‘We need to be vertical & dominant’ – New Marseille manager Habib Beye on style of play | OneFootball

After several weeks of turmoil Marseille finally have a new manager in Habib Beye, and the task in front of him is a big one after the departure of Roberto De Zerbi two weeks ago. The objective for OM until the end of the season is simple: finish in a Champions League spot and win the Coupe de France. The former Stade Rennais and Red Star FC boss only has 24 hours until his first match against to Brest on Friday evening, but was today presented at a press conference attended by Get French Football News. “I think that when you have these kinds of players with the kind of quality that they have, we need to strive to be a team that is vertical and dominant,” said Habib Beye in response to GFFN’s George Boxall during Thursday afternoon’s press conference. “There has been good work done before [by Roberto De Zerbi] yet it had both positive and negative fluctuations.” “I’m not here to judge it. But what is sure is that the football has to reflect what this city is and reflects what the stadium generates. The supporters are lovers of OM, lovers of football. We need to understand the identity of the club, its values, and what the club and the city exudes. Maybe I have a head start in that respect.” Marseille currently sit fourth in the Ligue 1 table, with Olympique Lyonnais sat five points ahead in the current podium. The need for instant results couldn’t be any more urgent. The former Marseille defender is known as a pragmatist in Ligue 1 from his time at Stade Rennais, but his previous stint in the third division with Red Star FC saw a coach that was willing to be inventive – yet Beye admits there is a time an place for it. “When I took over Rennes, they were 16th in Ligue 1. Innovation was secondary; we had to be pragmatic. Rennes was 6th when we left, so there was progress. At OM, we’ll be analysing what we can do tactically because we have the quality of players that allows us to do that. But above all, we need to get results. We need time to implement our methodology to help this team progress.”GFFN | George Boxall – Reporting from La Commanderie, Marseille