A fear of being caught
Bruno Genesio did not dodge the question on Friday. Asked about Marseille’s habit of wobbling late in matches, the coach called it a trauma that has hung over the club since last season. “There is a fear of being caught when we lead,” he said in his pre-match press conference, adding that he and his staff are working on fixes that are tactical and mental.
He has seen it before. Genesio said he had the same problem at Lille and sorted it out there. Marseille’s latest scare came last Sunday, when they led Le Havre 4-0 and finished 4-3 winners at the Vélodrome. The result stretched their run to three Ligue 1 wins in a row, which has lifted them to eighth, only three points off the podium.
Midfielder Himad Abdelli had called the finish to that game “inadmissible” and pointed at how the substitutes handled their entrances. Genesio went further in the days after, sending Keyliane Abdallah down to the reserves. On Friday he insisted the move was not a punishment. “It is a considered decision meant to help him move forward,” he said.
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Valero, Toulouse and a busy week
Marseille host Toulouse on Sunday at 8:45 pm Paris time, on matchday nine. Genesio praised the visitors as one of the surprise teams of the league and said they are run by an unfashionable coach who makes unusual choices. He expects a proper test.
Eighteen-year-old Antoine Valero trained with the first team again on Friday. The forward scored twice for the reserves in National 2 two weeks ago and has four goals in five games for that side. Genesio said he knows there is lobbying around the club’s academy players and made clear he will not be swayed by it. “I don’t act according to the surrounding climate,” he said, adding that he decides when a player is ready on his own references.
On availability, Bamo Meité was ill overnight with stomach trouble. Amine Gouiri missed Friday’s session for personal reasons and was given the day off, but Genesio said he will be available on Sunday.
The calendar does not let up. After Toulouse come two away games before the international break, and a Europa League trip to face Leverkusen sits in the same stretch. Marseille are still without a point in that competition after 1-0 defeats against Olympiacos and Sturm Graz, so the league run is the only thing carrying momentum right now.
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