Igor Tudor & Laurent Blanc exchange compliments ahead of Olympic clash

Laurent Blanc and Igor Tudor have exchanged compliments ahead of the highly-anticipated match between Olympique Lyonnais and Olympique de Marseille on Sunday. The two coaches have spoken highly of each other, with Blanc praising Tudor for his coaching style, and Tudor expressing his admiration for Blanc’s values as a person and coach. The following was transcribed by RMC Sport.

Blanc spoke highly of Tudor’s coaching approach, saying, “He’s a very good coach who demands real commitment and going beyond the function. It’s beautiful.” He also complimented the team’s athleticism, saying “they constantly reshape, it’s pleasant and beautiful to watch play. Their game is total, it demands a lot of commitment.”

Tudor, in turn, expressed his gratitude for Blanc’s words, saying “I thank Laurent Blanc for his words. He is a man of football and values. I have known him since the 1998 World Cup in France when I played with Croatia and then during his career in Italy and his coaching career. He is someone who does good things for football. He has values that I like.”

Tudor went on to emphasize the differences between being a player and a coach, saying “Playing and coaching are two completely different professions. The football you want to play is something that must come from within, from something you don’t know when you play. But it happened to me a few years ago when I was coaching young people, you act the way you see football. And then over the years, you modify, you improve and you change to get to something you want to offer your players.”

GFFN | George Boxall