Marseille Coach: An Honorable Loss Cannot Satisfy Me

Bruno Genesio spoke after his Marseille side suffered a 2-1 defeat to their eternal rivals Paris Saint-Germain in the season's first "Le Classique." This marked the fifth consecutive loss for the Provençal club across all competitions, coming just days after a 4-1 thrashing by Beşiktaş in the Europa League.

"I'm a bit tired of repeating the same things. An honorable loss cannot satisfy me. We often lose due to the same mistakes. It's frustrating. I'm not angry or furious. This group of players gave their absolute maximum tonight, and even more. They stood up against the best team in Europe. But I cannot be satisfied with that. I'm not in this profession to celebrate a 2-1 loss just because we played against the strongest team in Europe. That's not why I'm a coach. For three or four weeks now, the same issues have been recurring."

"I have nothing to reproach my players for, except perhaps a lack of concentration and maturity. When you equalize in such a way, emotions run high, but immediately after, we conceded a second goal. In everything else, they were disciplined, they meticulously followed the defensive plan we had built. They did what was necessary in ball distribution to take the Parisians out of their comfort zone and create problems for them," Genesio stated.

Given the team's negative run, the coach commented on his future and whether he had discussed it with the club's management.

"I have no intention of resigning. We are in daily discussions with the management. Now there's an international break, we'll get some rest, which will do us good. We will also continue to work, because we need to. Some players will join their national teams. I have nothing else to tell you. I have no intention of resigning. I will take stock with the management, with my staff, with the players, because right now, what interests me is making the team progress," Genesio added.

The coach was also asked about the team's morale and whether he expects a turnaround in fortunes, given upcoming matches against seemingly weaker opponents like Angers and Troyes.

"That's precisely where the danger lies. Players are always disappointed and frustrated after a loss, just like me. And then, you're right. At Marseille, we cannot be satisfied with an honorable loss. I repeat, losses are part of football, but to be satisfied with honorable losses, especially four consecutive ones in the league, is unacceptable. And I hear comments like: 'It's true we played against strong teams, we weren't very lucky...' The schedule wasn't very kind to us. We played 'Le Classique' immediately after a European competition match, while Paris Saint-Germain didn't have that problem. That's just a coincidence.

I hear things will improve. We know that all matches in Ligue 1 are tough. And when you can earn points against very good teams, it gives you confidence and allows you to build upon it. In the last few matches, we didn't get rewarded for our efforts, but we also didn't do enough to deserve anything more," Genesio concluded.

Furthermore, Marseille is one of Levski's future opponents in the main phase of the Europa League. The Provençal side will host the Bulgarian champions at the "Vélodrome" on November 26.