From Canet-en-Roussillon to Cannet-Rocheville: nine months after a humiliating elimination against a National 2 team, Marseille finds Sunday (13:45) the Coupe de France against a club of an even lower level (N3) and hopes to be at the safe from a new accident.
Jorge Sampaoli had seen it on television, in his hotel room.
The Argentinian technician had arrived in Marseille just a few days ago and had to respect a period of isolation when OM fell in Perpignan (2-1) against fans from Canet-en-Roussillon.
It was then the last game of the interim provided by Nasser Larguet and OM had hit the low point of a terrible start to the year, marked by the resignation of André Villas-Boas, the invasion of the Commandery by supporters and the sidelining of then president Jacques-Henri Eyraud.
Pablo Longoria was therefore a brand new president when he judged the debacle "
inadmissible in relation (...) to the institution that is OM
".
Nine months later, OM are better, well installed on the podium in Ligue 1 (2nd), and a new disaster seems unlikely in the 32nd final against Cannet-Rocheville, a small club from the Alpes-Maritimes which plays in N3, especially at the Stade Vélodrome, where the match was finally scheduled.
"
We are going to face a team that will come with a lot of hope and with the desire to take advantage of this unique moment,
" Sampaoli recalled all the same on Friday.
In fact, around twenty coaches will leave Cannet on Sunday morning to bring some of the 3,000 local supporters to Marseille who will attend what is presented as "
the match of the century
" for the Entente Sportive du Cannet-Rocheville.
Title Desire
With four levels of difference between the two teams, Sampaoli could be tempted to rotate his squad and launch those in his group who lack the most playing time, such as Jordan Amavi, Amine Harit, Alvaro Gonzalez or Luis Henrique.
"
We also have a match on Wednesday (against Reims in L1, Editor's note) and it's true that I have the possibility of using more players,
" he admitted.
“
You also have to know that winning is very important.
There are always a lot of surprises in these competitions because some teams and players downplay their importance.
I have to see who is ready to play against this kind of team, very different from those we face in the league but which can still hurt us
, ”he added all the same.
The former Argentina coach also knows that the Coupe de France is an important competition in Marseille, whose 10th success in the event dates back to 1989. “
We must do our best to go as far as possible in this event, which gives us more possibility of a title than the championship,
”he said.
And as OM have not won anything since 2012, this quest for the title has become a recurring element in Sampaoli's speech, as was already the case with Villas-Boas.
“
I don't need it, but it's for the people of Marseille.
It's the people who live here that need it, the club, the city.
It is a popular desire.
We are just passing through, but we would like to have this possibility of offering them,
”he explained.
The first stage is scheduled for Sunday against Cannet-Rocheville.
Barring an accident, there will be others, and more difficult.