Deprived of Geoffrey Kondogbia and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg against Le Havre on Sunday, Roberto De Zerbi called on Bilal Nadir in midfield. A surprise because the young Marseillais was preferred to Ismaël Koné.
Recruited for 12 million euros from Watford last summer, Ismaël Koné is struggling to establish himself at Olympique de Marseille. The Canadian international's start to the season was hampered by a long-term ankle injury but since his return, we cannot say that the 22-year-old midfielder is rocking the house. Barred by competition from Rongier, Rabiot and Hojbjerg, he had a golden opportunity to shine this Sunday against Le Havre with the cumulative absences of Kondogbia and Hojbjerg.
But against all expectations, it was the young Bilal Nadir who started in midfield… and who shone, notably scoring a superb goal in the first half. In today's edition, The Team confirms the bad news for Ismaël Koné, who does not really fit into his trainer's plans. “In the hierarchy of midfielders, Nadir is ahead of Harit who has recurring calf problems and Koné, recruited for 12 million euros last summer” writes the national daily.
A bad signal for Ismaël Koné
At a press conference after his team's great victory on Sunday evening, Roberto De Zerbi begged Koné, Rowe and Wahi to do more in order to make him doubt more when choosing his starting eleven. “Players like Koné, Wahi, Brassier or Rowe have quality. They have to put me in difficulty if they want to shake up the hierarchy. No player has an absolute guarantee of playing” warned the Olympique de Marseille coach. The Italian coach still sent a positive message to Koné by bringing him on at half-time… in place of Nadir. The opportunity for the Canadian international to gain playing time and gain rhythm even if he was less prominent than his Moroccan competitor.
