New Olympique de Marseille coach Igor Tudor made clear his intentions for the southern giants when he was presented to the press on Tuesday after putting pen to paper on a two-year deal that seems him replace the Argentine Jorge Sampaoli.
Tudor was the favourite to replace Sampaoli following the Argentine's resignation last week, and on Monday Olympique de Marseille named the former Croatia stopper and Juventus assistant coach as the club's new coach - through to 2024.
Tudor, 44, conducted his whole presentation press conference in Italian but nonetheless got his message across clearly - he intends to forge Dimitri Payet, Mattéo Guendouzi, Valentin Rongier, Arkadiusz Milk, Cengiz Under, Pau Lopez and co. into a fearsome attacking side - while also staying in his lane when it comes to matters like recruitment. Extracts from his press conference.
Since your arrival at OM, have you already met club owner Frank McCourt?
"We met two days ago, we had dinner with the president [Pablo Longoria]. He made a very good impression on me. He has a lot of love for this club. We were able to discuss the line to follow for this season."
What do you know about OM?
"Everyone knows how great the club is. I spoke about it with Alen Boksic, a friend [who played for OM between 1991 and 1993]. I know all the players, I watched all the matches last season."
What is your playing philosophy?
"If I start talking about that, we'll be here until tomorrow. I want an intense, organised, courageous and attacking game, but not at the expense of defence. My goal is that people leave the stadium without being disappointed."
What is your objective in the Champions League?
"The objective is to have a clear style of play, with or without the ball. After that, the objective is always to win, given the history of the club in this competition. I know that there are a lot of expectations. It will come from our daily work in training."
Do you work with a core group of players or are you adept at rotation?
"We will play a lot of matches. I work with a base of 15-16 players, but everyone has a chance. I don't have a problem putting in a 20-year-old if he's better. It's what happens out on the pitch that decides, it's always the same law. It will be the matches and training sessions that will allow me to choose."
Have you been able to discuss with your managers the resources available during this transfer window? And in which positions are you expecting reinforcements?
"The transfer window doesn't concern me directly, it concerns the directors. Players will come and go, but that's the same for all clubs."
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