Three days following the success once morest Shakhar Donetsk in the Europa League, Jean-Louis Gasset confirmed his successful debut on the OM bench by beating Montpellier this Sunday in Ligue 1 (4-1). A baptism which the 70-year-old coach is delighted regarding, who suffered some negative remarks regarding his age during his appointment.
Two wins, one qualification, seven goals scored, two conceded. Jean-Louis Gasset negotiated his debut on the OM bench perfectly. Three days following beating Shakhtar Donetsk in the Europa League play-off (3-1), his team dominated Montpellier this Sunday at the end of the 23rd day of Ligue 1 (4-1). In the space of a week, Gennaro Gattuso’s successor managed to restore confidence in a group which seemed to be in decline following its defeat last Sunday in Brest (1-0).
“Today it’s better. When I arrived, I saw the construction site, I said ‘wow’. Playing a European Cup match straight from the start and a championship match three days later.. .the mission was difficult, reacted Gasset on Prime Video. But at my age, I will tell you because there are some who talk regarding it often, we live to take on challenges and experience things like that. It’s a real pleasure if we manage to succeed in the three-month mission.”
“I try to answer in my own way”
The former Ivory Coast coach, who celebrated his 70th birthday last December, then responded to the negative remarks that some made regarding his age: “I was laughing. I know that when you have a media job, people like to heckle. That suits me, I try to respond in my own way.” After turning their heads around once morest Shakhtar, the Marseillais seemed to free themselves a little more once morest the MHSC.
“We give ourselves a little handicap in each match,” joked Gasset, in reference to the visitors’ opening score at the very start of the match. “More seriously, we are still a little tense. But when we have an audience like that, who are tolerant and who transcend us, it makes us want to give everything and seek victory (…) The players give everything, they have something in them that is coming back. They feel a little guilty regarding something, you can ask them anything, they go for it.” An improvement that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s teammates will now try to confirm in Clermont, Saturday, during the next championship day (9 p.m.).
