Football (Europa League): Marseille wants to avoid the wrong note against Atalanta

Sunday, after a success that fell from the sky against Lens (2-1), Samuel Gigot gathered his teammates in a circle. “We’re going to go to the final, guys! We’re going to give it our all until the end! We are still alive! », Proclaimed the Marseille captain, who will be suspended this Thursday.

Gigot’s harangue confirmed that Atalanta was indeed in the minds of the Marseillais from Sunday, and undoubtedly even a little before. His sentence also reminds us that if OM, 7^e of L1, is “still alive”, it is probably to the Europa League that he owes it.

As early as September, in the midst of a governance crisis, without a coach and with a management which had “taken a step back”, OM had thus brought home a commendable 3-3 from a trip against Ajax in Amsterdam.

Victory on penalties against Benfica

Throughout their journey to the semi-finals, the Marseillais also eliminated Shakhtar Donetsk, Villarreal and their former coach Marcelino, then Benfica on penalties, an evening when the Vélodrome made a resounding noise.

“Europe inspired us. We had the feeling of a breath of fresh air, it did us a lot of good,” confirmed Jonathan Clauss on Wednesday.

“The results and performances gave us confidence when we were in difficulty. And now, we arrive at this semi-final which allows us to finish this season as best as possible,” added the OM international right-back.

Social peace

Jean-Louis Gasset, who started on the Marseille bench one evening of the European Cup against Donetsk (3-1), also confirmed the special link that exists between continental competitions and OM, and even a little more.

“The impression I have is that it’s not just a club. An entire city is going to play a European Cup semi-final. We can’t take a step without someone talking to us about it. This is how I feel. We are proud of our progress and it does not only concern the club, but the whole city,” added the Marseille coach.

On the supporters’ side, we also recognize that the good run in C3 and the prospect of seeing Dublin on May 20 contributed to maintaining a form of social peace, which could have been threatened by the vexations of a failed season in championship.

But OM and their public have finally made their way in this Europa League and are preparing to experience their third European semi-final in seven years against Atalanta.

Three finals lost by Marseille

In 2018, Rudi Garcia’s team continued its journey to the final, where it was stopped by Atlético de Madrid. In 2022, on the other hand, with Jorge Sampaoli, the adventure ended in the semi-final against Feyenoord Rotterdam.

Against Atalanta, OM therefore hopes to win a new C3 final, which would be the fourth after those, all lost, in 1999, 2004 and 2018.

“It’s something very important and we are happy to be able to play this semi-final against a very strong team. But we must not be satisfied with this happiness,” warned Marseille president Pablo Longoria on Sunday, who will return to a club where he was a very young recruiter in the early 2010s.

“The semi-final is not the objective, it is the path to the final and the possibility of winning a title,” he especially recalled.

Program. Europa League semi-finals: Marseille/Atalanta Bergamo, AS Roma/Bayer Leverkusen (this Thursday 9 p.m.). Return matches Thursday May 9. Europa Conference League: Fiorentina/Club Bruges, Aston Villa/Olympiakos (this Thursday 9 p.m.). Return matches Thursday May 9.