André Villas-Boas said he remained hopeful of turning things around at Olympique de Marseille as talk turned to his future in the wake of another defeat on Wednesday, 1-0 at home to RC Lens.
“I am at the service of the board. I am not here to cause problems. If they decide that I am not up to it in terms of results, then it will be the time to leave. If a change is needed, I am at their service,” Villas-Boas told Téléfoot after a second-half goal by Simon Banza handed Lens all three points at the Orange Vélodrome.
The result followed another shock home loss last weekend, when OM were beaten 2-1 by struggling Nîmes Olympique. It was Marseille’s third straight defeat in all competitions and they have won just one of their last seven Ligue 1 Uber Eats outings to slump to sixth in the table.
That certainly constitutes a crisis at a club as volatile as Marseille, especially as they have fallen 10 points adrift of leaders Paris Saint-Germain, even if they still have a game in hand, but Villas-Boas insisted his focus was on getting back to winning ways against AS Monaco this weekend.
Highlights: Marseille slump goes on against Lens
“It is not the time to ask for changes, it just the time to turn defeats into victories. The Monaco game is coming up fast and the only thing we can do is start winning again. We could also do with avoiding more injuries. Previously we had no injuries and now everyone is getting injured. That is the way it is and it is going to be hard enough putting out a competitive team against Monaco,” said Villas-Boas.
Sanson bid rejected
Valentin Rongier was forced off injured before half-time against Lens, while Boubacar Kamara missed Wednesday’s match and is a major doubt for Monaco, the Portuguese coach said.
Marseille also have games at home to Stade Rennais FC, Paris Saint-Germain and Olympique Lyonnais coming up before the end of February.
Villas-Boas added: “We are playing all our direct rivals in our upcoming matches. We have missed a chance here to close in on the sides above us but I hope to turn things around. I don’t think this is dead yet.”
Meanwhile Morgan Sanson played against Les Sang et Or despite reports that a move to the English Premier League could be imminent for the talented midfielder.
“We received a very low offer from Aston Villa which was immediately refused so he is still with us and I hope he is concentrated on us,” Villas-Boas said.
>> MATCH REPORT: Marseille still in doldrums after Lens loss