Chosen to revive Olympique de Marseille, Habib Beye has completely failed in his mission. A former brilliant pundit, often scathing in his criticism of others’ shortcomings, he has now been caught out by the very thing he embodied behind a microphone: a kind of intellectual confidence that offers no leeway when results on the pitch don’t follow.
In Marseille, nothing and no one is spared, least of all a coach who gives the impression of wanting to explain everything. At the Vélodrome, you have to win quickly, reassure people even more quickly, and avoid fuelling the idea that you talk the talk but don’t walk the walk. That is precisely what is now sticking to Habib Beye like glue.
A rise marred by ambition?
The crux of the debate undoubtedly lies in this meteoric rise. At Red Star, Beye had built something tangible: promotion to Ligue 2 and a distinct playing identity. But by the summer of 2024, the former defender had set himself on a path of accelerated progression. His refusal of certain intermediate projects and his stated ambition for Ligue 1 were already painting a picture of a manager in a hurry to cement his status as a ‘star’. The problem is that between the National and a club as high-profile as Marseille, there are steps that cannot simply be ignored.
His first spell at Rennes was, in fact, far from a resounding success. Whilst there were unfavourable circumstances and internal tensions, his record there remained too fragile to establish him as a tactical certainty. And yet, there he was, appointed at Marseille just a few weeks later. The contrast today is stark: at the time of his departure, Rennes had 31 points compared to 40 for Marseille. Today, the Breton club has overtaken them (53 to 52). It is hard not to see this as a sign of a manager who rushed things just when he thought he was accelerating his career.
Words versus the dressing room
What makes his situation even more difficult is that the criticism now goes beyond results alone. Beye is saddled with the image of a ‘preachy’ coach, overly confident in his reading of the game. In France, this profile is rarely accepted, and even less so in Marseille, where tension is tolerated more readily than a masterful display of authority. As long as the wins keep coming, this assertiveness is a strength. When the team falls apart, as at Le Moustoir, it becomes a burden. The attacks on his professorial tone speak above all to a growing mistrust of the distance he creates with those around him.
Even more worrying is that this rift now seems to be affecting the very heart of the project: the dressing room. According to La Provence, a large section of the squad has already lost patience with their manager, a sign of a atmosphere that is strangely reminiscent of the tensions seen at Rennes. Of course, the players bear their share of the blame, but in a final sprint where Marseille are fighting for Champions League qualification, the club needed a clear solution. For now, Beye seems more like yet another problem. In his eagerness to appear as the man who knows best, he finds himself forced to prove, faster than anyone else, that he is capable of delivering.
PSG: Gonçalo Ramos, a substitute with nothing to offer
Starting against Olympique Lyonnais (1-2) on Sunday, Gonçalo Ramos failed to make an impact. Invisible on the pitch and missing a penalty, the Portuguese striker has reignited the debate: can he really be anything more than a luxury substitute at Paris Saint-Germain?
Luis Enrique needs certainty to secure the title and prepare for the clash with Bayern Munich. Taking advantage of the squad rotation against OL, Gonçalo Ramos (24) needed to make his mark. The result: a ghostly performance that confirms his struggles to make an impact from the first whistle.
A performance that falls apart off the bench
The figures speak for themselves: Gonçalo Ramos is a man for the latter stages of matches. Last season, he scored 19 goals in 46 appearances, but more than half (10) came from coming off the bench. This season, the trend has become even more pronounced: of his 12 goals (in 40 matches), 7 have been scored as a substitute. Whilst he saved his side in the UEFA Super Cup against Tottenham and in the Champions Trophy against Marseille, it was always in this role as a last-minute saviour.
Conversely, his impact drops sharply as soon as he starts. In Ligue 1 this season, the Portuguese player has scored just six goals in 26 appearances. Too often overshadowed by compact defences, the former Lisbon player struggles to make an impact over 90 minutes. Against Lyon, the contrast with his incisive substitute appearances was striking: few touches, no presence in the box and that missed penalty, which symbolises his impotence as a starter.
A dip in form at the worst possible time
The most worrying thing is that even his reputation as a ‘super sub’ is beginning to crumble. Since the start of 2026, his record has been meagre: just three goals in 16 appearances, the last of which came against Toulouse after just a few seconds on the pitch. His failure against Dominik Greif is not just a fluke; it reflects a confidence that is evaporating just as the final sprint begins.
In this context, his prospects of challenging the pecking order are virtually nil. Luis Enrique favours players who are more mobile and involved in build-up play, leaving Gonçalo Ramos confined to the role of a pure finisher who survives solely on his statistics. With the return of all the key attacking players, his status is more precarious than ever. If the super-sub stops scoring, he risks finishing the season on the bench.
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