For several years, see forever, OM has struggled to bring out players from its training center. The latest remains Boubacar Kamara, who left the free club last summer to join Aston Villa. When taking stock of the first part of the season, Pablo Longoria had admitted the shortcomings of his club in this area. If he considers that the results in the Youth League are not correlated to the quality of Marseille training, the president of OM nevertheless considers that it is unacceptable to have no player from the center in the first team. .
While the winter transfer window is coming to an end, Pablo Longoria will be busy trying to strengthen the workforce ofIgor Tudor. But another project occupies the mind of the president of theOlympic Marseille : the training center. L’OM struggling to hatch players, the latest remains Boubacar Kamarafree party to AstonVilla last summer. We can also cite Lucas Perrinwho after being loaned last season to Strasbourg, was definitively recruited by the Alsatians. The young Marseille players have had a chaotic journey in Youth League this season. Indeed, they finished in last place in their group, with two draws and six defeats, including a stinging 6-0 against the SportingPortugal last October.
Transfers – OM: Announced on departure, this Tudor player seals his transfer window https://t.co/DUqK1AqW0H pic.twitter.com/C9eLH1jjG8
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Training, the eternal building site of OM
” Assessing Youth League results is never positive “, had confided Pablo Longoria last November at a press conference, when taking stock of the first part of the season. ” In Valencia, we never had good results, but seven players signed pro with the first team. It is not a consequence of the result. When we talk about the training center, we must have a greater ambition. I am not happy with our results in the competition, nor with our level of approach. We were still up to it and competitive for our last two matches. » The president of theOM admitted all the same that he was not satisfied with the Marseille team, now led by Marco Oteroarrived last June.
“It’s really unacceptable. This situation can not continue “
” Our center has never performed well in recent years. Yet it is fundamental in the economy of French football, and also for our project, in terms of identification with supporters. It is the dream of all supporters to see players who come out of the training center evolve. For me, it is totally unacceptable not to have any player from the center in the first team. It doesn’t satisfy me. It is really unacceptable. This situation can not continue. It’s a failure for everyone, and I’m part of it since I arrived in 2020. That’s why we made a lot of changes. We did analytical work, a more collective approach. We must recruit young people at the local level, much more than what we do todayi,” said Pablo Longoria.
“I don’t understand why we are unable to bring out players”
An incomprehensible situation for the president of theOMgiven the pool of players present at Marseilles and its surroundings: Players from the region must develop at the club. We must not only acquire players in post-training. There are a lot of licensees here in the Mediterranean League. I don’t understand why we are unable to bring out players. It’s not because there is no talent. When I see Real Sociedad, with 14 players born in the region playing in the first team, I don’t understand. What is different in Marseille? It’s not a question of genetics, it’s a question of work, of mentality and above all of requirement. I found that the level of requirement that we wanted to put in the first team, which we observe with Igor Tudor, was not the same in the training center. »
“The project must be based on that”
Pablo Longoria also revealed that the young players integrated into the group ofIgor Tudor struggled to live up to expectations, especially from a physical point of view. ” The reduced playing time in a squad must be reserved for the young people of the center. I believe in that. But both in football and in life, I don’t like to give gifts. If you do, you’re feeding monsters. You have to have the level to deserve it. You also have to have the courage to play with young people from the centre. And we must train players in line with what we offer. When we integrated young people and confronted them with Tudor’s methodology, they couldn’t do it. It’s difficult to give playing time to young people who can’t keep up with the physical pace. I’m not saying it’s their fault, it’s just that the physical requirements of Tudor are very high (…) We have to train young people to have this type of physical level. We must have the level and the courage to give opportunities to play. The project should be based on that. It’s a mistake we made last year, me first. We have to improve. »
