The new coach of Olympique de Marseille spoke to the media for the first time on Thursday.
Long-awaited first words. The day after the formalization of his arrival on the bench of Olympique de Marseille, Gennaro Gattuso held his first press conference in front of the media, Thursday September 28, at the Robert Louis-Dreyfus training center. The one who has already led his first training sessions with the group notably returned to the environment of protests, his style of play, and the group’s objectives in the championship this season.
He is already ready to face the tense context
He assured that the environment did not make him “not afraid”. Asked about the crisis with the supporters which pushed his predecessor to leave, Gennaro Gattuso explained that he had already “experienced situations of protest”that he “sai[t] what it is”. “I spoke immediately with the president about how we could resolve the problem, I said as a joke that if I had to take a slap in the face, I would take a slap in the face and we wouldn’t say anything”, he even declared. Faced with this atmosphere, the one who has already been on the bench of AC Milan and Naples has already identified part of the solution: “Work, work constantly […] I know it’s hard, like any hot atmosphere, I’ve already experienced it, but we’re not going to focus on these protests, and move forward.”.
He is aiming for the top 4 for European qualification
On the pitch, the objective is clearly identified: the Italian is aiming for European qualification and therefore a top 4 for his squad. “For this club, the watchword is Europe, it is its natural environment due to its history”, he notably explained. The objective also concerns him personally, since the former Valencia technician revealed that the extension of his contract was linked to European qualification. “I want us to be in the top four, otherwise I’m going home”, he laughed. But before thinking about the end of the championship, he wants to concentrate on “the atmosphere”, “desire for work”And “enthusiasm”For “ensure that people come to the Vélodrome and are proud of their team”.
He has a game plan opposite to that of Marcelino
The 45-year-old coach also spoke about his game plan, which he considers to be a departure from that of his predecessor. “Marcelino did a great job, you have to respect him, but it’s not necessarily a game that I like to produce”explained Gattuso, specifying that he was not “not a fan” of the 4-4-2 used by the Spaniard, which gives “a somewhat flat game”. “I like play starting actions from the bottom of the field, have control of the game, be in numerical superiority with the ball”he detailed. “I want to have a compact team, who wants to, who wears their jerseys, the Vélodrome needs that.”