A real fiasco. This is perhaps the qualifying term most suited to the OM season. A defeat on penalties during the Champions Trophy after leading the score until the 95the minute ; an incredible elimination from the Champions League, sealed by the improbable achievement of a goalkeeper in another match; yet another disappointment in the Coupe de France, at the quarter-final stage, when PSG was no longer in the game; and a nightmarish end to the championship, possibly without a European ticket… don’t throw any more away!
Added to this succession of disasters is chronic instability marked by the departures of Roberto De Zerbi, Pablo Longoria and even Medhi Benatia. With the outcome that we know regarding the sports director, finally retained by the shareholder Frank McCourt for a final casting error and the arrival on the bench of a Habib Beye today on the verge of losing his group. Both the team’s executives seem demobilized and exhausted both physically and mentally.
In the columns of La Provence, Alain Giresse today comments on the carnage. “ OM is fragile at the management level, with the departures of the president and the coach. It wobbles on all sidesjudges the one who wore the sky and white jersey for two years, from 1986 to 1988. The team is struggling to give what such a club deserves and meet its expectations. Wearing this jersey implies an enormous responsibility given the fervor of the supporters and the city. The players have to face it, which they cannot do like in Nantes. »
Bernard Tapie regretted
“ We need stability, advocates the old French legend. It’s always complicated for the coach, quickly in the hot seat. We cannot be a club of this size without solid foundations. » And to refer to Bernard Tapie whom he worked with when he arrived at OM: “ Bernard Tapie ran the club, knew how to impose and delegate. Players, we could see that it was solid. Even in difficult times, we had the ability to respond and stay the course. »
“ Today, I wonder how the players think about the clubconcludes Alain Giresse, clearly worried about the Marseille institution. I don’t think they are what is expected of them. Next year, we need strong management, everyone must understand what OM is: a legendary club. This requires a form of responsibility from everyone, a total commitment. »
