When the house catches fire, you have to call a firefighter. It is in this role that Gennaro Gattuso arrives at OM. The Italian, although not really known for his calm temperament, had already been strongly anticipated to replace Laurent Blanc in Lyon last month. He finally joins another Olympic player in bad shape.
Will he be able to get back on its feet a team disoriented by a stormy internal context? His mixed past results and a last mediocre experience in Valencia (7 wins, 5 draws and 10 defeats) suggest the opposite. At 20 Minuteswe even believe that he will not last long, and we tell you the path that will lead Gattuso to an express dismissal, within three months.
September 28
Presentation of Gennaro Gattuso to the press by Pablo Longoria, who achieves a double blow: his new coach will also be his personal bodyguard. The contract provides for bonuses in the event of titles and broken jaws of detractors. For his first intervention in front of the press, the Italian balances a first punchline between two grunts: “Pope Francis has come to bless the Vélodrome, I have come to curse our adversaries. »
A speech charged with testosterone like Paul Pogba which has its effect on X (Twitter) among supporters dissatisfied with Marcelino’s negative charisma. The new OM coach also refuses to answer a question from the journalist from 20 minutes in Marseille: “I read your article di mierda, and you think I’m going to talk to you? »
September 30
First match, first victory (0-1) for OM Gattuso version at Louis-II. Monegasque goalkeeper Philipp Köhn was hit by a five-rebound shot from Valentin Rongier, while Pau Lopez was saved three times by his uprights. Up like a cuckoo, Gattuso gets confused with the three Allobroges, the ultra group which surrounds the Principality.
A journalist dares to question him about this not-unfortunate success, which finally shakes the Italian off his hinges: “Have you ever played football, except with girls in the schoolyard? We won with sweat and a good pair, that’s all I remember. » Embarrassed, the translator tries to soften the prose with a “What I remember is the three points”, which convinces no one, even non-Italian speakers.
October 5
No miracle against the Brighton of his compatriot (and supposedly more aesthetic) Roberto De Zerbi in the Europa League. Marseille lost 1-4 after another poor performance from Chancel Mbemba and possession at only 21%. Gattuso will regret this penalty on Aubameyang forgotten by the referee in the 67th minute, at 0-3, which “could have changed the match”. Qualification for the C3 round of 16 already compromised, but the prestigious Europa Conference League remains within reach.
October 7
The Italian’s staff made a big move by bringing in Ciryl Gane for training at the Commanderie with the aim of instilling the values that were those of Gattuso during his glory. “A good elbow strike or a well-placed knee strike can make the difference in MMA as in football,” the Italian will justify.
The Marseille players are worried about the short time devoted to assimilating a new tactical pattern but their cardio is improving considerably. Lacking a vision for the game, Valentin Rongier is no longer far from the minimums for Paris 2024 over 10,000 m.
October 8
Cold shower on the Vélodrome. The promoted team from Le Havre won 2-3 on the pitch at the Vélodrome, with a hat-trick from Mohamed Bayo. Entering in the 80th minute, Joaquin Correa reminds us that he is still playing football by signing an express double that Gattuso, sent off for insulting referee Gaël Angoula, will only see on video. “I have never seen such rotten refereeing, I have to say it if I am inconvenienced,” explodes the former Milanese after the meeting, in an excess of paranoia.
The next day, OM broadcast four penalty situations not called on social networks, according to the club, with the Italian coach in voice-over. An initiative that divides within the club, where the behavior and tactics of the new technician are increasingly questioning.
October 20
Surprise at the Commanderie during the traditional press conference the day before the match, since Gattuso does not appear in front of the media. “Lightning gastroenteritis” communicates the club off-line. Coincidence or coincidence, as Ligue 1 mobilizes against homophobia the next day? Gattuso “who doesn’t like Desigual clothes”, according to a close friend, will not be on the bench in Nice either.
No rainbow armband, therefore, for the one who had already demonstrated his open-mindedness on the subject in 2008: “I don’t agree with weddings between homosexuals. For me, it’s between a man and a woman. Yes, this scandalizes me, because I believe in family. But hey, everyone does what they want. »
October 22
Gennaro Gattuso is seen on the terrace by a Marseille supporter the day after the rout against OGC Nice (3-0). He calls him while filming himself. “We cry all day in front of our screen and you are there on the terrace instead of rewatching the crappy matches we made to analyze them. »
Less friendly than Vitinha, the Italian puts down the table, takes a napkin, calmly wipes his lips then gets up to face the disgruntled supporter. “Do you have a problem Hagrid?” Go back to your cabin to see if I’m there. » What happens next is blurry: a slap, the phone drops, the supporter begs for mercy from his attacker and runs off.
October 28
During the match eve conference against rival Lyon, Gennaro Gattuso signs his ultimate masterclass from the first question, focused on his possible resentment at having been stopped by OL the previous month: “Frankly, you think that Are the Lyon supporters delighted to have chosen the more polished coach of the two? In 2006, I helped Grosso win the biggest title of his career. But I no longer intend to do him any favors, and especially not to the other Amerloque who gave me his word before blocking my number. Besides, give him the message: I intend to see him before kick-off in the corridor of the Vélodrome to show him, man to man, the forty messages which were intended for him at the time. »
October 29
Cataclisma! Still bottom of Ligue 1 after their pathetic 0-0 against Clermont a week earlier, OL once again came to torment OM at the Vélodrome for… their first victory of the season in Ligue 1. Gattuso is having a hard time with it. lack of reaction from his troops in this very pale Olympico only marked by the strong charge of Caleta-Car facing the south turn after his decisive goal (0-1).
“Even at OFI Crete and Pisa, I had a more dangerous attack than here,” he says beside himself. If I have to sign my friend Pippo Inzaghi to bring competition here, I will do it. At 50 years old, he would still score against a team as pitiful as Lyon. »
November 5
After a sad draw (0-0) against Paulo Fonseca’s Losc, Gattuso arrived furious at a press conference because of a penalty forgotten by Stéphanie Frappart. “But what is this sea championship** in which women referee? I’ve never seen that in my life! Football is for guys,” he denounces, before realizing that his press secretary is a woman. Damn myasthenia, this disease which has caused him vision problems for ten years and forces him to regularly wear a pirate’s eye patch.
December 4
A meeting, planned for a long time, turns into trench warfare between groups of OM supporters and management. The representatives, Rachid Zeroual in the leadcriticize Longoria for having recruited a coach even crazier than them, more than the poor results and the relegation position of the club.
Except that this clever Pablo Longoria had the good idea to invite Gattuso to this friendly interview, and the Italian starts the leader of the South Winners: “You think it’s a grizzled grandpa who’s going to teach me how to play hard ? “. “Come and tell the local,” Zeroual replies, and the meeting ends there.
December 5
Gennaro Gattuso is the type to take things at face value and here he is heading towards rue Loubon alone. Without warning, he enters the famous South Winners premises and challenges Rachid Zeroual: “ Gli ho tolto la testa slab spalle (I’m going to take your head off your shoulders, according to Google translation). » Faced with such a threat, and caught at his own game, Rachid Zeroual announced his resignation the same evening.
December 20
OM ends 2023 with a draw in Montpellier (0-0). 18th in Ligue 1, Marseille implodes. But Gattuso is confident, the transfer window is approaching and there will surely be things to do with the infinite portfolio of his agent Jorge Mendes. The Italian and the Portuguese speak with Pablo Longoria at the end of the evening to plan a transfer window the next day.
December 21
Mendes places a box of pasteis de nata and his four telephones on the OM president’s desk. One of them, the “red phone,” won’t stop vibrating. This is the direct line with CR7, with whom he is still in contact despite the break with Gestifute: the Portuguese, furious at not receiving enough crosses to the head in Saudi Arabia, wants new recruits. “I only have 0.8 xG per match Jorge, não é possivel ! »
Between two whims of his star, the super agent offers Longoria a dream package: Sergio Oliveira (one yellow card per match minimum), João Moutinho (92 years old) and Rui Patricio (hasn’t stopped a ball since the final of the Euro 2016). The Spaniard barely has time to place one before Gattuso bangs his fist on the table. “I want these recruits. If I don’t have them, I’m out of here. Capisci? » The meeting ends with a final phone call from CR7. “I have to go, Cris has ruined his treadmill and his electrostimulation patches for the abs,” the agent apologizes.
December 24
Pablo Longoria has no intention of giving in to the demands of the Luso-Italian tandem, which has been harassing him for 72 hours. Pablo no longer sleeps, consumes six coffees a day and ends up breaking down. He summons Gattuso to thank him. Too few results, too many expulsions and controversies. Mendes will have been the last straw. OM will have a fourth coach in half a season. And Merry Christmas.