Arrived at Olympique de Marseille during the winter transfer window on loan with option to buy from Fiorentina, the Spanish right-back Pol Lirola already satisfies the Olympian public. Convincing, he displays qualities that have been lacking for too long at OM, through his reading of the game and his offensive contribution in particular.
History of matches since his arrival
Lirola commits to Olympique de Marseille on January 12, 2021. He made his debut the next day in a major match against PSG. He played about twenty minutes during this Champions Trophy final. His beginnings are difficult to criticize given the speed with which this first appearance in the Marseille jersey arrives. Nevertheless, he shows his quality on the ball despite this short time spent on the field.
His first tenure at the Stade Vélodrome took place against Nîmes on January 16. The right-back shows encouraging things despite the 1-2 defeat. It shows itself in the legs on an offensive plan but leaves many spaces in defense. The Olympian People team then gave him an average score of 5.1 / 10.
Discreet match then for Lirola facing AS Monaco at the Louis-II stadium. Its defensive limits appear obvious, leaving Monegasques the opportunity to create several dangerous actions. He got an average score of 4.9 / 10 by the Olympian People team following this 3-1 loss.
After that, Pol Lirola Another complicated match in Ligue 1, this time against RC Lens. The Spaniard shows nothing transcendent in the face of blood and gold and receives a lot of criticism after the 2-2 draw. The editorial staff of the Olympian People gives it an average rating of 3.8 / 10.
Substituting against PSG at the Vélodrome on February 7, he only played 35 minutes. His entry slightly changes the pace of the Marseille team but the lack of success in the last thirty meters on the part of his teammates makes his performance not very successful. He obtains a score of 4.8 / 10.
Lirola discovers the Coupe de France against Auxerre on February 10 in a particular context following the change of coach. Larguet then officiates on the bench. The side makes a good copy, delivers two assists for Darío Benedetto and Bamba Dieng and shows his quality in creating the game in the offensive sector. Very little to complain about his work in defense as well, being present at the recovery. This very good performance earned him a score of 7.1 / 10 by our team. This match against AJ Auxerre is the benchmark match for Lirola under the Marseille jersey until now. The opponent is certainly of a lower level than OM but the Olympian team is then in full doubt. A short video produced by Glophar allows to see the quality of his performance against the AJA.
Finally, Lirola shows the extent of his qualities against the Girondins de Bordeaux on February 14, playing ninety minutes. He made great breakthroughs in the opposing defense and is one of the best Marseille present on the field. His big game allows him to obtain the score of 6.4 / 10 from the Olympian People.
His predecessors
Since 2016, only two players have evolved to the right side position at OM. It is Bouna Sarr and of Hiroki Sakai.
Hiroki Sakai
The position of right defender has often been occupied by players with certain shortcomings. Hiroki Sakai was until now the holder. If the Japanese showed great things under the colors of OM, his offensive limits were sometimes glaring. His fighting spirit, to underline, is not enough to make him indisputable in his post. In great difficulty on the crosses, in the movement and even more in the last gesture, Sakai nevertheless causes interesting duplication and has been able to display a real complementarity with Florian Thauvin. The current season is more difficult for him than the previous ones. Thus, it was difficult to imagine seeing him remain alone in being able to occupy the post of right-back.
Bouna Sarr
Bouna Sarr also held the position of right-back. A winger by training, he never gives full satisfaction, little impact. It is however interesting when Rudi Garcia replace it lower on the ground. More offensive than Sakai, the Franco-Guinean has generally given satisfaction. Despite shortcomings, he learned to calibrate his game on the offensive and defensive plans. He notably scored a magnificent goal against Strasbourg in the Coupe de la Ligue and is important during OM’s European campaign in 2017-2018. However, he was too irregular to last for the right-back position. His good performances still led him to be mentioned as selectable for the France team. His efforts and significant progress bring him to Bayern Munich in October 2020, leaving Sakai only player in this position for half of the season.
Lirola is transferred to Marseille in January to strengthen the ranks.
What do we expect from him?
The Marseillais seem unanimous as to the qualities required of future full-backs. In recent years, the offensive limits of Jordan Amavi and of Hiroki Sakai were expensive in the game. Their deficiencies reduced the number of good balls approaching the opponent’s penalty area correctly, sometimes putting OM’s attackers in difficulty. If these, Blessed and Germain in particular, are not free from all reproach, their statistics could be more fleshed out if the game had been better built upstream of the work they have to accomplish at their post. The profile which is therefore desirable is that of the “modern” side which projects, overflows and achieves good crosses. Pol Lirola For the moment corresponds rather well to these criteria, suggesting a reading of the game more than interesting.
Lirola’s performance record to date is promising. With rare exceptions, explained by the time needed to adapt to his new club and by the fact that he did not arrive at 100% physically, he brought a movement and a will which were lacking in the Marseille workforce. post. Lirola, who throws himself a lot forward, is the source of several offensive threats by his ball-to-foot technique but also by his crosses which find more than before the OM attackers. It is too early to draw a full picture, however his matches so far are very encouraging for the rest of his career at Olympique de Marseille.
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