Marseille’s win over PSG may have only put them through to the quarter-finals of the Coupe de France, but the win felt like much more. The emotion shown after the match made it clear that this type of performance not only ignited the fans but the players.
After the 2-1 victory in the Stade Vélodrome (Orange Vélodrome) head coach Igor Tudor spoke to the media about the victory. The Croatian manager was asked if this was their best performance since his arrival. He explained, “I don’t like to compare too much but I think we did very well, especially when we saw the match we had against Nice in Ligue 1. Especially against this opponent, at a high pace. Players can be proud.”
OM’s rivalry with PSG has been a lopsided battle over the last decade. The former Juventus man spoke about breaking PSG’s run of dominance stating, “It’s a beautiful thing. They are a very strong opponent that we faced, it’s hard to press for 90 minutes. But when we were down, we conceded little. We have really improved in our way of defending”
One of the biggest surprises of the Coupe de France Classique was Rongier in a defensive role. Tudor spoke about the decision to deploy the midfielder in the new role, “With his intelligence, he can adapt. With the ball, he gives you quality. We joked about it together at the end of the match, I told him that he could be a defender from now on. In general, defenders and midfielders can have the same role, we see it with our central players who move up. It’s part of our game.”
OM may have been unlucky to be out of European competition, but they now are in a good position to not only fight for the Coupe de France but a Ligue 1 championship. We are beginning to see the overwhelmingly intense style that the Croatian coach is known for. While there is plenty of football to be played, France’s most decorated club may finally be in a position to compete for a trophy after quite some time.
GFFN | Tony DesRois
