Waterspouts as a farewell. The deluge falls on the Phocaean city and the Robert-Louis-Dreyfus center this Thursday, June 1st in the early afternoon. In front of the press building, Pablo Longoria waits before entering the arena, quickly joined by his faithful, Javier Ribalta. The two men surround Igor Tudor on the stage of the auditorium, in front of a packed house, which also includes the sports director, David Friio. It is not a question of making an assessment of the exercise but of formalizing the news fallen in the morning: the departure of Tudor at the end of the season.
"We agreed to respect Igor Tudor's choice not to continue the adventure with us after June 30. On behalf of all leaders, I thank Igor for the good work he did with great respect. We shared values of rigour, performance, work, high standards (...) This gives us the direction for the future: work culture, demand, ambition, building a workforce with good values," begins the Spanish leader in French. The tone is sober, sometimes even cheerful, and courteous, far from the stifling climate of André Villas-Boas' departure in February 2021.
Almost a year after his arrival in Marseille, the native of Split, 44, leaves OM, a tradition for him who has never stayed more than a year in club as a technician. Some say he is blunt after a hectic exercise, but the person concerned evokes "private and professional reasons", without pouring out. "I was honored to have a great year here with the energy of the city, the fans. It's a great experience, I've grown up. I'm sure I'm leaving the club in a better situation than I found it. I don't have any agreement with any other club. I'm not angry with anyone," he added, as rumours sent him every day to Juventus, his club of heart.
Mental wear? Lack of family – his relatives having remained in Croatia -, fatigue related to the local environment... The reasons for his departure are diverse but form a whole.
"I have rarely known a coach with so much involvement"
For a year, the former coach of Hellas Verona has shown himself invested in his mission, bringing to the Olympian institution a culture of work, requirement and rigor on a daily basis, and obtaining results that are both interesting (3rd place in L1) and frustrating (4th in Group D in C1), even disappointing (elimination against Annecy in the quarters of the Coupe de France).
"I have rarely known a coach with such involvement, slips Valentin Rongier, who will know next season his 5th coach at OM since his arrival in 2019. It has been straight from the start. He brought even more rigor to this club, he was very involved with everyone. He announced it to us this morning (Thursday morning), we were necessarily a little surprised, but these are the vagaries of football (...) He brought rigor and seriousness, another mentality that we are not used to having and knowing in France: it was his watchword from the beginning. »
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After André Villas-Boas (2019-2021), interim Nasser Larguet (February 2021), Jorge Sampaoli (April 2021 - July 2022), OM sees a new coach pack up before the end of his contract, which may raise questions about the stability of the project. "There is a requirement here and we have to adapt. This type of change is also the consequence of the size of the club, of the current trend in modern football (...) I don't believe in instability, it's about making honest decisions with transparency," says Pablo Longoria.
What's next? On Monday afternoon, the president of OM will hold a press conference to take stock of the current season and discuss the future, but there is no doubt that the principles of the Croatian have pleased the sky and white board, which should appoint a coach in the same line. Marcelino, free since his departure from Athletic Bilbao in June 2022, and close to Longoria, is one track under consideration among others. This Saturday evening (21 pm), Tudor will play in Ajaccio his last match under the colors of Marseille, before heading to Italy, for a new project, or Croatia, for a few months of rest.