Fourth consecutive defeat leaves OM second-to-last; Genesio refuses to discuss survival

Four defeats in four matches, a 17th-place finish and a trip to 16th-placed Troyes on Sunday: Olympique de Marseille approaches the sixth day of Ligue 1 in a situation that Bruno Genesio himself had not anticipated upon his arrival. At a press conference on Friday, the manager delivered his analysis without mincing words.

The sporting record is difficult to hide. After an opening rout against Strasbourg (4-0), OM suffered four consecutive defeats: against Monaco (0-2), Paris FC (2-3), Rennes (0-1) and PSG (1-2). The Phocaean club now sits just one point above Troyes, their opponent this weekend.

When asked about the notion of survival, Genesio chose his words carefully. “No, I wouldn’t say ‘secure survival’ but rather to be able to play without that nagging thought of ‘standings, four defeats in a row’, because that’s not very good for the general working atmosphere. To make the team progress, because that’s my job. For me, ensuring the essentials comes first. And then we know that by doing that, results will improve and we’ll have a slightly lighter atmosphere.”

The manager was also invited to comment on the club’s medium-term vision, in a financial context that former executives Pablo Longoria and Medhi Benatia left highly constrained. Genesio sidestepped the institutional question while affirming his own ambitions. “That’s not a question for me. I know where I want to take OM. If I came, it’s because I have ambition. There’s simply a difficult situation that everyone knows about. There are two important things: managing the emergency when there are difficult moments or a crisis, and after that, what is the project for OM’s future years, with whom, how, with what?”

On his own longevity at the club, the manager concluded with lucidity: “No one knows if I’ll still be here in one, two, three years or in six months. But my job is also to have a medium-term vision for the club. We’re here for the club. We pass through, but what mark will we leave behind?”

Sunday’s match at Troyes already represents a crucial appointment to escape the relegation zone and ease the pressure on a manager appointed this summer to revive a project, not to manage a standings crisis.