Sampaoli's Paw -

Daniel Cole / AP / SIPA

  • The new coach of Olympique de Marseille, Jorge Sampaoli, has won his first two games.

  • He was able to benefit from an entire week of work to instill his playing philosophy.

  • Olympique de Marseille will travel to Nice on Saturday at 5 p.m.

Sampaoli's paw.

The new coach of Olympique de Marseille, Jorge Sampaoli, took charge of his team only ten days ago, but he has already started to instill his vision of football in his players.

With the key two victories in Ligue 1, against Rennes (1-0) and against Brest (3-1), even if the principal concerned recognizes that these two matches could have ended "in a draw or a defeat".

At the time of facing Nice, Saturday at 5 p.m., Jorge Sampaoli was finally able to benefit from a whole week of training.

“We took advantage of this time to get better organized, to get to know each other, to establish a culture of play with and without the ball.

Know what methodology to put in place, what game plan to have.

This time allowed us to put in place common ideas to strengthen the system.

Decisions were made on ball protection, non-ball play.

As for the game with the ball, the field allows us to work on the system to make the ball reach the players in high places, without them having to go down to come and get it, ”detailed the Argentinian technician.

"Reassure the players"

Jorge Sampaoli has recovered a team that had not won for five games, against Nice on February 17, and even came out of an elimination against Canet-Roussilon, an N2, in the Coupe de France.

Each time with worrying collective benefits.

And it is not this 5th place, qualifying for Europe, recovered after the two victories that distracts him from his initial objective.

“The first objective of the team is to function in itself.

Any team needs to win quickly, we are working today to strengthen the game to create a collective security path for the team and that will bring us closer to good results.

It's a new team with a new coach, we must know that our current reality is to reassure the players with a functioning, and we will see if they have been able to integrate that, ”he added.

A lot of things to integrate in a very short time, for learning at high speed, as explained by midfielder Michaël Cuisance for whom this arrival sounded like a "click".

“He came up with a different system from André Villas-Boas.

We had to adapt, work on the system without having much time.

And it has been seen, we do not yet fully master the trick.

We had a good week on defense, pressing and things are starting to come in well, ”he concedes.

"A great coach, who knows how to talk"

Collective work, with young people from the training center invited to play sparing partners “to get to know them better and for their growth”, according to the Sampaoli methodology, but also with special attention.

“He's a great coach, who knows how to talk, who knows how to motivate, who has found the words to motivate me.

This allowed me to return in better conditions, in a different state of mind than the previous matches, ”says Michaël Cuisance, scorer of two goals in the last two matches.

In addition to this philosophy, with "very tactical training, pressing, travel, without the ball", Jorge Sampaoli was able to bring this niac who seemed to have left the Marseillais.

"He brings a lot of energy, him and his staff, and that gives us some," says Michaël Cuisance.

Convinced by Sampaoli "a coach who likes to attack", the player loaned, with option to buy, by Bayern Munich, would like to stay at OM next season with this coach who "he likes very much".

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  • Jorge Sampaoli

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