Europa League: OM, shield experience to fend off Atalanta and dream of a fourth final
With his cap screwed on his head and his smile hanging from ear to ear, Jean-Louis Gasset enjoys it. At 71 years old, the firefighter called to the rescue of OM this winter will play his first European semi-final as head coach, Thursday May 2, against Atalanta Bergamo. So, on the eve of the first leg at the Vélodrome, the Marseille coach took advantage of the moment, while displaying Olympian calm, like OM, although far from being favorites in their semi-final.
“Here, it’s not a club but an entire city playing a European Cup semi-final”, summed up the technician who, in a few months, took the temperature of a club and a city which are sublimating themselves on the continental scene. It is not the current season which will change the reputation of OM, very far from its podium objectives in Ligue 1 (7th), but in the race to play a fourth Europa League final in 25 years, after those of 1999, 2004 and 2018. Before that, we will have to overcome the obstacle of the semi-finals: this is good, OM have never been eliminated at this stage in C3.
It is therefore with a certain force of habit that Marseille approaches this last four of the Europa League, even though Atalanta Bergamo, the executioner of Liverpool in the previous round, stands before them. A team little known to the general French public, but praised by Jean-Louis Gasset: “It’s not the loudest name we’ve had to play in this cup, but it’s the best team we’ve had to face. The coach has been there for eight years, he has consolidated his team year after year, and he tickles the big guys in the Italian championship. It’s a very high-level squad.”
The OM coach also warned: “You have to prepare for a fight. This is a team that wants to challenge you”. A fight that the Marseillais are tackling with a squad that is sticking its tongue out, physically, but with several returns from the infirmary in recent days, including those of Jonathan Clauss, Ismaïla Sarr and Quentin Merlin. “We’ve been building momentum since Benfica, even if we haven’t been fantastic. We have the right state of mind. It must be maintainedappreciates Jean-Louis Gasset. Against Atalanta, we will have to take it up a notch, together, with our public.”
The Marseille coach knows it well: in these major events, one of OM’s strengths is its audience and its stadium. This season, only PSG won there, in Ligue 1. “The Vélodrome is part of the event, it’s up to us to use it in the right way”hopes Jonathan Clauss, It’s up to them to push us and it’s up to us to use this force. The Vélodrome can impress and disrupt the opponent. It’s up to us to use this 10% loss of confidence from the adversary.”. Even if Atalanta Bergamo proved at Anfield, against Liverpool, that it did not fear legendary atmospheres.
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