Impressed by the quality of the clash between OM and LOSC (1-1) and the ambitious approach of the two coaches, “After Foot” was rave about the Mastiffs. Walid Acherchour and Kevin Diaz, columnists for the show, salute the start of the Lille season and the work of Bruno Genesio.
OM – LOSC, already a benchmark for the season in Ligue 1
A 1-1 everywhere which does not say its name as it was lively, contested and spectacular. “ In Ligue 1, it’s the match of the year, the best I’ve seen all season in terms of tactical opposition, intensity and atmosphereassure Kevin Diazconsultant de l’After Foot. There were a lot of chances for few goals, especially with an excellent Geronimo Rulli. The first quarter of an hour, OM wants to come out and Bruno Genesio and his gang show that it will be difficult today. And both teams are taking crazy risks! »
A fire shared by Walid Acherchour: “ In the first half, we have two coaches who have ideas and are convinced of their ideas. Genesio arrives with this offensive line of four blocking Rongier and Hojbjerg, Marseille struggles to come out with the ball but continues and is rewarded on goal with a rapid attack. But overall, OM are in difficulty and fortunately Jonathan David eats up a lot of chances. Lille would have deserved a little better without a great Rulli. In the second half, Marseille is much better ».
The Mastiffs more cheated or helped by arbitration?
The editorialist, however, regrets the arbitration of Willy Delajodwhich did not benefit anyone as the disputed decisions were on both sides, but which did not seem up to the occasion. “ For me, there is a block on Balerdi on the Lille goal (87′)he analyzes. As much at real speed, I don’t think there is a penalty, as much as if he goes to see the VAR, there is a penalty every day on Gudmundsson’s contact against Hojbjerg (80′). And even for Lille, there are two or three situations including a three-way counterattack against two Lille players over which Genesio is furious. The referee was upside down. »
The fact remains that LOSC continues to convince at the start of the season. “ I am amazed by Lille, by the tactical proposal, the workcontinues Walid Acherchour. They come out of a Champions League match against Sturm Graz, beyond fatigue and rotation, we need to talk about the work of Genesio and his staff. LOSC directly puts enormous intensity and pressure which puts OM in difficulty. I saw teams at the Vélodrome, notably Monaco, being cut in two when faced with their Marseille restarts. We are at the end of 2024, we can take stock: do what they did by starting in the play-offs (of the Champions League) with the loss of Bentaleb for his heart problems, the loss of Lens Yoro, the end of David’s contract , the transfer window where you can’t do crazy things and where you take young people, the injury to Tiago Santos… It’s crazy what they achieve! They are on 27 points, qualified for the Champions League after six matches. On the overall work and in big matches, it plays a role every time. I’ve never been a big fan of Genesio, but what he does is amazing. »
LOSC more than ever a model club
A success on all levels for Kevin Diaz. “ It’s the club, from the supporters to the president, including the coach and the playersgreets the former professional player. This is the correlation between recruitment, the coach and the mentality instilled by Olivier Létang. » « We need to gain some perspective on the club projectbelieves Acherchour. If you look at it on a daily basis, you find imperfections, but it’s logical since they play with a lot of young people. There are imperfect matches against Montpellier or Rennes, but they have this reliability. »
And to conclude: “ The squad is not great, but there is a very high technical level in the eleven and on the bench. There is this energy and this dynamic driven by Genesio. The feedback I have on him is that he’s a great guy, a coach who doesn’t bother his players, who is very understanding and unifying.. He is a great manager, very well surrounded by good staff. We will have to see later because Ligue 1 is very homogeneous, but all the signals are green ».
Source : RMC
Photo credits: Anthony Dibon/Icon Sport
