IThere is only Olympique de Marseille to experience such a summer. Concern, nervousness and general vagueness at the time of the resumption in Ligue 1 against Reims this Sunday (9 p.m.) at the Vélodrome. Despite their qualification in their pocket for the next Champions League, the Phocaeans have experienced great upheavals in recent weeks. Jorge Sampaoli resigned as manager in early July due to differences with his management in the transfer market. To replace the fiery Argentinian, Pablo Longoria turned to Igor Tudor. The Croatian coach, who has moved a lot during his career, arrived in Marseille with his authority and his ideas firmly in mind.
Seven recruits already there, and it’s not over!
It’s not just the staff who have been turned upside down this summer on the OM side: the workforce has also undergone a lot of alterations. William Saliba, Steve Mandanda, Boubacar Kamara, Alvaro Gonzalez and Luan Peres notably left. Jonathan Clauss (Lens), Chancel Mbemba (Porto), Isaak Touré (Le Havre), Nuno Tavares (Arsenal), Luis Suarez (Granada), Ruben Blanco (Celta Vigo) and Samuel Gigot (Spartak Moscow) made their way in the reverse. Even if OM have seven recruits to date, the transfer window is absolutely not over since other reinforcements are expected, such as the French international Jordan Veretout. “We are happy with our transfer window. We want to have 22 players with 2 goalkeepers. We need recruits and departures, some are getting closer, ”said Pablo Longoria.
Longoria on Clauss: “He gave up part of his salary to come here, I wanted to say that publicly”. #TeamOM #LiveConf
— The Phocean (@lephocean) August 3, 2022
Is it this constant agitation that disturbed OM in preparation? After an initial success against a French fourth division team, Dimitri Payet and his family chained poor performances during summer friendly matches: a sluggish draw against Betis Sevilla, but above all three defeats against Norwich, Middlesbrough and AC Milan. If it is always imprudent to draw conclusions after preparatory meetings, the first signals sent by OM de Tudor are not reassuring. Pablo Longoria indicates for his part that patience is needed for this new cycle. “Any change deserves time to adapt. The evolution of football evolves in a more physical way, more based on transitions. The club wants to take this direction. We are not going to judge the Tudor team on the month of September. »
A meeting between Tudor and the players to calm things down
Even if the Marseille president has tried to defuse a burning situation on the side of Canebière, Tudor’s methods have so far struggled to pass. His choices are also perplexing, such as the decision to dismiss Bamba Dieng, one of the club’s hopes. A meeting took place at the beginning of the week at the Robert-Louis-Dreyfus training center between the Croatian technician and OM executives to find solutions and avoid a chaotic recovery in L1. “There are sometimes misunderstandings,” said Jonathan Clauss at a press conference on Wednesday. Today, we are all clear on the speech established by the club, the coach and the president. It’s very tiring and very nervous, but it’s part of football. »
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If Igor Tudor is not threatened immediately, the ground will remain his one and only verdict. The calendar reserved for the Olympians to start the season in L1 is rather lenient (Reims, Brest, Nice, Nantes, Clermont), but the return to the Champions League in September will be closely monitored. OM’s last spells in C1 were not the most memorable. By being hat 4 for the group stage, the Marseillais expose themselves to a formidable draw. After a fiery season under Sampaoli, the Tudor era promises to be just as explosive.
