In its duel with Juventus, LOSC fielded a unique defense with Aïssa Mandi on the flank. An obvious choice for Bruno Genesio, bound hand and foot by absences.
Long-toothed and ambitious Mastiffs welcomed Juventus this Tuesday, following their recent successes on the European scene. However, before focusing on the Bianconeri, it was necessary to maneuver with a squad that had lost half of its members. It's simple, Bruno Genesio counted a dozen absences before kick-off, including Tiago Santos and Thomas Meunier, the two potential starters on the right flank of the Lille defense. Uncertainty hung over this position among the local media, who then tried their luck at a press conference.
In the past, under Paulo Fonseca, Bafode Diakité has long been an option on this side: “You have to see this with the coach (he points at him), not with me!the young Mastiff replied laughing in front of numerous journalists before the match kicked off. This year, most of my matches were in the middle. But I am available to the coach according to his needs. If he needs me to go right, I'll go right. If he prefers that I stay in the axis, I will stay there. It will depend on the coach’s choices, I adapt”he explained simply. For his part, Bruno Genesio showed a big smile, always delighted to see the media racking their brains.
“I wanted to keep Bafodé Diakité in line”
The next day, upon arriving at the Decathlon Arena – Stade Pierre Mauroy, everyone noted the choice made by the Lille technician. Aïssa Mandi, used to the position in the selection, was aligned on the right of a four-man defense also made up of Gabriel Gudmundsson, Alexsandro and Bafodé Diakité. The latter, in fact, was questioned again on this subject in the mixed zone at the final whistle: “Oh no! We really didn't know, but then we really didn't. We only found out the day beforehe laughed when the question was asked. As he is used to playing in the middle, we always need small discussions to settle things with each other, but I think he had a very good match.”he specified, while the two men discussed at length on the green rectangle.
In the process, it was Bruno Genesio who mentioned this choice and suffice to say that he never had the slightest doubt concerning this position: “It was obvious and for several reasonshe replied directly. He is a player who has already played in this position and knows the position well. I also preferred to shift Aïssa (Mandi) rather than Bafo” (Diakité), who I wanted to keep in line. I found his performance very good, serious and diligent. He had a client in front of him (Kenan Yildiz), a twirling and punchy player. I think he did very well defensively and, with the ball, was valuable on our ball releases on that side”judged the Lille technician, who could repeat the experience on Sunday, in Nice.
