Marseille midfielder Dimitri Payet will soon be subject to major scrutiny.
Dimitri Payet is coming out of a complicated season in Marseille. Not entering the small papers of Igor Tudor, he spent most of the campaign on the bench. At 36 and with only one year left on his contract, can he hope for a different fate during the upcoming season? The answer will come very soon.
A crucial internship in Germany for Payet
Marcelino, the new Olympian coach, has no preconceptions about the Reunionese, even if from his discussions with Pablo Longoria he must be perfectly aware of his liabilities. The Spanish technician therefore plans to give the former French international a chance and thus judge his ability to hold a starting position in his training.
Payet has already been able to express himself on Saturday, during the second half of the friendly match against Nîmes (2-0). But it is especially during the training camp in Germany that the number 10 Olympian will play big. According to L’Equipe, that’s when Tudor’s successor will set a clear idea about the level of the player.
Payet must prove his worth
Marcelino has a preferential tactical scheme where there is not really room for a central leader (4-4-2). But, he still happens to field a playmaker. For the seasoned Olympian midfielder, it is therefore not a lost cause. Beyond the tactical solutions and the technical differences he can offer, the former Lille player will also be judged on his athletic form. Alberto Torres, the club’s new physical trainer, will submit a report to Marcelino himself. Payet is warned.
Note that across the Rhine, the Phocaeans will play two matches. The first against Belgian club Kas Eupen on Saturday July 22, and the second against the Dutch side RKC Waalwijk on Thursday July 27. They will end with the reception, at the Velodrome, of Bayer Leverkusen of Xabi Alonso, on Wednesday August 2, for a gala meeting.
