Marseilles (AFP)
Change of mood in sight at OM: Sunday in Perpignan, the Provençaux face Canet-en-Roussillon (N2) in the round of 16 of the Coupe de France, the last game of the quiet interim provided by Nasser Larguet before the decision function of the explosive Jorge Sampaoli.
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Larguet hands over
Nasser Larguet was the man of calm, of appeasement.
In the middle of the force 10 storm crossed by OM in February - attack by the Commandery, resignation-dismissal of André Villas-Boas, change of president, express visit of the owner Frank McCourt - each of the speeches of the he interim coach, soft voice and serene smile, was a welcome break from normalcy.
With the players too, the Larguet interlude was appreciated, even if the calm regained cannot quite mask sports results which remain insufficient with only seven points in seven Ligue 1 matches.
"A little calm, it's good for the team, to be focused on the pitch. We were disturbed, me less than others, but that's normal," said defender Alvaro Gonzalez on Friday. of this transition period.
"It's three months that seemed like two years," added the Spaniard, invited to explain how OM were able to go from potential leaders in December to a club in pieces at the end of winter.
"In a month here, a lot is happening. There have been a lot of events, a lot of things have been changed. But they are positive for the team and for the future. We are moving on", a assured Alvaro.
"I want to thank Nasser who worked in a difficult period, he did things well," added the Spaniard.
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Goal Cup
While they probably cannot hope for better than 5th place in the league, the Marseillais know that the Cup is a great opportunity to save a season that too quickly ended in the background.
"The Cup is very, very important. If we can still play a final like the Champions Trophy ... I think Sampaoli thinks the same thing, the goal is the final", assured Alvaro on Friday .
Sunday's match in Perpignan is indeed the last airlock before the real start of the Jorge Sampaoli era, who arrived in Marseille on Tuesday and who respects, as expected, a seven-day isolation period in a hotel in the city center.
He takes the opportunity to study the last matches of his new team and it will not have escaped him that OM scores very little and is very rarely dangerous.
"It will probably be the priority objective of the next coach, to find offensive benchmarks," admitted Larguet on Friday.
"The Cup is a priority for us, especially because in this match, we can find collective and offensive confidence."
The director of the training center, who noted that the Olympians' upcoming league schedule was "interesting", would also like to end on a high note.
"If I go on a qualification, then there will be a feeling of duty accomplished, with a positive conclusion," he said.
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Square in Sampaoli
Behind the scenes, the upheavals continue, with the dismissal of Thierry Aldebert, former security manager who became responsible for the operation of the stadium, revealed Friday by L'Equipe, or the uncertainty around the future of Hugues Ouvrard , "Head of Football" named by Jacques-Henri Eyraud and hated by the supporters.
But from Wednesday, with a late match against Rennes at the Vélodrome, the supporters will be able to look into the work of Sampaoli.
Passionate, excessive, bubbling, the Argentinian tactician was awaited by Marseille with curiosity and enthusiasm.
"I want to start with Sampaoli. He has character, I know him a little through Sevilla and I have seen a lot of matches from Chile. It will be positive for the team," said Alvaro.
"The quality, we have it. Me a little less, but we have players who have a lot of it", also smiled the Spaniard.
"What Sampaoli can bring is desire, intensity, character. With the added quality, you can finish well."
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