won by the work of the week. Intensity is fundamental, we base ourselves on the stats, on the physical load, always with intensity. I have a staff who helps me, we do a lot of video. We can be a little stressful for the players, because we are on them a lot, but always with respect. »
In this, he was able to learn lessons from the match against PSG on Sunday (4-0). “Paris is an unplayable team at the moment, which is starting to understand the mechanisms of its new coach. It’s not the best performance but from what I saw, I liked the state of mind of the four defenders and the midfielders. »
Marseille, Naples, same fight
The “Mister” arrives in Ligue 1 in a championship that he does not yet know well, but which he considers “unpredictable, with a lot of races and incredible speed”. Above all, he arrives in Marseille in a volcanic environment, and a complicated context: “I have already experienced situations of protest. I talked to the president about it, I told him with a laugh: “if I have to take a slap, I’ll take a slap and I’ll keep quiet.” We come out of this situation with work: working constantly, keeping hope to succeed in moving forward, match after match. »
In this sense, he compares Marseille to another club where he coached: Naples. “To come to this kind of club, you need broad shoulders, there is a lot of pressure. I think the cities are a bit similar. Personally, I love it. » The 2006 world champion was very complimentary about OM, its history and the atmosphere of the Vélodrome, “one of the rare stadiums in Europe which can be compared to those in South America”. “It gives goosebumps, it’s real added value for the club.” In an unusual context, the first impression that he and his team give at this stage will undoubtedly be crucial.
#Ligue #team #wets #jersey #Gattusos #words #Marseille