More than two and a half years after his sudden departure from OM, Jorge Sampaoli, now coach of Stade Rennais, will face Marseille this Saturday at Roazhon Park (9:05 p.m., 17th day of Ligue 1). The Argentinian will find “an old love” that he had decided to leave too quickly after 17 months of intense life together.
Will Jorge Sampaoli be overcome with nostalgia at kick-off as he looks towards the Marseille bench? Will he remember July 1, 2022 when he decided to leave OM to everyone’s surprise? His Olympique de Marseille had, however, just a month earlier, qualified directly for the Champions League amid general jubilation at the Vélodrome (4-0 victory against Strasbourg). We remember the images of an ecstatic Sampaoli, exulting on the pitch with his players.
The Argentinian arrived in Marseille in a club in crisis marked by the damage at the Commanderie. 17 months later, he put it back on top. Before leaving. Asked to remember this unexpected end, the Argentine coach remained detached on Thursday at a press conference. “It’s too late to have regrets,” he said. “I left because they made decisions with which I did not agree. Out of respect for the President (Pablo Longoria), I preferred to take a step aside.”
Sampaoli concedes “too high a level of demands for leaders”
Sampaoli had resigned, burned in particular by the too few resources implemented in the off-season to be competitive in the Champions League. Building on the good season that had just ended, he felt legitimate in his sometimes unfeasible demands, even if it meant being uncompromising.
More than two years later, when he arrived on the Rennes bench last November, the Argentinian conceded on his career “a level of demands that is too high for the managers”, explaining his express visits to the clubs. “I realize that my ambitions are excessive and I have to work on that,” he admitted. It’s never too late, even at 64. Was he thinking in particular of OM? According to corroborating sources, Sampaoli regretted enormously for having left so quickly and for having let go of a passionate club as he loves them, which is moreover a club sportingly qualified for the Champions League, which will perhaps never happen again. His following experiences on the bench of a poorly ranked Sevilla FC or today at Rennes go in this direction. “Marseille is a place where they loved me a lot and which I loved a lot,” he said again at a press conference without elaborating further. “Today, life means that they are an opponent and we must do everything to beat them even if they are one of the best teams in the championship.”
Jorge Sampaoli spent 67 matches on the OM bench. Seen from Marseille, the Argentinian leaves his passage with a good image. Within the club, we describe a pleasant man, hard working and very demanding. The memories are also good among the supporters, even if his departure aroused incomprehension and a little anger at the chronic instability of the club.
Marseille supporters respect him, despite some black spots
His successor, Igor Tudor, appointed three days after Sampaoli’s departure, paid the price by being whistled by the Vélodrome when his name was announced even before his first match (Marseille-Reims, August 7, 2022). Still, Sampaoli’s passion and character on the bench were a perfect fit for the club and the city. The supporters know that he gave everything and respect him for that. There remain a few dark spots, such as uneven performances at the Vélodrome, a sometimes boring possession game and this elimination in the Conference League semi-final with a disappointing 0-0 in the return match. The Marseillais also accuse him of having triggered the downgrading of idol Steve Mandanda by putting him on the bench in favor of Pau Lopez. The explanations given were not convincing. The goalkeeper, the most capped player in the history of OM, had fled his situation by going to Rennes, where, ironically, the scenario repeats itself with the arrival of Brice Samba, whom Sampaoli should install in the cages Rennes this Saturday. But even on the bench, Mandanda will certainly be entitled to a nice ovation from the Marseille pitch, which will be full at Roazhon Park, with 1,300 supporters expected. On the applause meter, Sampaoli will not be able to compete.
Xavier Grimault (with F.Ge)
