Cuisance gives Sampaoli winning start at Marseille
Jorge Sampaoli made a dream start to life as Marseille coach on Thursday (AEDT) with a 1-0 win over Rennes, secured by substitute Michael Cuisance's late header.
Former Argentina and Chile boss Sampaoli took over a team languishing outside the European places in Ligue 1, on a run of just two wins in 14 matches and who were embarrassed by fourth-tier amateur side Canet Roussillon in the French Cup at the weekend.
"We can't do everything in two days. There is still a lot to correct," said Sampaoli, who took over from Andre Villas-Boas as permanent coach, following Nasser Larguet's spell as a stand-in.
"It's important to regain confidence and a playing identity.
"It's important to know who we represent and for whom we play to know where we're going."
Rennes have also been tumbling down the table and they have now suffered five straight league defeats.
The two out-of-form teams unsurprisingly struggled for most of the match at the Stade Velodrome, managing just four shots on target between them.
But Sampaoli rung the changes late on and it paid off.
On-loan Bayern Munich midfielder Cuisance was in the right place at the right time in the 88th minute, nodding in fellow sub Luis Henrique's cross to score his first Ligue 1 goal.
The result moves Marseille back up into sixth, two points behind fifth-placed Lens in the race to qualify for the inaugural Europa Conference League.
