PARIS, 11 August (EFE) — Olympique de Marseille’s Spanish coach Marcelino García Toral admitted this Friday that his team “played poorly” against Panathinaikos 1-0 in the third qualifying round of the Champions League. , and asked for more time to level up.
“I am optimistic, I think we will be at a good level, but I would like to have more time. From what little I had, many players are gone, it’s not an excuse, it’s a reality,” the Asturian coach told the press at a conference ahead of his first league match against Reims.
Marcelino took on the responsibility of coaching Olympique de Marseille, a club where “the public demands to win every game”, and stated that the team is now “far from the level it is going to reach, which will be high”.
“We are far away now due to many circumstances that I do not want to go into,” he said, although he indicated that some of his reinforcements, such as Gabonese striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, had barely had time to practice. with the rest of the squad.
Marcelino inspired optimism and was convinced that Olimpik would gradually get better: “There will be bumps, especially in the beginning, but you have to win and play better every Sunday.”
The coach assured that they prioritize overcoming the unfavorable result obtained in Athens in order to continue participating in the top European competition, to which they attach great importance, for which he indicated that there would be rotations in their first league game.
“We have 33 games left in the league, two or none in the Champions League. Next Tuesday’s game (the return of the previous phase) is very important for us. Therefore, this Saturday there will be changes, but less than I would like, due to various circumstances,” he said.
The former coach of Valencia or Athletic Bilbao admitted that Paris Saint-Germain is the favorite to win the French championship, although he considered it premature to continue to rank.
“It is too early to say who is the favourite. Paris is the reigning champion, whoever has invested the most and on budget will be the main candidate. The rest must let the competition continue to see who can be in the top position. We are striving for this. When a quarter or a third of the league is over, it will be more significant,” he commented. EFE
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