After his goal, Florian Thauvin threw himself into the arms of Jorge Sampaoli.
The new Marseille coach, long consumed by stress, had well deserved his "abrazo".
Arek Milik, Florian Thauvin and Michaël Cuisance offered him a victory against Brest (3-1) this Saturday, his birthday.
This is the first time since August 2012 that a new OM coach has won his first two Ligue 1 matches. The former Marseille coach (in 2001-2002 and 2006-2007) Albert Emon dissects this performance.
A shock of confidence
“The team has freed itself mentally, appreciates Albert Emon.
The Marseillais are no longer afraid to hold the ball, to do the pressing and to project themselves.
In my opinion, Jorge Sampaoli has unlocked something at the psychological level.
There is always a reaction from the players when you change coaches, they want to show that they are good to start.
It is over time that we will see if he manages to maintain this.
But he already brings a certain freshness, an aggressiveness in his speech, which makes players want to go always higher!
He arrives at a top club, with a crazy mentality.
He knows he has to be enthusiastic and communicate that to his players.
This is the main difference for me: they want a lot, despite less shots of course on the physical level.
"
A winning offensive coaching
This was already the case on Wednesday in Rennes (1-0 victory): this Saturday, against Brest, the solution came from the bench.
Against the Rouge et Noir, the three substitutes (Dario Benedetto, Michaël Cuisance and Luis Henrique) were involved in the action of the goal.
Rebelote, therefore, against Brest, with two assists from Luis Henrique and a new goal from Michaël Cuisance.
Albert Emon is enthusiastic: “It shows: Jorge Sampaoli has a desire for madness!
He really wants to win games, hence his offensive coaching.
It's smart to bring in Luis Henrique.
He is obviously a player who has a very strong mind, a real character.
He is able to make assists at the end of the game, after having spent the match on the bench.
"
A new system already mastered
For Albert Emon, the new system with three central defenders is relevant.
“The team is not unbalanced, it stays in place even when it has a less physical blow, like at the start of the second half against Brest.
The central defenders protect the axis of the game well. As the side players go fast, it's a good system for Marseille.
Florian Thauvin finds himself as a runner-up but he knows how to do it, he is able to leave the lane to Pol Lirola to be present in the heart of the game, like Dimitri Payet.
In the first half against Brest, the pressing was really perfect.
Gamers are more mobile, they make more calls.
This was already the case against Rennes, but as Brest was more offensive, they left space for the Marseillais.
It offered them more solutions and they were able to take advantage of it.
When the Marseillais are at 100% physically, we will see a very competitive team for the end of the championship!
"
