After Marcelino, Gennaro Gattuso and Jacques Abardonado for a brief interim, Jean-Louis Gasset, 70, takes over OM to try to get out of the crisis and save a season which risks ending without European qualification.
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Having noted the failure of Gattuso after the defeat conceded on Sunday February 18 in Brest (1-0), the Marseille management turned to a profile different from its previous choices. Initially, in front of the press, the new Marseille coach wanted to dispel doubts linked to his age. “ Have we asked ourselves the question of the age of Arsène Wenger, Alex Ferguson or Raymond Goethals ? […] I live in the moment. I was asked to succeed in a bet and I’m enjoying the moment, as my little ones say “, he said.
Jean-Louis Gasset30 years of coaching career under his belt, former assistant to Laurent Blanc at Paris Saint-Germain and the French team, comes from a very special experience with the Ivory Coast, who won the CAN after having dismissed him during the competition.
Someone who knows the French Championship
In France, his last stint at club, at Bordeaux during the 2020-2021 season, was mixed, but he had previously helped Montpellier (2016-2017) then Saint-Etienne (2017-2018) to get out of difficult situations. This will also be his mission in Marseille, where he recovers a team ninth in Ligue 1, eliminated in the Coupe de France and which has not won against a professional team since mid-December. He will make his Marseille debut on Thursday February 22 at the Vélodrome against Shakhtar Donetsk in the Europa League.
The president of OM Pablo Longoria, who decided to replace his coach Gennaro Gattuso with Jean-Louis Gasset, second oldest technician in Ligue 1 behind the Romanian László Bölöni (70 years old) who coaches FC Metz, explained on Tuesday that he had deemed it necessary to “ change the dynamic “. “ He is someone who knows the championship, who has experience and who can bring about a complete change in mentality and minds. Someone who has the keys to transforming a group of people working together into a team », Explains the Spanish leader.
Everyone has to do a little more
How will Jean-Louis Gasset rectify the situation? “ We need to work on psychology to find out why they are less efficient. I’ve already spoken to them. I told them why I was there and what I had achieved with weaker groups. I told them that the mind made up 80% of the performance, that life was beautiful, that they were professionals, that they earned money and that they were at OM “, he explained at a press conference. And to add: “ I also told them that everyone should do a little more and look in the mirror. But when you score goals like the ones they scored recently, the system doesn’t exist. These are individual errors, it’s mental. These are people who need to be reassured. »
Many players are unanimous on the human qualities of Jean-Louis Gasset, presented as a taciturn man, who knows how to be frank when necessary. Will this be enough for the Marseillais to raise their heads?