Sampaoli on Mandanda before Feyenoord
“The idea is to repeat the same format as against PAOK Salonika.”
Asked who of Mandanda and Pau Lopez will play the next matches, Jorge Sampaoli explained that it would surely work in the same way as during OM-PAOK. Mandanda had played both games against the Greeks and in the middle of the OM-Montpellier game to keep up the pace. This would mean that Mandanda would play against Lyon, OM-OL being placed between the two meetings against Feyenoord. A small doubt remains as to who will keep the Olympian cage on Sunday in Reims.
If Sampaoli follows his logic, it will be Pau Lopez. But the performances of the Spaniard being less decisive lately, it is not excluded that Mandanda is established as of Sunday. To be continued, therefore.
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Sampaoli on the next two away games
“We consider that the opponent has a lot to do. When you play outside, the opponent comes out a little more and is perhaps a little more vulnerable. At the Vélodrome, the opponents close the game more. At the start of the season, we also had less control of the game. This is what made us sometimes lose our serenity with the ball, our patience. We then understood that the best way to win at home was to control the game. Against Nantes, we were behind twice and we overthrew it playing football, being convinced that the game was going to allow us to win. Outside, it’s a little more open and we manage to be a a little more solid. It’s very important the points, both at home and away, will be very important for the end of the season.”
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Sampaoli sur Amine Harit
“Sometimes the coaches, we have so many obligations and needs, the urgency to win comes very quickly, that we don’t expect players who play a few games less well, or not as we would hope. That’s my responsibility for not having taken advantage of Amine at certain times. When we chose him, we knew what was expected of him and I did not have the patience to put up with some mistakes he may have made in some games and that took him away from the team. But I still think he’s a player who can improve a lot. Very few players in the world create as many imbalances as he does. I think the same thing as when I brought him, I hope he stays for a long time. He’s a type of player on the verge of extinction, there aren’t many of them. You have to take advantage of it. I didn’t have the patience to enjoy him sooner, but now I hope to enjoy him more.”
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Sampaoli on the contribution of the side
“We must always evolve. Those who make the victories are the players, but they still have a lot to understand in our positional game. On this point, we must continue to evolve. When we play with a central full-back like Luan Peres, he comes to fix the position between the central and the winger, he is a less offensive player. Same with Rongier, he goes into the heart of the game to create superiority, and Pol Lirola yes he will take the side, it’s a full-back who attacks and keeps the line. The full-back is always covered by the central, and the central by the full-back. It all depends on the characteristics of the players who are starting out. We have a lot of fairly central full-backs, now we have some two more offensive with Lirola and Kolasinac.”
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Sampaoli on preparing for matches
“The analysis is linked to the present of each team, the system that our opponents have been using recently. We work out the game plan, our position on the pitch, and from there we decide the tactics. The position is decisive for us to be able to get the ball out behind, to keep the ball in the opposing camp rather than ours. This requires concentration on our position, to generate numerical superiority in certain areas of the field and to be able to advance. There are teams that go out to press high, others waiting, you have to define the strategy each time. Then there is the execution and for that you have to choose the players. This is the path we have followed all year. us, but also thinking about the opponent, always having a plan after watching them on video.”
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Sampaoli on Guendouzi’s mentality
“He has a very competitive DNA, he always wants to win. But beyond that, he has recently shown great ability in the game which allows us to have a very good development on the pitch. He sets the pace game, which allows you to be much more precise when making decisions. I think it’s the typical player who has an indefinite ceiling. He will continue to progress, we will discover his limits over time. He is key for us, by his energy and his footballing qualities.”
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Sampaoli on the state of the group
“Cedric has a little discomfort in his knee, we’ll see how it evolves tomorrow but it bothered him today. Under will be there too. For all the other players, there is nothing to report except of course a logical fatigue 48 hours after the match. We have to be careful because we have a busy schedule.”
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Bakambu on his physical condition
“I felt a little discomfort in the knee, I preferred not to take any risks, so I returned to work indoors, but I am available for Sunday.”
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Bakambu on the Congolese selection
“How did I experience the last meeting? Very badly, it’s an elimination for sure. We had to get back into the swing of things quickly because there is an incredible pace with matches every three days. For We’re not there yet, we’ll see later. For the moment, I’m focused on OM.”
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Bakambu on OM’s European epic
“To tell you the truth, OM-Leipzig didn’t need to be told to me, I had seen it live and I had seen that it was incredible. It’s for this kind of emotion that we love sport and football. I hope we can relive those same emotions against Feyenoord Rotterdam.”
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Alert for Bakambu
Striker Cédric Bakambu felt muscle pain and stopped training to speak with Sampaoli and join the medical staff. The Congolese international should normally participate in the press conference later…
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Under present in training
No notable absence from OM training this Friday morning, apart from those of long standing (Balerdi, De la Fuente, Alvaro). Package Wednesday against Nantes for a knee alert, the Turkish Cengiz Under performs well at the start of the session with the rest of the group. He had also trained on Thursday.
eGFR
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The north bend will not be empty against Feyenoord
First sanctioned for the Conference League semi-final against Feyenoord, the north corner of the Vélodrome will not be empty. This should please Jorge Sampaoli.
>> Read more info here
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Hello everyone,
Second in Ligue 1, Marseille travel to Reims on Sunday evening at the end of the 34th day of the season. Second behind PSG, OM can consolidate their place on the podium and get closer to direct qualification for the next Champions League in the event of a victory against the Champenois.
From 1:45 p.m., follow Jorge Sampaoli’s press conference live before Reims-OM.
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