Strasbourg thumped at Marseille as Hugo Oliveira laments maturity and emotional control | OneFootball

Strasbourg were routed 4-0 at Marseille on Friday’s Ligue 1 opener, and Hugo Oliveira bemoaned his side’s lack of emotional intelligence. According to L'Équipe, the concept sits at the heart of the coach’s approach.

The Ivorian right-back, Strasbourg’s captain, was beaten by Paixao for the opener. On the hour, 19-year-old El-Mourabet was sent off for a rash act on Pierre-Emile Höjbjerg while it was 1-0. The captain later conceded a penalty, then miscued a clearance for Marseille’s fourth.

Oliveira questioned whether it was really hard for OM, pointing out that their youngest starter was 24, though Egan-Riley is actually 23, and saying that matched the age of Strasbourg’s oldest. He added that even 24-year-olds Filip Jörgensen, Sebastien Nanasi, Sékou Mara and Guéla Doué lacked the composure he seeks.

He felt Strasbourg made poor decisions after the first goal and let their heads drop. For him, emotional management is paramount at elite level. He said the group are young, will work hard to improve, and must stay organised and stick to the plan after conceding.

Guillaume Hoarau, present at the Vélodrome, viewed it above all as a maturity issue. He argued players react differently to hostile atmospheres and to opponents such as Höjbjerg who try to unsettle you, and wondered whether El-Mourabet had been warned enough.

Last season, only Lyon, Auxerre and Monaco collected more red cards than Strasbourg’s five. After a grim pre-season of six defeats and one draw in seven, including 0-7 against Sporting and 2-5 to Elversberg, Oliveira had urged patience and said they would be ready for Marseille. They plainly were not.

Source: L'Équipe

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