Marseille... in crisis
Marseille – Reuters – Olympique de Marseille has fallen into crisis after a string of poor results left it struggling in second-from-bottom in the French football league, with a decline in performance stemming from financial restrictions imposed before the start of the season.
Marseille suffered its fifth consecutive defeat after losing 1-2 at home to arch-rivals Paris Saint-Germain.
The club was unable to strengthen its squad before the season began, following strict spending limits imposed by both the European football governing body, UEFA, and the French football financial monitoring body.
Record losses led to a reduction in the wage budget and the release of players, but it was not expected that Marseille would suffer to the extent it has in recent weeks.
Manager Bruno Genesio said after the defeat at the Velodrome: “We can lose, that is part of football, but being content with honorable defeats, especially four consecutive league losses, is unacceptable.” He added: “We know that every match in the French league is difficult, and when you manage to pick up points against very strong teams, it gives you confidence and allows you to build on that.”
He continued: “In the last few matches, we have not gotten what we deserved, but we also have not done enough to deserve better.”
Genesio, who took charge of the team at the start of the season after leaving Lille, will use the next three weeks during the international break to assess the situation.
He added: “There is no talk of resignation. I will review the situation with the management, my staff, and the players, because what matters to me now is helping the team improve.”
He affirmed that “regarding the team’s spirit and commitment, I have little to criticize since the start of the season. We simply need to perform better in our own penalty area. We are conceding a very high number of avoidable goals.”
Marseille, which finished fifth last season, collected only three points from its first five league matches and lost 1-4 to Turkish hosts Besiktas in its first European League match last week.
