Gamers who’ve handed via Olympique de Marseille usually cite the Vélodrome as one of many best stadia, one of many best atmospheres in European soccer. “Neglect Previous Trafford, neglect Anfield, and so forth. the Vélodrome is big,” mentioned former OM and Chelsea ahead Didier Drogba, who spent a season enjoying within the stadium, recognized colloquially as “the volcano”.
While OM’s is a fanbase that may drive gamers to higher heights, it will possibly additionally eat gamers up. Elye Wahi, on his residence debut for Les Phocéens, was booed off after a spate of missed possibilities earlier this season in a draw towards Stade de Reims. He has but to point out a response.
Managers are additionally drawn to the membership, simply as Roberto De Zerbi was this summer time. In accordance with L’Équipe, the previous Brighton and Hove Albion supervisor confirmed the squad a contract proposal that he had obtained from Manchester United. He informed them why he turned down the Premier League facet. “That is the place I may have been, however I put my ardour earlier than cash. I got here to Marseille for the fervour,” mentioned the Italian firstly of the marketing campaign.
The Vélodrome – a managerial grave-yard?
If OM is a tough setting for gamers, it’s a more durable setting for managers. Since soon-to-be Stade Rennais supervisor Jorge Sampaoli’s departure in the summertime of 2022, Marseille have gone via 5 managers. None have lasted greater than a season, and over the course of the final marketing campaign, they burned via 4 managers, in case you embrace assistant Jacques Abardonado stepping up for a brief six-day stint on the helm.
He took the reigns after Marcelino, who solely lasted seven days on the job, was pressured out of the membership by the fan base. Marcelino resigned as OM supervisor in September 2023 in response to what he known as “intimidation, threats, insults and slander” from the membership’s followers throughout a heated assembly with the hierarchy. President Pablo Longoria nearly left the membership too within the wake of the verbal altercation, nevertheless, in contrast to his compatriot, he remained.
Marcelino’s predecessor, Igor Tudor, left after having guided Marseille to a second-place end in Ligue 1. So why did he stop? “A season right here is price two or three seasons in one other membership,” mentioned the Croat, referring to a sort of emotional burnout.
Is De Zerbi already heading down an analogous path? Outcomes away from residence are sturdy and while they’re 9 factors behind leaders Paris Saint-Germain, they continue to be third. It’s removed from disastrous, particularly given the discourse across the membership with Longoria evoking a “three-year undertaking” and De Zerbi himself repeatedly highlighting that, provided that this new squad continues to be in its infancy, there may be not but any strain to be difficult PSG.
De Zerbi provides to depart Marseille
Such a context would often present a supervisor, particularly one in every of De Zerbi’s calibre, with time, however Marseille is not any atypical membership. At successive residence matches, there have been deafening boos and a half-time mass exodus. It was a ruthless PSG facet that despatched them residence prematurely a fortnight in the past, it was AJ Auxerre who did it on Friday as Christophe Pélissier’s males raced right into a 3-0 lead earlier than half-time.
A Mason Greenwood aim within the second half noticed the sport end 3-1 – queue the post-match meltdown. As per L’Équipe, De Zerbi lambasted his gamers post-match, stating that they’d “humiliated” him, while additionally accusing membership captain Leonardo Balerdi of getting “an absence of b*lls”.
When he arrived on the post-match press convention, his anger had hardly subsided. “I got here right here to play on the Vélodrome as a result of I needed to dwell that have. If I’m the issue, I’m prepared to depart,” mentioned De Zerbi. The Italian could possibly be the most recent sufferer of Marseille’s strain cooker setting, though there may be actually the standard on the pitch and behind the scenes to reverse the pattern and decrease the temperature on the Vél.
This week’s Ligue 1 subplots
Bradley Barcola (22) and Lee Kang-in (23) each netted braces as PSG ended a troublesome week by sweeping apart Angers (4-2) final night time.
Full match report ⬇️
Jorge Sampaoli has reached an settlement in precept to succeed Julien Stéphan at Rennes. (L’Éq)
On this first Derby in two years, Lyon beat native rivals AS Saint-Étienne on Sunday (1-0). Alexandre Lacazette netted the one aim of the sport earlier than dropping a robust trace that he would depart OL on the finish of the season, post-match.
🥶 Alexandre Lacazette (33) hitting the “Too Small” celebration for his Derby-winning aim towards Saint-Etienne
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