OM-Bilbao: Bruno Genesio "impressionné" by his first home match as Marseille coach

Marseille achieved a convincing victory against Athletic Bilbao in a pre-season friendly held at the Vélodrome, with a final score of 3-1. This match marked the home debut for Bruno Genesio as the new Marseille coach. The 59-year-old coach, who has previously managed Lyon, Rennes, and Lille, described the experience as very special.

This was Marseille's fourth victory, signaling an upward trend in their performance. They secured a convincing win against Athletic Bilbao on Sunday during a pre-season match at the Vélodrome, ending with a 3-1 scoreline. With a strong first half characterized by rhythm and determination, the Marseillais players, including goals from Angel Gomes, Igor Paixao, and the young Tadjidine Mmadi, emerged victorious against the Basque club. This performance allowed Bruno Genesio to make a successful home debut as the new coach of the Phocéen club. It was a particularly significant moment for the 59-year-old technician, who has previously coached OL, Losc, and Stade Rennais.

"When we entered the field, I felt a bit of a shiver," Genesio revealed after the match. "With that music, that atmosphere. It's truly special here; I experienced it as an opponent and always enjoyed playing here. Being on the other side makes it even more impressive. Seeing so many people and such an atmosphere for a pre-season match is something few clubs can offer. That's also why we're here. We do this job to experience these kinds of moments."

"It's not ideal, but we have to adapt"

Despite making significant substitutions against Bilbao, Bruno Genesio was pleased with his team's overall performance. "The players responded as expected, as we've been working on for five weeks of preparation. I saw many interesting aspects in terms of the content and the team spirit, also from those who came on during the match. They faced an opponent significantly stronger than those we've encountered before, which provided a good opportunity to assess what the players have absorbed since our arrival. We are satisfied."

Regarding transfers, the Marseille coach must navigate an uncertain future and a limited budget. "It's not ideal, I knew that. Perhaps not to this extent," he admitted. "It's not ideal, but we have to adapt. I am the coach, and I must get 100% out of the group available to me by September 1st. That's my job. Finances and everything related to the transfer market are not my domain. There are specialists for that, whom I trust. It will be up to us, the staff, to adapt to the group we have, get the most out of them, and set our objectives clearly."

Following this victory against Bilbao, OM will conclude their summer preparation with a prestigious fixture against Atlético de Madrid next Friday at 5:30 PM at the Vélodrome, a week before hosting Strasbourg on August 21st for the opening of Ligue 1.

OM-Bilbao: Bruno Genesio "impressed" by his first home match as Marseille coach

Marseille secured a convincing 3-1 victory against Athletic Bilbao in a pre-season friendly held at the Vélodrome. This occasion marked Bruno Genesio's debut at home as the new coach of Marseille. It was a very special moment for the 59-year-old coach, who has previously managed Lyon, Rennes, and Lille.

Securing a fourth win, Marseille is building momentum. The team achieved a convincing success against Athletic Bilbao this Sunday during a pre-season match at the Vélodrome, winning 3-1. After an interesting first half, marked by pace and desire, the Marseillais defeated the Basque club thanks to goals from Angel Gomes, Igor Paixao, and the young Tadjidine Mmadi. This allowed Bruno Genesio to make a successful home debut as the new coach of the Phocéen club. It was a very special moment for the 59-year-old technician, who previously managed OL, Losc, and Stade Rennais.

"When we entered the field, I felt a bit of a shiver," confessed the replacement for Habib Beye after the match. "With that music, that atmosphere. It's truly very special here; I knew it as an opponent and already took a lot of pleasure coming to play here. Being on the right side makes things even more impressive. Seeing so many people and such an atmosphere for a preparation match is something few clubs can offer. That's also why we're here. We do this job to experience these kinds of moments."

"It's not ideal, but we have to adapt"

Despite making a large number of substitutions against Bilbao, Bruno Genesio appreciated his team's overall performance: "The players responded to what we expected, to what we've been doing for five weeks of preparation. I saw many interesting things in terms of content and spirit, also from those who came on during the match. Facing them, it was an opponent largely superior to those we had already faced, which was good material to evaluate what the players have registered since our arrival. We are satisfied."

On the transfer market front, however, the Marseille coach must contend with an uncertain future and a limited budget. "It's not ideal, I knew that. Perhaps not to this extent," he admits. "It's not ideal, but we have to adapt. I am a coach, and I must get 100% out of the group available to me on September 1st. That's my job. Finances, everything related to the transfer market, it's not my profession. There are specialists for that, whom I trust. It will be up to us, the staff, to adapt to the group we have, get the maximum out of them, and clearly define our objectives."

After this victory against Bilbao, OM will conclude their summer preparation with a prestigious match against Atlético de Madrid next Friday (5:30 PM) at the Vélodrome, one week before hosting Strasbourg on August 21st for the opening of Ligue 1.