Wednesday evening, on the occasion of the French Cup quarter-final between OL and OM, the probable reunion between Lyonnais Maxwel Cornet and Marseillais Bouna Sarr promises to be delicious. Friends since their common passage in Metz, the two wingers sometimes used in lateral have experienced the same conversion, imagined by the same trainer, Rudi Garcia.
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One on the left, the other on the right. Which could offer them a direct confrontation. “I talked about it a lot with Bouna, laughs Maxwel Cornet. It’s funny because I made fun of him (Laughs). When I saw Bouna playing in this position of right side, I said to myself:“It is not possible !”.He’s someone who likes to dribble, who likes to score. Then I realized that it was the coach Garcia who had put it there and I told myself that he had the eye (Smile)! It works well for him in Bouna! “
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“What was important was that he was convinced of it. It’s one more weapon in his career ”
Rudi Garcia, OL coach
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Recently, it is also the Marseillais who could afford to tease the Ivorian international, regularly used in the left side for a few weeks. “Inevitably, he chambered me since I used to make fun of him before, continues to laugh Maxwel Cornet. He sent the elevator back to me. “ The reasons which pushed the current Lyonnais coach to use these two players in a new post are moreover substantially the same.
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“For Maxwel, I mainly looked for solutions when I didn’t have Marçal and Youssouf Koné, details Rudi Garcia. Youssouf had ankle surgery. And Marçal was more often in the infirmary than in the field, in 2019, when I arrived. The only one that corresponded to a possible effective left side was Max. We both talked about it and what was important was that he was convinced of it. It is one more weapon in his career. He’s a versatile player and for a coach, it’s always something important. “
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During his visit to the Marseille bench, the technician also appreciated the experience he tried with Bouna Sarr: “He had the qualities to play right side. Chances are he’ll be found in this position tomorrow (Wednesday). With Maxwel, not only are they friends but in addition, they have similarities in their game. They are talented, fast, hard-hitting players capable of making differences offensively. But also capable of being focused on the defensive level. In such a case, you must know how to defend or learn how to defend. It is important that players are open about this. And Max is. “
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“I don’t have all the tactics yet to be a full-fledged defender. But I work there every day “
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Package due to a flu during the trip to the Parc des Princes, to face Paris Saint-Germain (2-4), Sunday evening, Maxwel Cornet also applies for “Olympico” as much as a winger as on the left side where he lives a progressively fulfilling experience. “This is one more string to my bow, He says. It is a position that I am beginning to appreciate. Basically, it does not change me too much from my usual position, located a little higher. I start from lower and I have a little more space in front of me. You just have to be smart on the move. “
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Even if the Lyonnais recognizes that it still has to work on certain aspects to fully master this new positioning: “I don’t have all the tactics yet to be a full-fledged defender. But I work on it daily. I take a lot of advice from Claudio Caçapa (the assistant coach in charge of defenders) or my defending teammates, be it Jason (Denayer) or Marcelo. I use this to erase any small gaps I may have. “
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To the point of imagining a sustainable retraining for this position? “Of course I like to score goals, He explains. Afterwards, it is a position that I like and it can be a lasting solution later in my career. I do not exclude it. “ He and Bouna Sarr have therefore not finished laughing.
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