New OM coach, Jean-Louis Gasset does not leave his players indifferent.
We know the Valses de Vienne, in Marseille, it’s the coaches’ waltz. After new catastrophic results from Gennaro Gattuso and yet another defeat against Brest 10 against 11, the former illustrious midfielder was sacked by the staff of Olympique de Marseille.
To replace him, a “young” coach, Jean-Louis Gasset, 70 years old. Former coach of Bordeaux and Saint-Etienne, he was fired by the Ivory Coast, before the Elephants’ coronation during the last CAN, after the 4-0 defeat against Equatorial Guinea in the group stage, putting the Ivorians on the edge of the abyss.
Humanly impeccable with his players, the French technician is a bit like the “grandpa” as Sebastien Haller, Dortmund striker, indicated. “Coach Gasset, in human terms, is like grandpa. He is quite caring, he is kind, he takes the time to discuss, he is calm. He speaks calmly. He will be surrounded by his staff who will manage things calmly but it also involves dialogue and human relationships.”
Historical assistant to Laurent Blanc in Bordeaux (2008-2010) then in the French team (2010-2012) and finally at PSG (2013-2016), Jean-Louis Gasset has a string of excellent results. Together, they won four Ligue 1 (2009, 2014, 2015, 2016), four Coupes de la Ligue (2009, 2014, 2015, 2016), two Coupes de France (2015, 2016) and five champions trophies (2008, 2009). , 2013, 2014, 2015). Marseille is not asking for that much, just to save its season.
A former OM player also worked alongside Jean-Louis Gasset in Bordeaux, Souleymane Diawara. In an interview granted at the time to So Foot, he delivered a rather juicy and improbable anecdote about the French coach, proving his special bond with his players.
“When I arrive in Bordeaux, the first match, we host Le Mans. The most rotten match of my career. I say to myself: ‘Okay, I arrive in Bordeaux, I come from London, a city that moves, there we calm.” One month, two months, Jean-Louis (Gasset) summons me: “Tell me dad, what’s the matter? Have you changed anything in your life?” I explain to him that I’m not acting crazy anymore, that I’m not going out anymore.“
“On Sunday, we played against PSG. He said to me: ‘I want you to return to your life as a bastard, to be the one we recruited.’ On Thursday, things are happening in Bordeaux, it’s a student , I go out to Lilian Laslandes’ restaurant. Good food, which is good for the body, good atmosphere, it’s moving, the women… I come home at 2 o’clock, I sleep, I’m knocked out… Sunday, we win 3-0 , I score. Gasset, at the end of the match: “What did I tell you, that’s what I want!” Improbable.