After Lens defeat, Genesio sends Cahuzac a message of support

“I told him not to give up,” Bruno Genesio said of Yannick Cahuzac after Marseille’s 2-1 win at Lens on Sunday. The result moved Marseille into fourth place in Ligue 1. For the Marseille coach, his support for his Lens counterpart came against a difficult backdrop: Lens had just suffered a 9-1 defeat to Como in the Champions League.

Genesio said he wanted to encourage Cahuzac while also praising the spirit of his own team. “I told him not to give up, to stay together with his staff and his players; that’s how they’ll get through it,” he said at a press conference. He explained that watching Wednesday’s match had been painful, adding that a coach can understand what another coach is going through at such a moment. He described his words as sincere support and suggested the experience could prove useful to Cahuzac, whom he called a young coach.

On the pitch, Lens lost 2-1. Cahuzac felt his side had recovered “a certain look” but remained “ill”. He said the team had made a very difficult start and, despite responding, lacked confidence. In his view, the break had come at a good time for Lens.

Marseille’s run offered a clear contrast: the club had just claimed its fifth consecutive Ligue 1 win. That run followed a 1-0 victory over Leverkusen in the Europa League on Thursday. Genesio praised his group’s spirit, referring to “a spirit that shines through in this group” and the joy shared in the dressing room after the game, including among players who had featured little or not at all.

The coach also praised Keyliane Abdallah, who scored at Lens after being left out. Genesio said he had “reacted the right way”. His comments combined satisfaction with his own team’s performance and support for a coach facing a heavy defeat.