Very little used since the start of the season, Valentin Rongier started in Lens on Saturday. The former OM captain proved to Roberto De Zerbi that he had what it takes to be a starter by playing a key role in Marseille's success.
In recent years, coaches have paraded at Olympique de Marseille with André Villas-Boas Jorge Sampaoli, Igor Tudor and Marcelino. Almost every time, Valentin Rongier started on the bench before convincing the coaches in place to trust him and make him an essential cog. This scenario seen a thousand times could repeat itself again with Roberto De Zerbi. In his defense, the Italian coach did not have Rongier at 100% at the start of the season because the former Nantes player was returning from a major injury. But after the match in Lens, the Italian coach admitted that he could no longer do without the ex-OM captain from now on.
“This team needs Valentin Rongier, he brings order to the field. He had a big match, when he came out it was no longer the same” admitted Roberto De Zerbi, overwhelmed by the colossal performance of his midfielder, scorer and extremely valuable in recovery. Provence was not mistaken in giving it a score of 6.5/10 this Sunday. “He was waiting for this return to the starting XI and he did not disappoint. For his second start of the season, he did not tremble when presenting himself in front of Samba. He gained strength with sobriety before being replaced by Nadir” appreciates the local daily life.
Florent Gautreau puts a small tackle on Roberto De Zerbi
On the side of Florent Gautreau, great defender of Valentin Rongier on the airwaves of RMC, we could not resist the temptation to put a little stop to Roberto De Zerbi. “Ah, look at Rongier, holder and scorer… It’s funny these coaches who take time to suggest things that seem obvious… Like Fofana in Lyon” published the After Foot journalist, who has been calling for Valentin Rongier in the OM eleven for several weeks and who has finally been fulfilled with the choice of Roberto De Zerbi in Lens. Now, we can no longer imagine the transalpine coach doing without his midfielder, whose association with Rabiot and Hojbjerg proved very promising at Bollaert.
