At the Velodrome stadium,
Olympique de Marseille players are still celebrating the goal of Alexis Sanchez (26th), but Léo Balerdi already has the mask. The Argentinian knows that Igor Tudor will take advantage of this goal to replace him. And even before the engagement, he is forced to give up his place to Nuno Tavares. Cruel for a young 21-year-old player, after less than thirty minutes of play. But logical after his catastrophic start to the match: No duel won, no interception, no clearance for nine lost balls and a yellow card.
Asked about this choice at a press conference, the Olympique de Marseille coach admitted to having done “something” that he “does not like to do”: “It’s not because he played badly , but because he already had a card. The referee had an easy card, I didn’t want him to be sent off, ”he tempered. However, the Croatian is not shy when it comes to making choices, when so many coaches wait until at least half-time to change a player who is sinking his team.
The management of Dimitri Payet
Like leaving Dimitri Payet on the bench once again. Absent in the victory at Auxerre last weekend (2-0) due to a calf injury, Dimitri Payet was well in the group for the trip to Tottenham. But the idol of the supporters did not come into play, any more than Saturday evening against Lille. Here too, Igor Tudor was asked to justify his choice. And after showing signs of annoyance, “I did three interviews this evening, and each time I was asked this question about Payet. It gets a bit repetitive”, the Croatian giant was more verbose.
“Everyone is important, especially when you play every three days. On Friday we had a conversation and I explained my plan to him. That of not starting him against Lille, but I told him he will start against Frankfurt in the Champions League. He is a player who has always done well, who plays well, he is strong. So I obviously expect a lot from him. He feels good, is positive in training, so I can’t wait to see him play in three days, ”he then developed.
To see Dimitri Payet celebrate this victory with his teammates, before accompanying them to greet the public, it seems that he accepts these choices of Igor Tudor, which finally allowed Olympique de Marseille to turn around a badly embarked situation, to finally beat Lille (2-1). And above all to go back to 1st place in Ligue 1, tied with PSG. Enough to gain confidence before hosting Frankfurt in the Champions League, an even more important match than the one against Lille. And for which the OM coach will still have to make strong choices with the suspension of Mbemba, and the injury of Gigot. What to see Balerdi play more than 30 minutes on Tuesday?