Eric Gerets had a dream start as OM manager. “It went well against Liverpool but that’s already in the past. The important thing right now is this weekend’s match against St Etienne,” announces the Belgian technician.
Winning away from home, on a ground where no French team had ever won before, against last season’s Champions League runners-up – and all in his first match at the helm of OM – would be a great satisfaction for any manager. “It was a dream start,” explained Eric Gerets on Thursday morning at Liverpool’s John Lennon airport. “You always want to win, regardless of who the opposition is, but to do it in Liverpool is something really special.” And it was a special, as well as unexpected, victory that goes to the credit of the Belgian. His message got through to every part of the side. The performance at Anfield bears witness to that fact. “He found a way to pull us back into shape,” noted Lorik Cana. “As the captain, he is relying on me to make sure the message gets passed on to the whole team. With time, we’ll see whether it’s simply ONE fantastic match we play.”
“Everyone thought we would lose but we defended really well and created chances. And my goal that was ruled out WAS a goal (in the 33rd minute, Mamadou was wrongly adjudged to have been off side at the beginning of the move),” recalls Karim Ziani, who was particularly incisive and who, like the rest of the side, was under instruction for the very first time from a well satisfied new manager. “ “Having been here just one week, I’m happy,” Gerets conceded.
“Tactical rigour”
A special moment in terms of emotion and statistics as well as the Champions League group table, the win in Liverpool was also a manifestation of the Belgian manager’s central tenet: “tactical rigour”, a phrase he repeats constantly. “Well organised, rigorous and combative in every department. Hard work pays off,�� says Ziani. The rather classic 4-4-2 formation - with the exception of the very mobile and, on this occasion, goal-scoring Mathieu Valbuena – was scrupulously respected by the Olympiens, a fact that remains the manager’s principal satisfaction from the match. “We trained for 2 days on our tactical approach. And I have to say that my players displayed an extraordinary tactical discipline throughout the match. We had a good match but maybe not an extraordinary one. But there definitely was discipline. You can play badly but you can’t forget tactical discipline. That would be a serious flaw in professionalism.”
Geret’s second test, on Saturday (17:10) at the Geoffroy-Guichard, another legendary football stadium, is quickly drawing near. “It went well against Liverpool but that’s already in the past. The important thing right now is this weekend’s match against St Etienne. There is no problem with the players’ mentality at OM. My task is to ensure that we concede no further cheap defeats for the rest of the season. With what line up? Perhaps the same one as against the Reds? “If the 11 men on the field show that they are stronger than the others, I see no reason to make many changes,” he said. Whatever the future holds, Geret’s first game in charge of OM has already made its mark on Olympien hearts everywhere.
