“I will go to the fire to defend him, like all my players.” We knew that Gennaro Gattuso is a passionate person and, while his OM is not really transcendent in terms of results (2 wins, 2 draws, 2 defeats in 6 matches in all competitions since his arrival), he is starting to show it.
Sad eighth in Ligue 1 after another tasteless draw on Saturday evening at the Vélodrome against Lille (0-0), a week after the incidents which punctuated the planned meeting against Lyon, OM were heavily whistled by their public and his flagship striker, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, received a home bronca when he was replaced by Joaquin Correa (77th). The Gabonese, who arrived this summer from Chelsea, is stuck with just one goal in 10 Ligue 1 games (3 assists).
“I don’t see a dead or casual player”
“The only difficulty is that he doesn’t score,” his coach defended him after the match. Afterwards, I have the impression that it’s also a bit of a fashion at the moment to talk about Aubameyang all the time because he doesn’t score. But I don’t see a player in great difficulty. I really think we talk about it badly, as if he had to score two goals per game. Because his name is Aubameyang, we sometimes expect a little more from him. It’s true that it’s also up to me to put him in a position to succeed in scoring more goals, but I don’t see a dead or casual player. I feel like there’s a bit too much focus on Aubameyang, and that’s not something I like. I will go to the fire to defend him like all my players. »
OM captain, Valentin Rongier also came to the aid of his teammate in the mixed zone: “For me it’s very hard, for the supporters, to whistle him. We know how football is today, people are very demanding. Now we are all together. The whistles are not for him but for the team. He has a lot of experience. Anyway, we’re here but I hope it doesn’t affect him. »
“We are OM, we cannot be satisfied with that,” continued Rongier. We claim to be way above in the rankings. We’re going to be, I’m sure of it. We have a complicated sequence of matches but that’s how it is. If we have 13 points, it’s because there are things that haven’t happened. Now what we have been doing for a while, it is very serious, we must continue and put all heads right. »
While waiting to play their match on the 10th day against Lyon on December 6, Marseille has one month to get back on track and put themselves in the best conditions. Until then, his schedule will not be easy: three consecutive trips to Athens, Lens and Strasbourg, then the receptions of Ajax and Rennes.
