The latter started for the first time in his career in the Champions League during the victory against Newcastle (2-1) on Tuesday.
A risky but profitable tenure
Coming from the training center, Bakola had until then been content with a few appearances in Ligue 1. De Zerbi explained that he had chosen to take a calculated risk by aligning him for his physique in the face of the expected pressure from Newcastle: “I preferred him to Angel Gomes because of his physique. I knew Newcastle could come in with high, hard pressure. His physique, in the way he defends the ball, the way he manages to insert himself between the lines, it could be an important weapon for us. » The young player justified this choice by delivering a performance full of nerve, enhanced by an assist for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on the equalizing goal.
The apricot metaphor
Despite a yellow card for simulation, De Zerbi said he was won over by the young man and used a fruit metaphor to emphasize the need to play to progress: “I really liked him, even in the first half when he missed a few passes. I liked him for his personality, his courage, the way he played. (…) Players are not like apricots which ripen when they stay on the tree. Players must play to be able to mature. So, sometimes you have to take some risks and today, taking this risk was to make him play. » De Zerbi also insisted on the role of the public: “ The Vélodrome is a stadium for young people from its training center. They helped him tonight, even in his mistakes. »
After the match, Bakola spoke alongside Aubameyang, who revealed the young striker’s nickname. While Aubameyang said: “ I said he was going to make an assist,” the young 17-year-old player replied with a smile: “ Mesut Ozil. Yesterday (Monday) before training, he nicknamed me like that. It hit the mark. We wanted to win this match. Now there is the championship awaiting us. »
