Benjamin Pavard has been going through hell since mid-October. Penalty conceded and own goal against Lens, catastrophic performances against Sporting Lisbon and Atalanta, excluded from the French team by Didier Deschamps. The 2018 world champion, who arrived with great fanfare from Inter Milan this summer, has a string of performances unworthy of his status. This Saturday, before the match between Marseille and Brest, a former OM player hit the nail on the head on Bein Sports. And his words forgive nothing. “Pavard, he is in great difficulty even though we expected him to be the leader. While Nayef Aguerd assured him. We expected more solidity overall in this Marseille team. »
Daniel Bravo violently criticizes Benjamin Pavard
This is Daniel Bravo. The former midfielder who passed through Marseille did not mince his words. Consultant for Bein Sports, he was to comment on the Marseille-Brest match a few hours later. But before kick-off, he unleashed a violent charge against Pavard and OM in general. “There’s a lack of players who run the house. We feel the OM fragile. The teams that De Zerbi fields are very defensive at kick-off (five defenders at the start), but in the end it is very unbalanced. And in the middle, it lacks technique. » A global criticism which directly points to the failure of summer recruitment and Pavard’s inability to provide the expected solidity.
Daniel Bravo may criticize, his own time at OM was not a resounding success. Arriving in 1998, he stayed for just one season without really making a mark on the club’s history. No major title, decent performances but far from memorable. So seeing him today hitting Pavard from the TV sets can make you smile. It’s easy to criticize when you find yourself behind the microphones. Especially since we cannot say that Bravo is recognized as the most brilliant consultant on the football planet. His analyzes often lack nuance, and this charge against Pavard is a new example.
Having been in trouble for a month
It must still be recognized that Pavard is going through a major crisis of confidence. After a promising start in September, everything collapsed in mid-October. Against Sporting Lisbon, he deflected a ball into his own goals with his hand. Three days later in Lens, he conceded a penalty then scored against his side. A nightmarish double which made him the first OM player since 2006 to concede a penalty AND score a CSC in the same match. Against Atalanta last Wednesday, another disastrous performance with scores of 3/10. Roberto De Zerbi continues to publicly support him, as do Mehdi Benatia and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. But the facts are there: Pavard is no longer the solid defender we expected.
This Saturday against Brest, Pavard was started by De Zerbi. A new chance to redeem yourself. But Daniel Bravo’s criticisms resonate as a brutal reminder: in Marseille, the right to make mistakes does not exist. World champion or not. Pavard must get up quickly. Otherwise, this Marseille adventure could well turn into a definitive nightmare. And Bravo’s shots are just the beginning. At 29, the defender is also playing his place for the 2026 World Cup. Every match counts. Every mistake weighs heavily. And the veterans of OM, even those who did not shine, will not give him any gifts.
