Marseille manager Gennaro Gattuso calls for intensity ahead of Brighton clash | OneFootball

Speaking ahead of Thursday’s UEFA Europa League tie against Brighton & Hove Albion, Olympique de Marseille manager Gennaro Gattuso called for intensity from his side.

Gattuso’s reign as Marseille manager began with a defeat against AS Monaco on Saturday. His side were intense and active in the press in the first half, even scoring within the first 40 seconds of the tie, but there was a notable drop-off in the second half, as his side twice squandered the lead on the way to a 3-2 loss. However, he praised his side’s “character” following the defeat.

Gattuso has been brought in essentially as a firefighter. He arrived in difficult circumstances, succeeding Marcelino, who was forced out of the club following insults, threats and slander from the club’s fanbase. However, as the situation around the club stabilises somewhat, Gattuso is now looking for results, starting against Brighton on Thursday, where he will come up against compatriot Roberto De Zerbi.

“I’ve known him for a long time,” said Gattuso of De Zerbi. “He is a good manager, who has a deep knowledge of football. He is currently one of the best Italian managers.”

He therefore called from intensity from his side. “We are going to play against one of the three best teams in Europe in terms of possession […] we can’t drop our intensity and we must remain focused. If we lower our intensity, we’ll make errors, and the same thing will happen as it did (against Monaco),” said Gattuso in a pre-match press conference, transcribed by RMC Sport.

GFFN | Luke Entwistle