Longoria will quit top-flight football after Marseille

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“It’s my last high-level adventure in the world of football. I’m not on the market. My dream is to have my time in Marseille, after that my dream would be to go back to travel. If I play football, it’s is for passion and it would be impossible to reach this level elsewhere. I would not like to have this responsibility in another type of club. It would be frustrating”.

“I have full confidence in Sampaoli since day one, testifies the Marseille president. My situation is to gain height with the project. I am satisfied with the work he has done. I want to continue with this project”.

The Marseille midfielder talks about his state of mind: “I’ve always had the mentality of wanting to play, to win, in training and in matches. I arrived in England very young, I still have a lot to learn. I I have matured a lot, which means that I have flourished here”.

Longoria confirms the automatic signing of Guendouzi at OM at the end of the season, in a contract which will extend until 2025.

Guendouzi looks back on his arrival at OM: “It’s a well-considered choice. There were very good discussions with the president, the coach, people in my family. It’s the best choice I’ve made. done for many years. It started a little before the transfer window. Today, I am very happy and fulfilled here”.

“Currently I am 1.5 kg less than the time we were talking about. It has often been the lightning rod, to say ‘if it is not good, it is because it is big’. It does not didn’t affect me more than that. When it’s not going in the head, the legs don’t follow, and that was more than a weight problem. There was no particular relaxation, with the time I gained in regularity. There were ups and downs, it’s something that took me a long time to correct”.

“I said the same thing in the locker room, I’m transparent, he expresses about his speech after the defeat against Clermont, where he wanted to “deflate the heads”. I never say things to hot that I don’t think. When I say something, I aim at myself first. We had attitudes in this match that were not the ones we had until now. There was a relaxation , a state of mind that is not the one that brought us to this second place. I wanted to sound the alarm”.

“It’s always in the back of my mind, but I see the world ahead. If it doesn’t come there will be no regrets,” he explains about a possible return to the French team.

“In my contract renewal and my salary cut, I made a strong gesture, answers Payet on his future. If I wanted to leave, I would have done it. I am good here, my family here, I have two left. years of contract. I will play as long as the body responds, I will try to push as far as possible”.

“The new system suits me well, with the physical abilities which decrease with age, it’s better to be on the axis. I really appreciate this false 9 position which allows me to be quite free”.

“We are an airtight team, it depends who we are playing against, but there are games where we could do without a top striker. When Milik was injured, an alchemy was made with this composition, this false 9 that I was”.

“Pablo is a president close to his players. The fact that we are of the same generation makes it easier to relate. He was very transparent, he doesn’t talk a lot but when he talks we listen to him. It’s going well with him, the balance sheet is rather positive”.

“It’s my responsibility, says Longoria about the Kamara file, at the end of the contract in June. I have been at the club since August 2020, I assume my responsibilities, especially with Kamara’s situation. Until the end, the last Word is not spoken. We continue to have conversations, we have proposed different possibilities”.

“For me, it’s very difficult. When I started, seeing the striker arrive scared me a little. Afterwards, you watch the videos, in the end there’s more time than you think”.

“When I arrived, Longoria told me that the goalkeeper is me and Mandanda, that Sampaoli must decide, says Lopez. For me, it’s a challenge, training every day with Mandanda is incredible “.

Pau Lopez, on Steve Mandanda: “For OM he’s a legend, it’s difficult for me to play here. Mandanda has played very well here for many seasons. The relationship with him is very good, all on the days when I play he says ‘good luck’ to me, when he plays I do the same thing. For me, it’s fantastic”.

Longoria learns that the arrival of Gerson is not a choice of Sampaoli: “My first conversation with Gerson and his father was before the arrival of Sampaoli. It dates from January 2021”.

“We are assessed at the end of the season, the ratings come at the end of the season. The time to start recruiting begins after the winter transfer window. We projected ourselves into the next summer with Gigot. In an economic environment difficult, you always have to find solutions. I was born as a football recruiter. I am very proud of my collaborators and the work that is done. There is consensus with the coach. I am open to discussion to listen to the coach’s suggestions.

The president of OM defends himself from the absence of a typical team aligned by Sampaoli: “There are different ambitions. I understand having a typical team, but a team that participates in European cups is able to rotate, especially for effort management. We will manage to qualify for the Champions League in the second half of the season with 5-6 changes in each game, we will play on physical strength, on the strength of ‘to be mentally liberated’.

“I leave the management of the players to the coach, I leave a lot of authority to the coach, he is the one who decides, explains Longoria about Milik’s moods. My role is to be well connected to seek to have maximum players”.

“On the question of individual cases, naturally I speak with the coach after the match, the next day, explains Longoria before addressing the Milik case. Each player has a particular management. No one can doubt his international level. A leader cannot fit into the coach’s choices”.

Asked again about OM’s ambitions this season, Longoria confirms that qualification for the Champions League remains the main objective. “Since the beginning of the season, our objective has been to finish on the podium”.

“We can analyze this season in three parts, evokes the Marseille president. The approach to the season with ambition and good play, in October-November with the results of the Europa League, after we recovered sensations at from January. We have to recover our identity, the latest results are not what we expected, we have to be self-critical”.

Rothen’s exceptional program ignites, live from the Commanderie, starts on RMC. As a reminder, Pablo Longoria, Dimitri Payet, Pau Lopez and Mattéo Guendouzi will be invited.

Ambitions, club project, interviews… Jérôme Rothen gives you the menu for this special broadcast.

While leading in the 90th, OM were showered this Sunday by Troyes (1-1), yet last at the kick-off of this match of the 26th day of Ligue 1. After their defeat against Clermont during the last day, the Marseillais advance in slow motion.

Pablo Longoria, Dimitri Payet, Pau Lopez and Mattéo Guendouzi will answer questions from Dream Team RMC Sport.

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