You can have all the talent in the world but sometimes your face just does not fit. That was how Portuguese centre-back Rolando felt (perhaps without all the talent) when Marseille’s ex-coach Franck Passi told him in the summer to look for a new club. It was only a lack of interest from other clubs that kept him in the south. Midway through his two-year contract, Rolando played for seven minutes this season under Passi – during which time Marseille conceded an equalizer to Angers.
The appointment of Rudi Garcia as new coach on October 20 changed everything.