Marseille Coach Genesio: It Would Be Irresponsible to Talk About the Champions League Now

According to L'Equipe, Marseille head coach Bruno Genesio said that talking about the Champions League at this stage would be irresponsible.

Two days before Marseille's home match against Paris FC, Genesio discussed the team's current situation. He said the end of the transfer window gave him a sense of relief, although transfer markets in some countries were still open. This period had been long and difficult, but the team withstood the pressure in the final stage, kept some important players, and maintained a relatively coherent squad.

Asked whether the team was capable of handling a three-front campaign in Ligue 1, the French Cup, and the Europa League, Genesio said he and his coaching staff had originally hoped to have more players in the squad who had already proven themselves in Ligue 1, but the circumstances made that impossible. He said the current situation was already better than what he had worried about ten days earlier. The squad had been completed, and some players would have the opportunity to show themselves as a result. Marseille must continue to maintain its work ethic and commitment, while maximizing the individual and collective potential of the current squad and helping young players develop.

Speaking about the team's objectives, Genesio said: "Talking about the Champions League now would be irresponsible. It would not only be lying to the fans, but also to people who understand football. However, we are at Marseille, so we must have ambition. First of all, our goal is to maintain continuity in our performances. I have always believed that as long as we maintain this consistency in our performances, the results will come. Football is unpredictable, and many things cannot be anticipated in advance. If we set a seemingly unrealistic target from the beginning, that would not be responsible in my view. But that does not mean we will stop dreaming. Right now, I prefer to be more cautious. The team is still being built, with players who stayed from last season, some players returning from loans, and young players around them. This process may take time, or it may not."

Regarding Amine Gouiri's performances, Genesio said that the consistency he emphasized for the whole team also applied to the forward. He said Gouiri has great talent, can both score goals and provide assists, and has recently improved in terms of consistency and stability during matches, but still needs to continue improving. Genesio revealed that the target he set for Gouiri was to maintain greater consistency throughout the season and recover from difficult periods mentally more quickly.