President Pablo Longoria has strategically selected Gattuso, the former coach of AC Milan, Napoli and Valencia, to step into the role previously occupied by Spaniard Marcelino.

Marcelino resigned from his position last week. The past week has been filled with high drama for Olympique de Marseille, culminating in a disheartening 4-0 defeat at the hands of their arch-rivals, Paris Saint-Germain, on Sunday night.

Sensing the pressing need for change, President Longoria promptly initiated the process of bringing in Gattuso.

Interestingly, Gattuso had come close to securing the Lyon coaching position, which ultimately went to his fellow countryman Fabio Gross.

Gattuso has inked a contract that will keep him at the helm until the end of the season. If Olympique de Marseille manages to secure a place in the top four and the coveted Champions League spots by the end of the season, an extension of one more season will be automatically triggered.

“I’m very happy and proud to be joining Olympique de Marseille,” the 45-year-old coach told the club’s website.

“It’s a club and a stadium, the Orange Velodrome, where I had the opportunity to play as a player, and which is famous throughout Europe for the passion and fervour it exudes.

“I can’t wait to get to work with my new squad and take on the challenges that lie ahead.”

Gattuso’s first challenge at the helm of the southern giants comes in the form of early-season pace-setters Monaco, whom OM take on in their Ligue 1 Round 7 clash at the Stade Louis II on Saturday night.

The former Manchester United manager adds, however, that it also marks a historic achievement for Roma as they’ve managed to reach two consecutive European Finals. The Giallorossi have struggled in Serie A, securing just one victory in the entire season so far.

After six rounds, they currently sit in 16th place with only five points, placing them closer to the relegation zone than the European qualification spots.

This dismal start surpasses even the seven points he earned at Chelsea during the 2015-16 campaign.

“We started badly, that is true, the goal was an ugly one to concede. So was the one we conceded in the opening minutes in Verona,” continued Mourinho.

“There was a reaction, we equalised, but then immediately Diego Llorente got injured and the structure of the team changed, for the worse.

“With Mancini on a yellow card and the profile of this referee, we considered it right to take him off, so we changed the structure again.

“When our goal was ruled offside, we felt from the touchline that we were about to equalise, Genoa were sitting deep, we were dominating even without creating many great opportunities. Our changes were all attacking moves, but obviously at their third goal it was over.

“Sometimes it can become a total and utter disaster in these situations, conceding five or six. The fourth goal for me was out of the context of the game.”

Roma’s great strength last season was their defensive solidity, even when the goals were not flowing, but that seems to have been lost this year.

“It is true. I don’t want to say many things, but people talked about the Roger Ibanez errors that became almost iconic in the big games, but the truth is he gave us incredible solidity.

“We lost Chris Smalling, you can see how many games we won without Chris. When we are missing those players, we lack solidity.

“However, to say we lost the solidity because we are missing this or that player is not fair either. Solidity is also the consequence of team spirit and collective work to track back. We have lost some of that.

“At the moment, every shot we allow is a goal. That is nothing against Rui, it is just the situation we are seeing. Torino had a Duvan Zapata header in the first minute then never got near us until the equaliser on a throw-in.

“I feel this from the touchline and I imagine the players feel that anxiety on the pitch too.”
This is also the worst Roma start to a season in the three points for a win era.

“It is the worst of my career too. However, I also think it is the first time that Roma have played two European Finals in a row.”

Mourinho got increasingly irritable as the interview went on, especially when asked about the many injuries that Roma have been dealing with, losing Diego Llorente today.

“Did you ask Gilardino the same question, or just to those who lost the game? These are the consequences of the fixture list. They played 48 hours before we did and lost two players to muscular problems today.

“I think I saw yesterday five players went off with muscular problems in Serie A. Today Llorente is a player who has a history of muscular injuries, he played three games in a week, so it is not a huge surprise for me.”

Is this Roma squad strong enough to turn the situation around? “It is the squad we have and with this squad we must emerge from this situation. There is no more transfer window, nobody can leave or arrive, this is the group we have with its qualities and its problems.

“We have no time to cry. We can cry internally, because it hurts our heart, especially for me because of my rapport with the Roma fans. But tomorrow we will be back at work. The next game is worth three points, not seven or eight, but it becomes a very, very important match for us.”

The result has left the capital side teetering just above the dreaded relegation zone. The game commenced with Genoa’s Albert Gudmundsson putting his team ahead after a mere five minutes of play.

However, Bryan Cristante of AS Roma managed to level the score after 22 minutes with a well-taken goal.

The tables turned dramatically in the second half when Genoa launched a relentless offensive.
Gudmundsson and Morten Thorsby orchestrated a brilliant combination play that led to Mateo Retegui striking home with a stunning half-volley.

Thorsby then extended Genoa’s lead with a third goal in the 74th minute, followed by Junior Messias notching up the fourth just seven minutes later, exploiting the porous Roman defence.

The iconic Roma legend Francesco Totti, who watched the match from the stands, made an early exit from the Luigi-Ferraris stadium, clearly dismayed by Genoa’s dominant performance.

AS Roma, once hopeful for a return to the Champions League next season, now finds itself embroiled in a battle to avoid relegation. Currently, they languish in the 16th position, having accumulated a mere five points from six games.

They trail the league leaders, Inter Milan, by a substantial 10 points and are only two points clear of Udinese, who currently occupy the 18th position.

On the other hand, Genoa catapulted to the 11th position with seven points after securing their second victory of the season. In other matches, Monza and Bologna played to a goalless draw, while Frosinone managed to clinch a 1-1 draw with Fiorentina.

Montella was born on June 18, 1974, in Pomigliano d’Arco, Campania, Italy. He began his football career at Empoli and went on to play for several clubs, including Genoa, Sampdoria, Roma, and Fulham.

The 49-year-old won the Italian Serie A championship and the Italian Super Cup with AS Roma, where he was considered a key player.

He also earned 20 caps with the Italian national team and was part of the squads for the 2000 European Football Championship and the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

The Italian transitioned to coaching, starting with AS Roma in 2011. He later coached Catania, Fiorentina, Sampdoria, AC Milan, and Sevilla.

During his coaching career, he achieved several notable successes, including leading Fiorentina to the top four in Serie A for three consecutive seasons and reaching the semi-finals of the UEFA Europa League in the 2014-15 season.

He also took Sevilla to the Copa del Rey final and helped them reach the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League for the first time in the club’s history.

Montella returned to Fiorentina in 2019 and became the coach of Turkish Primera Lig side Adana Demirspor on August 31, 2021. Under his management, Adana Demirspor finished the 2022-23 season in fourth place, marking the highest league ranking in the club’s history.

Montella’s extensive experience as both a player and coach in top European leagues and competitions is seen as valuable assets for the Turkey national team as they aim to achieve success in international football.

Lazio drew 1-1 against Atlético de Madrid with goalkeeper, Ivan Provedel, scoring a dramatic last-minute header to secure a draw for his team. Despite dominating possession, Lazio initially fell behind when a shot deflected past Provedel. However, his late equalizer salvaged a point for the home side.

Feyenoord beat Glasgow Celtic 2-0 at home in a match filled with drama. Celtic received two red cards, saved a penalty, and conceded a second goal. Calvin Stengs’ free-kick put Feyenoord ahead before Alireza Jahanbakhsh sealed the win with a goal.

Paris St Germain beat Borussia Dortmund 2-0 with a strong second-half display. Kylian Mbappé scored from the penalty spot, and Achraf Hakimi added another goal to secure the victory.

Newcastle United earned a hard-fought point in their first Champions League appearance since 2002/03 against AC Milan. Goalkeeper Nick Pope made crucial saves early in the match, and Marco Sportiello denied them a late winner.

The reigning champions, Manchester City, had to come from behind but secured a 3-1 win with a classy second-half performance against Crvena zvezda. Erling Haaland and Julián Álvarez were among the goal-scorers for City.

RB Leipzig secured a win against Young Boys, with Xaver Schlager scoring the decisive goal. The match saw early goals from Mohamed Simakan and Meschack Elia before Schlager’s late strike secured the victory.

Barcelona dominated in their 5-0 win against group stage debutants Antwerp. João Félix and Robert Lewandowski were among the goal-scorers in a dominant display by Barcelona.

FC Porto got off to a strong start in their 3-1 against Shakhtar Donetsk, with Galeno scoring early in the match. Despite briefly being pegged back, Porto regained the lead and secured a comfortable win with goals from Mehdi Taremi and Galeno.hy

These matches provided an exciting start to the 2023/24 UEFA Champions League group stage, with several teams showcasing their quality and determination to perform on the big stage.

Everton 0
Arsenal 1

Spain LaLiga
Getafe 3
Osasuna 2

Villarreal 2
Almeria 1

Sevilla 1
Las Palmas 0

Real Madrid 2
Real Sociedad 1

Italy Serie A
Cagliari 0
Udinese 0

Frosinone 4
Sassuolo 2

Monza 1
Lecce 1

Fiorentina 3
Atalanta 2

Roma 7
Empoli 0

Germany Bundesliga
FC Heidenheim 4
Werder Bremen 2

Darmstadt 3
Borussia Monchengladbach 3

France Ligue 1
Lorient 2
Monaco 2

Clermont Foot 0
Nantes 1

Reims 1
Brest 2

Strasbourg 2
Montpellier 2

Marseille 0
Toulouse 0

Lyon 0
Le Havre 0

Netherlands Eredivisie
PEC Zwolle 1
Go Ahead Eagles 1

Excelsior 0
Almere City FC 0

FC Twente 3
Ajax Amsterdam 1

AZ Alkmaar 2
Sparta Rotterdam 0

Turkish Super Lig
Fenerbahce 3
Antalyaspor 2

Istanbulspor 0
Istanbul Basaksehir 2

Alanyaspor 3
Kasimpasa 3

Trabzonspor 3
Besiktas 0

Portugal Primeira Liga
Arouca 0
Casa Pia AC 1

Gil Vicente 5
Estoril 3

Vitoria de Guimaraes 2
Portimonense 1

Sporting CP 3
Moreirense 0

Belgium Pro League
Eupen 1
Standard Liege 3

Kortrijk 2
Anderlecht 2

Oud-Heverlee Leuven 1
Gent 1

St.Truiden 2
KV Mechelen 0

USA MLS
CF Montreal 0
Chicago Fire 0

Charlotte 0
DC United 0

Orlando City 4
Columbus Crew 3

Philadelphia Union 2
FC Cincinnati 2

Toronto FC 1
Vancouver Whitecaps 2

FC Dallas 1
Seattle Sounders FC 1

Houston Dynamo 1
St. Louis City 1

Minnesota United 0
Sporting Kansas City 1

Colorado Rapids 2
New England Revolution 1

Los Angeles FC 4
LA Galaxy 2

San Jose Earthquakes 2
Real Salt Lake 1

Netherlands Eerste Divisie
Cambuur 1
Willem II 0

Brazil Serie A
Atletico MG 1
Botafogo FR 0

Mexico Liga MX: Apertura
Necaxa 1
FC Juarez 1

Monterrey 3
Leon 1

CF America 4
CD Guadalajara 0

Pumas 3
Atletico de San Luis 2

Sweden Allsvenskan
Hammarby IF 1
Malmo FF 3

BK Haecken 3
Halmstads BK 2

Elfsborg 0
Kalmar FF 3

Denmark Superliga
Vejle Boldklub 1
Randers FC 2

Hvidovre 0
Lyngby 1

AGF 0
Brondby IF 3

Greece Super League
Asteras Tripolis 2
PAS Giannina 2

Kifisia FC 4
Panserraikos FC 4

PAOK FC 0
Aris 0

AEK Athens 1
Olympiacos 1

Romania Liga 1
Hermannstadt 3
FC Voluntari 1

Otelul Galati 0
FC Rapid 1923 0

FCV Farul Constanta 0
FCSB 1

Africa CAF Champions League
APR FC 0
Pyramids FC 0

Big Bullets 0
TP Mazembe 1

Jwaneng Galaxy 1
Orlando Pirates 0

UD Do Songo 1
Petro Atletico 2

Medeama SC 3
Horoya AC 1

Primeiro de Agosto 0
Al Hilal Omdurman 0

AS Douanes Ouagadougou 0
Esperance 1

Bo Rangers FC 1
CR Belouizdad 3

Hafia FC 1
Wydad Casablanca 1

Africa Confederation Cup
Al-Merrikh (Juba) 0
Petroleos Do Lobito 0

Bahir Dar City FC 2
Club Africain 0

FC MUZA 1
Diables Noirs de Combani 2

Singida Big Stars 1
Future FC 0

Abu Salim 3
KCCA FC 1

Stade Malien de Bamako 2
Aigle Noir 0

Etoile filante de Ouagadougou 0
Rivers United FC 0

Romelu Lukaku, who joined on loan from Chelsea at the beginning of the season, scored his first goal for Roma with a composed finish.

The home side established a comfortable lead in the first half with a goal from Paolo Dybala from the penalty spot before Renato Sanches doubled the lead with a header. An own-goal by Alberto Grassi in the 38th minute made 3-0.

Ten minutes into the second half Dybala made it 5-0 with a classy goal and also hit the crossbar with a free-kick.

With eleven minutes remaining on the clock Bryan Cristante scored from long range for Roma to make it 6-0.

And Gianluca Mancini added another goal with a header to complete the 7-0 rout. Roma had been facing criticism due to their poor form in the early part of the season, which was attributed to injuries to key players like Chris Smalling, Houssem Aouar, Lorenzo Pellegrini, and Tammy Abraham.

Iranian striker Sardar Azmoun made his debut for Roma in this match, replacing Lukaku late in the game.

The 7-0 win matched the record margin of victory in a modern Serie A match, with eight previous teams achieving the same scoreline since 1994.

The Giallorossi had previously won 8-0 against Napoli and 9-0 against Cremonese in the past, but the overall top-flight record remains Torino’s 10-0 win at home to Alessandria in May 1948.

And the win takes pressure off manager Jose Mourinho, who came under scrutiny due to the team’s poor performance before this match.

Aston Villa 3
Crystal Palace 1

Fulham 1
Luton Town 0

Manchester United 1
Brighton & Hove Albion 3

Tottenham Hotspur 2
Sheffield United 1

West Ham United 1
Manchester City 3

Newcastle United 1
Brentford 0

Spain LaLiga
Athletico Bilbao 3
Cadiz 0

Valencia 3
Atletico Madrid 0

Celta Vigo 0
Mallorca 1

Barcelona 5
Real Betis 0

Italy Serie A
Juventus 3
Lazio 1

Inter Milan 5
AC Milan 1

Genoa 2
Napoli 2

Germany Bundesliga
FC Cologne 1
Hoffenheim 3

Freiburg 2
Borussia Dortmund 4

Mainz 1
VfB Stuttgart 3

RB Leipzig 3
Augsburg 0

Wolfsburg 2
Union Berlin 1

Bochum 1
Eintracht Frankfurt 1

France Ligue 1
Rennes 2
Lille 2

Lens 0
Metz 1

Netherlands Eredivisie
Feyenoord 6
SC Heerenveen 1

Vitesse 0
RKC Waalwijk 2

Fortuna Sittard 3
FC Volendam 1

PSV Eindhoven 4
NEC Nijmegen 0

Heracles 1
FC Utrecht 3

Turkey Super Lig
Kayserispor 2
Gaziantep FK 0

Konyaspor 1
Rizespor 2

Adana Demirspor 3
Pendikspor 0

Galatasaray 4
Samsunspor 2

Portugal Primeira Liga
Rio Ave 1
Famalicao 1

Farense 3
SC Braga 1

Vizela 1
Benfica 2

Belgium Pro League
RWD Molenbeek 2
Cercle Brugge 1

Union St.Gilloise 0
Genk 2

Club Brugge 4
Sporting Charleroi 2

Scotland Premiership
St. Johnstone 0
Rangers 2

Celtic 3
Dundee FC 0

Hearts 2
Aberdeen 2

Kilmarnock 2
Hibernian 2

Motherwell 0
St. Mirren 1

Ross County 1
Livingston 1

Saudi Arabia Professional League
Abha 1
Al Ettifaq 3

Al Hazm 1
Al Tai 1

Al Raed 1
Al Nassr 3

Al Ahli 3
Al Taawoun 2

Africa: CAF Champions League
Al-Merreikh 0
Young Africans 2

Power Dynamos 2
Simba SC 2

Etoile du Sahel 1
FAR Rabat 0

AS Real Bamako 0
FC Nouadhibou 3

Brazil Serie A
Cuiaba 2
America MG 2

Palmeiras 1
Goias 0

Vasco da Gama 4
Fluminense 2

Six of the nominees for The Best FIFA Men’s Player are from Manchester City, and their manager, Pep Guardiola, is nominated for The Best FIFA Men’s Coach.

The nominees for The Best FIFA Women’s Player include Aitana Bonmati and players from Spain, England, and Australia, reflecting their performances in the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023.

Previous winners of The FIFA Best Women’s Coach award, Emma Hayes and Sarina Wiegman, are among the nominees in this category.

The Best Women’s Goalkeeper nominees are dominated by players who performed well in Australia and New Zealand during July and August, including Mary Earps and Catalina Coll.

The Best Men’s Goalkeeper category features nominees from five different players representing three continents.

The Best FIFA Men’s Player
Julian Alvarez
Marcelo Brozovic
Kevin De Bruyne
Ilkay Gundogan
Erling Haaland
Rodri
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
Kylian Mbappe
Lionel Messi
Victor Osimhen
Declan Rice
Bernardo Silva

The Best FIFA Women’s Player Nominees
Aitana Bonmati
Linda Caicedo
Rachel Daly
Kadidiatou Diani
Caitlin Foord
Mary Fowler
Alex Greenwood
Jennifer Hermoso
Lindsey Horan
Amanda Ilestedt
Lauren James
Sam Kerr
Mapi Leon
Hinata Miyazawa
Salma Paralluelo
Keira Walsh

The Best FIFA Women’s Coach
Peter Gerhardsson
Jonatan Giraldez
Tony Gustavsson
Emma Hayes
Sarina Wiegman

The Best FIFA Men’s Coach
Pep Guardiola
Simone Inzaghi
Ange Postecoglou
Luciano Spalletti
Xavi

The Best FIFA Women’s Goalkeeper
Mackenzie Arnold
Ann-Katrin Berger
Catalina Coll
Mary Earps
Christiane Endler
Zecira Musovic
Sandra Panos Garcia-Villamil

The Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper
Yassine Bounou
Thibaut Courtois
Ederson
Andre Onana
Marc-Andre ter Stegen

The Best 2022 Winners
The Best FIFA Men’s Player: Lionel Messi
The Best FIFA Women’s Player: Alexia Putellas
The Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper: Emiliano Martinez
The Best FIFA Women’s Goalkeeper: Mary Earps
The Best FIFA Men’s Coach: Lionel Scaloni
The Best FIFA Women’s Coach: Sarina Wiegman
The FIFA Puskás Award: Marcin Oleksy
The FIFA Fair Play Award: Luka Lochoshvili
The FIFA Fan Award: Argentina fans

This suspension comes after he returned an adverse sample from a random drug test conducted following Juventus’ Serie A game against Udinese on August 20. During that match, he was an unused substitute.

Pending further investigation, including the testing of a backup “B” sample, Pogba faces a potential suspension of up to four years if found guilty of the anti-doping offense.

The Frenchman’s career has been marked by injuries since his return to Juventus from Manchester United over a year ago.

He missed out on playing in the World Cup final with the French national team due to a knee injury.
Additionally, he played in only six Serie A matches for Juventus in the previous season and has yet to start a game in the current season, making only two substitute appearances.

Pogba has yet to start a game this season but has made two substitute appearances, last playing in the 2-0 win at Empoli.