Having become a reference in his position in Ligue 1 and at the doors of the best attackers on the European scene, Jonathan Davidat the end of his contract with LOSC at the end of the season, took advantage of his four and a half seasons in the North to expand your palette in all areas. A progression and an informed look at the game detailed in an in-depth interview with our colleagues from The Team.
A role of pure 9 tamed at LOSC
Jonathan David is not one to pretend. “ What do I prefer? Markreplies the center forward in an interview with The Team. There are players who say that a pass gives them so much pleasure, I’m not sure I believe them. Afterwards, if I give an assist, I’m happy. » However, since his arrival at LOSC, he is not the type to play alone. To his 101 goals (in 213 matches), the Canadian added 25 assists, a rather honorable figure for a number 9 who had to adapt to this role in the North.
« When I arrived at LOSC, it was to occupy the position of top finisher. It was difficult at the very beginning, because I was the highest player on the pitch, a fixation pointadmits the man who arrived in France at the age of 20. Which was very different from La Gantoise, where I was never alone. It changes a lot the perception of the performance of a center forward. I had to improve on being isolated, finding solutions in the middle of two or three defenders, managing a very low number of chances. »
Jonathan David, more than just a striker
Since then, the Canuck (59 caps, 31 goals) has made his mark perfectly and has had a series of prolific seasons, despite an unfortunate habit of operating in cycles from one half-season to the next. But if it is not always the most decisive, its performance and its importance in the game vary very little. “ I’m looking for the full match. A meeting where I was very involved for the team, very active offensively, where I combined well with my teammates, where I shot and where I scored. That’s it, the complete matchhe says, before returning to his very energy-intensive game without the ball. I don’t think too much about my energy expenditure. I never tell myself that I’m going to save money. I play by feeling and instinct. I make the efforts because I believe they are necessary. »
-Words that fit well with his definition of the modern attacker: “ A striker who knows how to do everything, press, combine, score and be decisive all the time “. And this, no matter the opponent since number 9 of LOSC “ love all defenders, as long as I score » trying, to do this, « to understand them from the first minutes (of the match, editor’s note), to know what they like or not, to benefit from it “. This Tuesday evening, he will probably not need these few minutes on the Anfield pitch to understand what Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konaté, two references to their position, are up to. A new challenge worthy of Jonathan David.
Photo credits: Johnny Fidelin/Icon Sport
