Marseille beaten 2-0 at Monaco as transfer exodus leaves manager in place for now
Marseille lost 2-0 at Monaco on Sunday night, a defeat that arrived amid a draining summer of departures and heavy roster uncertainty while Bruno Génésio remains in charge "for now." The match at the Stade Louis II came as Marseille cope with a transfer window that has stripped the squad of key players.
Away supporters were officially banned from the stadium but many Marseille fans still made the trip, cheering Génésio and booing Geoffrey Kondogbia, while much of the second half passed in silence. Génésio, who replaced Habib Beye in the summer and is a former Lille manager, is part of a wider overhaul that has also seen the club replace its president and sporting director; the new sporting director is Grégory Lorenzi. After making promises to Uefa and the DNCG Marseille were allowed to compete in Europe this season, but the club must reduce its wage bill drastically or risk exclusion next season. "Did I expect such a complicated situation? Not exactly," said the Marseille manager last week. "I knew there were difficulties, but I didn’t imagine it to this extent. I never imagined that we’d be in this position."
Marseille have sold Mason Greenwood, Facundo Medina, Gerónimo Rulli and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and former captain Leonardo Balerdi has left on loan to Roma, yet the outgoings have not funded incoming signings. "There won’t be any recruits," said Génésio on Sunday night. "Three of four more players have to leave us for us to be able to register one or two arrivals"
On the field, Paris Brunner scored both of Monaco’s goals as Marseille slipped away in the second half. When Génésio stepped on to the pitch for the warm-up on Sunday night the Marseille fans behind the tunnel chanted his name; Kondogbia, who limped back to the tunnel after being targeted by Brunner, was booed. The absence of the injured Igor Paixão was noted and Quinten Timber, drafted in out of position, filled the wing role; "For sure, when we have an absent player, we are significantly weakened," said Génésio. Keyliane Abdallah replaced Timber at the break and, in his fourth first-team appearance, did not provide an upgrade.
Depth issues were compounded during the match: Kondogbia was already on the treatment table and half-time substitute Tochukwu Nnadi did not complete the fixture. The club had put every player up for sale during the window, and the summer exits have left the squad thin enough that no additions have been registered.
Several squad members who have been given second chances this season — Himad Abdelli, Angel Gomes, Amine Harit, Derek Cornelius, Neal Maupay and Faris Moumbagna — "have not shown themselves deserving of a reprieve," according to the article. "Everything at the club is out of obligation, not choice, and always counter to the club’s competitiveness." The value of the side has fallen over the summer, and the club’s prospects have suffered accordingly.
Génésio has publicly resisted alarm, stressing there is no immediate change to his position: "There is no news on an eventual resignation … for now," he said before the trip to Monaco, and after the defeat he said there was "no reason to be worried" while noting he had not been "overexcited" after the 4-0 win over Strasbourg. Playing in the Europa League this season will stretch Marseille’s already thin resources even further, leaving the club to balance European commitments with a depleted squad.