Marseille coach Igor Tudor compares Ligue 1 and Serie A: “There is much more pace in France.” | OneFootball

Marseille’s Croatian manager Igor Tudor gave a wide-ranging interview to L’Équipe this Wednesday, where he notably spoke of the differences between French and Italian football. The 44-year-old head coach is enjoying a remarkable first season on the southern coast. His free-flowing Marseille side are second in the Ligue 1 standings, with only a 7-point deficit on league leaders and arch-rivals Paris Saint-Germain. The former Juventus player was Andrea Pirlo’s assistant coach during the latter’s short tenure as head of the Bianconeri. Then, Tudor took over Hellas Verona and led them to an impressive ninth-place finish in Serie A before embarking on his journey to France. Tudor has spoken about the differences between Ligue 1 and Serie A, and according to him the French top-flight is underrated on the European stage:

“France is less valued, and that’s a mistake. Because when you start to really look at it, you completely change your mind. It’s an exciting league, with beautiful stadiums and talented players“, Tudor says. He goes on to describe Ligue 1 as a “super difficult” league.

The Croatian further explains why he believes Ligue 1, as a whole, may be more competitive league than Serie A. According to Tudor, there are only three to four Italian teams who, in terms of the quality of their squads, have more than their French counterparts, bar PSG. “But from 6th to bottom place, it’s stronger here [in France]. If Empoli play Strasbourg, Strasbourg wins. If La Spezia play Reims, Reims win. When you face Reims, you see three to four players you’d like to take with you. If I’m the Inter coach, I’m taking nobody from Empoli or La Spezia. There is a gap here you do not find in France.“

Tudor sees another striking difference between Ligue 1 and Serie A. “There is much more pace in France. Because the players’ profiles are different, here they are younger and more physical.” The Marseille manager takes the transfer business of the English clubs as an example, with Bournemouth splashing €17m for Dango Ouattara during the winter transfer window. “They buy players from Lorient, not from Italy, that means that there are players here who have the qualities to fit into the highest level of football.“

GFFN | Bastien Cheval