Genesio warns OM: Lens, humiliated 9-1, will be a wounded and vengeful team

Bruno Genesio warned his players on Saturday at a press conference: OM, traveling to Bollaert on Sunday in Ligue 1, will not face a demoralized team, but a squad wounded in pride, determined to erase the worst defeat in its European history.

On Wednesday evening, Lens collapsed at home against Como (9-1) in the fourth matchday of the Champions League league phase. An unprecedented rout for the Artois club, which welcomes its supporters this Sunday with the visit of Marseille.

The Marseille manager revealed he watched the match and felt compassion for his Lens counterpart. “We watched the first half live with the staff, then I watched the second in my room. In those moments, you have empathy for the coach. I always put myself in my colleagues’ shoes, I know what you can feel at that moment,” he explained.

But beyond this solidarity between coaches, Genesio harbors no illusions about what awaits his players. “It’s a wounded team we’re going to face, but we know the values of this club in terms of fighting spirit and intensity, especially at Bollaert. We expect a reaction from them and we’ll need to be ready to face all that,” he warned.

Asked about the psychological impact of such humiliation on the Lens squad, the Marseille coach admitted he cannot predict with certainty. “What impact will the result against Como have on tomorrow’s match? Hard to say, I’m not in the heads of the Lens players. I put myself in the coach’s and staff’s heads, you feel very alone. The match, I don’t know what we’ll be capable of doing. I’m focusing mainly on what we can do tomorrow,” he acknowledged.

Genesio also considered a possible system change on Lens’s side, without that altering his approach. “The opponent may change their system, there will certainly be a reaction from them. I know this club and I’m sure they’ll react tomorrow. It’s up to us to know how to handle all that and take advantage of the situation. We’ll prepare the match with our strengths,” he concluded.