He is the face of the post Jacques-Henri Eyraud in Marseille.
Passed from sports director to president of OM at the beginning of March, Pablo Longoria did not receive a promotion in the most serene of climates.
The invasion of the Commandery and the resignation of André Villas-Boas a month earlier, coupled with disappointing results, have left a mark on the supporters.
But the seduction operation led by Longoria is, for the moment, quite successful.
He drew Argentina coach Jorge Sampaoli despite the context.
Since then, OM have taken 10 points out of 15 possible in Ligue 1. The recruitment of Sampaoli was "to return to the pure feeling of Marseille", commented Longoria in the columns of the Spanish daily
El Pais
.
More preciously, there were two points behind this idea.
"A sentimental point, because Sampaoli perfectly matches the mentality of the city and the club", underlines Longoria.
But also a point of view of the game, "with a football proposal that people expect in Marseille: aggressive pressing after losing the ball, trying to keep the ball to defend with a high block".
"Marseille is a city of passion and you must have an equally passionate approach to the game", summarizes Longoria.
"When I recruit a player, especially if he is South American, I tell him: 'You come to play for Boca Juniors of Europe'"
Pablo Longoria, President of Olympique de Marseille
This mad love for football in Marseille, Longoria (34) assimilated it: “When you are a leader, it is as if the supporters are offering you something:“ manage my passion and my feelings. ”
Football is a social medium that allows you to experience a series of feelings that your everyday life does not give you.
As a leader, you are the guarantor of people's feelings. ”
The Marseille president goes even further in his analysis of the Marseille city.
“When I recruit a player, especially if he is South American, I tell him: 'You come to play for Boca Juniors in Europe,' he confides.
In Marseille, the effort is not negotiable.
There are three very similar cities in the world: Naples, Buenos Aires and Montevideo. ”
Longoria insists on the comparison with the Argentine capital, because “Marseille is a port of entry for immigrants, a hard-working city with a mixture of cultures”.
Milik's first goal with OM against Lens last February (2-2)
Longoria criticizes coaches in France
But in the life of Pablo Longoria, it's not just OM.
There is all the French football that he hopes to shoot to the top.
El Pais recalls that, this season, France is ranked 8th in relation to the performance of its clubs in European competitions, behind the Netherlands, Portugal and Scotland.
Longoria believes that it is "difficult to increase the level" of Ligue 1, an "exporting championship" and in lack of "identity".
"The training of footballers in France is comparable to that of basketball players in the United States," Longoria develops.
It is a football that is still played in the street, it is more individual training than collective.
When it comes to football, France is the NBA of Europe.
They form very individualistic players, who do not enter into a concrete idea of the game, precisely because of this search for identity.
There is no French game model. ”
France can boast of having some of the best footballers in the world, and this is what explains the success of the Blues with the victory at the 2018 World Cup in its climax.
But she can't say the same for her coaches.
“It is one of the countries which exports the least number of coaches, regrets Longoria.
They don't sell collective ideas. ”
An axis of progression clearly identified by the president of OM, according to whom "French football is looking for its way".
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