After PSG, it is OM who are preparing to return to action in continental competition. The draw for these Europa League round of 16 was a tease for the Marseille club since a double confrontation with Villarreal awaits them (kick-off of the first leg this Thursday at 9 p.m.). There is no real problem between the two teams but the Spaniards have been led since November by a certain Marcelino, the man who caused a good part of OM’s problems this season, according to many. fans.
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Arriving this summer, the Iberian coach left in September following 7 matches in charge. In addition to an elimination in the Champions League play-offs once morest Panathinaikos, it didn’t sit well with the team and even the feeling of the city. There is an air of revenge for Marseille fans. Especially for fans elsewhere because the players have put this element aside. “We don’t talk regarding it too much. We are not playing once morest Marcelino but once morest Villarreal. It’s not an additional motivation. You just have to have a good match before the return. We just think regarding that”assures Quentin Merlin at a press conference the day before the match.
To read OM, C3: hot reunion between Marcelino and the Marseille public
The Vélodrome promises a warm welcome to its former coach
Arriving this winter from FC Nantes, the left-back did not even know his future opponent even if he must have had some feedback from his teammates of course. More than the return of Marcelino, it is above all the level of the Yellow Submarine and its experience on the European scene which concerns the Phocaeans. “It’s going to be a very difficult match, with a Villarreal attack that scores goals and is confidentanalyzes Merlin. We will have to respond, it will be up to us to start the match well and take the upper hand.”
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Same story with Jean-Louis Gasset. The club’s new guide will rely on the form of his troops and the atmosphere of the Vélodrome to counter a formidable opponent. “We will have to increase the intensity of aggression. Technically, they are very strong. We will have to make him feel that we are there too. We have assets and experience. Our audience will help us surpass ourselves.” A Vélodrome whose welcome given to Marcelino risks making noise when the announcer announces his name.
The gas : “Marcelino is a respectable person”
“We never talk regarding itconfirms a particularly relaxed Gasset before this first leg. Personally I never talk regarding it. I was not in France when OM was coached by Marcelino. We look at the team, the system. He’s a respectable person. He did a lot of good things in football. Tomorrow, we will do our best to counter his team.” The pressure will ultimately be more on the shoulders of the short-lived Olympian coach. His reunion with the Vélodrome does not promise to be easy.
Pub. 03/06/2024 5:18 p.m. Updated 03/07/2024 3:04 p.m.
