An earthquake, and then several tremors. The stormy meeting, in mid-September, between supporters of Olympique de Marseille, who demanded the departure of the Marseille staff, and Pablo Longoria had numerous repercussions, including the resignation of Marcelino, the Spanish coach then in office, after a difficult start to the season, with checkered results, elimination in the preliminary round of the Champions League and a passable game.
After several chaotic days, Gennaro Gattuso took over on September 27. The Italian returned, in The Team, on the genesis of his arrival in the South-East: “I was coming out of a week where I had spoken with Lyon. And, three or four days after the interruption of my discussions with OL, Pablo (Longoria) called me. (…) I asked for a day of reflection to give my answer. I called my staff and we started working, we got an idea. And we decided to come, without any worry or hesitation. »
Discussions with John Textor
And this is how the former AC Milan midfielder came to occupy the vacant place on the OM bench. Gattuso, who admitted to having only spoken to John Textor [qui cherchait un remplaçant à Laurent Blanc à Lyon], was looking above all for a challenge that would allow him to “feel alive”, as he indicates in the interview given to L’Equipe: “When you have 65,000 people at the stadium and more than 3 to 4 million in France who support… (…) This feeling of belonging is extraordinary. »
On Sunday, there should still be many Marseille supporters in the stands of the Saint-Symphorien stadium in Metz, where the 32nd final of the Coupe de France between Thionville (National 3) and Olympique de Marseille will take place. And, in the event of a hard blow, Marseille’s passion could tickle the Italian’s ears.