• The emblematic OM goalkeeper, Steve Mandanda, has been a substitute for three games for the benefit of newcomer Pau Lopez.

  • For the former OM goalkeeper, Pascal Olmeta, there is no need for competition in this position, and he believes above all that Mandanda is better than Pau Lopez.

  • For Jorge Sampaoli, "the weather will do things and the best goalkeeper will be number 1".

A tour of the stadium and a victory celebrated in communion between the Vélodrome and the OM players. Except one, Steve Mandanda. The emblematic goalkeeper, and captain, of Olympique de Marseille has been a replacement for three games: Rennes, Lokomotiv and Monaco. He seems to have a bad time with this downgrading, as evidenced by his behavior after the victory against Rennes (2-0), but also before: he only completed half of the warm-up, before returning to the locker room.

“You can say whatever you want about Steve, the years that go by, that it's in the past.

But no, Steve is a monument, a centerpiece of the group.

And when I see that everyone is celebrating the victory but that they are not there, that poses a problem for me.

And it can pose in the group.

Everyone loves it, ”wonders Pascal Olmeta, OM goalkeeper during the European champion title in 1993.

"Mandanda will fight for a starting place"

For Jorge Sampaoli, this situation, although “unusual”, is not fixed.

“As a coach, you have to make decisions.

This decision allowed Pau Lopez to make himself known.

I have no doubt that Mandanda will fight for a starting place, he has experience, a very big role in this club, ”defused the Argentine coach.

Except that Jorge Sampaoli has almost always done this in his new clubs, not hesitating to replace the titular goalkeeper without taking a pinch of salt. But Mandanda was warned of this competition in the face of the passing years, and some doubts about his level last season. “The arrival of Pau is something normal. It was necessary to take a guard. It makes sense for a goalkeeper to arrive this season. You have to deserve to play, to wear this jersey. If we are efficient, we play. Otherwise, we don't play, ”summed up the Argentinian coach at the start of the season.

According to our information, it was above all the way of doing things that struck Steve Mandanda, more than the decision itself although it was not easy to live with.

And Pascal Olmeta has not seen Pau Lopez take the advantage over the last three games: “For me there is no picture.

Steve is an elder, he is not injured and he is not bad.

Come explain to me that he's not as good as Pau Lopez.

This competition is not welcome, it never is, since there should be no competition for the post of guardian.

"

"Train a young French goalkeeper alongside Mandanda"

He takes as an example his end of career at OM, and the emergence of young Fabien Barthez at the time. “When he arrived, we saw that it was a phenomenon. And later he became number one. We must accept it, but not play on the competition, ”he recalls. He recently discussed this with Fabien Barthez: “What we had to do was take a young and promising French goalkeeper and train him alongside Steve. There is intelligence and know-how in France, we have very good young people in the France Espoirs team. We must prepare them to take over from our elders by making them work like us at the time, and without ever crying foul. "

It remains to be seen whether Sampaoli intends to permanently install Pau Lopez in Marseille's cages, or to rotate as he does for the rest of his workforce.

The sequence of matches until the next international break, in early October, should provide an early response, starting with that against Angers on Wednesday.

For the coach, time will do things.

"I'm sure the best will eventually be number 1," he warned.

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