Marseille have decided to stick with interim coach Habib Beye for the final two matches of the Ligue 1 season, despite a humbling 3-0 defeat to Nantes that deepened the club's crisis. According to L'Équipe, the club's hierarchy has no plans to make another managerial change, even as the season spirals further out of control.
Beye, who took over after Roberto De Zerbi's departure earlier this year, has now lost five of his ten league matches in charge. The former Red Star coach saw his side outplayed at Nantes, following a disastrous away performance at Lorient in April. But Marseille's leadership believes the problems run far deeper than the man on the touchline.
Club officials point to a fractured dressing room, an exhausted squad, and a lack of authority figures as the root causes of the collapse. After Jacques Abardonado briefly took interim charge for a 2-2 draw against Strasbourg in February, Marseille is reluctant to repeat another short-term reshuffle with just two games left.
The stakes couldn't be higher. Once targeting automatic UEFA Champions League qualification, Marseille have plummeted to seventh place in Ligue 1. Their only realistic hope now is a UEFA Europa Conference League play-off spot—which would become available if RC Lens defeat OGC Nice in the Coupe de France final later this month.
In response to the Nantes defeat, the club has imposed yet another lockdown at their La Commanderie training ground. Players reported back on Sunday morning after returning from Nantes the previous evening and were told they would remain together under stricter conditions from Monday night. The exact length of the camp hasn't been communicated, with the club opting for day-by-day planning to maintain pressure and focus. However, similar disciplinary measures introduced after the Lorient defeat reportedly had little lasting effect.
Director of football Medhi Benatia remains furious with the squad's attitude and performances. After publicly criticizing the players following the Lorient defeat, Benatia reportedly chose not to address the squad directly after the Nantes loss—a telling sign of the disconnect between management and the dressing room. With crucial fixtures against Le Havre and Rennes ahead, Beye faces the daunting task of restoring pride and securing European football for a club in turmoil.