Olympique de Marseille manager Gennaro Gattuso has overseen his first training session with Les Phocéens on Wednesday afternoon.
The former AC Milan midfielder has been officially appointed as the new Marseille boss. Gattuso replaces Spanish manager Marcelino, who handed in his resignation following last week’s crisis at OM. The Marseille players were informed on Wednesday morning that their training session would be moved to the afternoon, meaning Marseille’s pursuit of their new manager was coming to a close.
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According to L’Équipe, Marseille president Pablo Longoria introduced Gattuso to his new players. The 2006 World Cup winner spoke in Italian and in Spanish – his speech was translated by assistant coach turned interim manager Jacques Abardonado. Gattuso delivered a clear message of unity. The former Napoli and AC Milan manager said, in substance, that he wanted his Marseille squad to be a family: “In a family, we fight each other, we back each other and we tell ourselves some truths. But we fight together until death.“
Gattuso got to the point and revealed that everyone would be on the same starting line when it comes to the hierarchy within the dressing room. The 45-year-old manager said he didn’t much care what the players did before and asked them only one thing: “Be warriors on the pitch.” Marseille centre-back Samuel Gigot previously lamented the lack of fighting spirit and “balls” showed by his teammates during Sunday’s one-sided Classique. Les Phocéens will face AS Monaco this Saturday.
GFFN | Bastien Cheval
