Gattuso: 'The spirit was good' | OneFootball

Newly minted OM coach Gennaro Gattuso felt his side were let down by their conditioning after conceding a late 2-2 draw to Brighton in Europa League Matchday 2 action at the Stade Vélodrome on Thursday night.

It is quite a time to be coach of Olympique de Marseille - in the midst of upheaval concerning the fans and the directorship - but Gennaro Gattuso is showing plenty of nerve in his new post.

'We were punished straight away'

A combative figure as a player, Gattuso has proven composed since taking the reins at OM, and his reaction after seeing Brighton bag a late leveller from the spot to make it 2-2 indicated that he is focused on improving the team and not criticising the players.

"You have to be able to run for 90 minutes. Before the changes, we ran differently, we had different pressure. It wasn't as good after the changes. What we did then wasn't necessarily what we had prepared," he noted. "After the 60th minute, we changed the way we pressed, and against Brighton, we were punished straight away. I have a lot of respect for Marcelino and his staff, but it was a different game. Right now, the players have 60-70 minutes in their legs for a high press."

'Adapt to the team we're up against'

So: more conditioning work is clearly on the cards for Valentin Rongier and his teammates, but it seems that Gattuso is fairly pleased with the overall state of the squad he inherited after Spaniard Marcelino left.

"I think the first half was a good foundation. If it had been the first league game, I'd have been happy, but that's not the case. In my head, it's very clear what we need to improve," said the Italian, whose side retire to domestic duties with the visit of feisty promoters Le Havre on Saturday afternoon. "It takes time, it's only been a week. There's room for improvement. The spirit was good and the performance was good, but it wasn't enough. To finish, we also need to be able to change the type of pressing we do. That will be different against Le Havre. We have to learn to play differently and adapt to the team we're up against."

Le Havre, you have been warned!