Mathieu Valbuena does not have a good word for the ailing Olympique Marseille. The former star player of the French top club is concerned about the loss of the number eight of the Ligue 1 and, despite the recent appointment of Jorge Sampaoli as the new person with ultimate responsibility, is gloomy. Marseille was shamefully eliminated in the battle for the Coupe de France on Sunday, when amateur club Canet Roussillon was 2-1 too strong. It was the umpteenth blow in an extremely sad season.
The superlatives to describe Marseille’s performance after the defeat to Canet Roussillon were many. Valbuena, who is currently under contract with Olympiacos, is also very concerned. “Eighty percent of the selection has to leave”, the midfielder began his story opposite RMC Sport. “There are only four or five players who are good enough to stay. They are Pape Gueye, Álvaro González, Boubacar Kamara and Steve Mandanda. To get rid of it, it is better to buy off non-performing players and cancel their contracts. We have to start over with other players. If we want innovation at Marseille, it also means that you have to dare to innovate. ”
The 52-time French international, who wore the Marseille shirt for eight seasons between 2006 and 2014, puts the blame mainly on owner Frank McCourt. “Mr. McCourt should have made this decision much earlier. He gives a speech in which he says he wants to bring Marseille to the Champions League, but that does not work. These are statements with which he hopes to gain the trust of the supporters, but the fans of Marseille are not to be fooled. It will be a very long season. Also with a new trainer. ”
Marseille appointed Sampaoli as new person with final responsibility at the end of February, after André Villas-Boas had offered his resignation from the club management a few weeks earlier. The trainer left a special statement on his departure and was not pleased with attracting Olivier Ntcham. “We recruited a player on the last day of the transfer window. That was not my decision. I only found out this morning. This is a player that I have rejected, ”Villas-Boas reported in the French media.
Problems are piling up for Marseille this season. The team is disappointingly eighth in the French league and only managed to win one of the last eleven league games. Enraged supporters then paid a visit to the training complex at the end of January, where fires were set and fireworks were set off. A few hours after the storm reported L’Équipe that defender González would have been hit with an object by supporters and injured his back.