Former Olympique de Marseille and Arsenal midfielder Robert Pirès has urged the club’s hierarchy to show patience with head coach Habib Beye, drawing comparisons with Mikel Arteta’s early struggles at Arsenal in an interview with local paper La Provence.

“The best example to follow is Mikel Arteta,” Pirès said. “After three months, Arsenal wanted to sack him. But Edu trusted him, and we know the results.”

Marseille’s podium hopes are currently in the balance, with the former Newcastle and Aston Villa defender Beye only managing one match so far: a 2-0 defeat to Stade Brestois last weekend. With Les Olympiens training in Marbella this week hoping to build some cohesion – two huge season-defining matches are quickly coming over the horizon.

Marseille face Olympique Lyonnais in a Ligue 1 clash that could be decisive in the race for direct Champions League qualification, before Toulouse visit the Vélodrome in a Coupe de France quarter final.

Pirès acknowledged the scale of the task, describing it as “very complicated”, but insisted that the former Senegal international knew exactly what he was walking into.

The 1998 World Cup winner suggested that OM’s issues are rooted less in tactics than mentality. Referencing the defeat in Brest, Pirès lamented that “nobody wanted the ball or responsibility”, framing the problem as psychological rather than structural.

The recent training camp in Marbella, therefore, was viewed internally as an opportunity to reset. Pirès believes Beye must prioritise individual discussions, establish a clear hierarchy and build around a fixed “ossature” in his starting XI. Managing those on the fringes of the squad will be equally important.