Scorer and passer, Dimitri Payet weighed in the meeting Marseille – PAOK (2-1) counting for the quarter-finals of the Europa League Conference. But with his 22 years, Guendouzi also shone.
© AFP
Mattéo Guendouzi (right) battling PAOK midfielder Douglas (L) on Thursday evening on the lawn of the Stade Vélodrome.
If Dimitri Payet shone with Marseille against PAOK Salonika on Thursday evening in the first leg of the Europa League Conference, it is Mattéo Guendouzi, a real Petit Corporal, who is the cornerstone of Sampaoli’s system.
In nine months, the Stade Vélodrome has become his garden. Arrived on loan with option to buy from Arsenal, who also intends to continue without him, Mattéo Guendouzi, 22, has relaunched his career in Marseille.
He even became international there (three selections). And the coach, Didier Deschamps, is following him very closely with the 2022 World Cup in Qatar in his sights.
The midfielder
It must be said that Guendouzi is an indisputable starter at OM. Able to cover several positions in the midfield, he is, by his dejection and his natural verve, the taulier in the midfield for his coach Jorge Sampaoli. He is logically the most used Marseillais of the season (2,496 minutes in Ligue 1, 786 in the European Cup before the reception of Salonika).
Against Salonika, his performance certainly did not disappoint his coach: Guendouzi ran a lot and systematically compensated for the risk-taking of the Lirola-Under tandem on the Olympian right side in the first period.
If his start to the game was rather delicate, like his missed pass (16th), or the small bridge inflicted on him by Diego Biseswar (17th), he quickly got back into the game. ‘OM with him.
Active and leader of men
He had a hard time measuring his opening for Lirola (20th), it was he who harangued his friend, guilty, in his eyes, of not having made the right race.
Because, as often, he spoke – a lot -. He replaced his friends, sometimes heaved a few sighs of annoyance, or insulted the referee when he felt that an opponent’s hand would have deserved a penalty (64th).
Even under the influence of a suspension for the second leg in the event of a warning, he never hid, neither by his words nor by his attitude. His large volume of play often allows him to be at the heart of the action. He thus countered the strike of Jasmin Kurtic (25th).
And this activity entirely dedicated to the collective has allowed him to become legitimate to encourage his family to give more. As was the case, for example, with Cédric Bakambu, to carry out a high pressing (24th).
After the reduction of the Greek gap (2-1, 48th), he tried to restart the machine, but Under did not value his good pass (52nd).
The former captain of the France Espoirs team, whose temperament immediately pleased the public at the Vélodrome, has become the cement of the Marseille team, which he will have to lead to qualification next week in Salonika.