Marseille supporters have surely not forgotten him. Valuable under the orders of Igor Tudor at Olympique de Marseille where he helped secure a third place, Nuno Tavares is not the type to leave people indifferent. Author of 6 goals in 39 matches with the Phocéens, the 24-year-old left-back had shown great qualities, but also glaring limitations. Fast, powerful and useful offensively, he was much more limited in terms of defense, game intelligence and technique. A weapon capable of being as lethal as harmless that had finally convinced OM to bet on other elements. Returning from his loan to Arsenal, Nuno Tavares had been sent to Nottingham Forest last season. A much more complicated adventure.
In a team that snatched its survival with a 17th place, Nuno Tavares only played 12 games under the orders of Steve Cooper and Nuno Espirito Santo. An anecdotal role that did not allow him to flourish sufficiently. Once again unwanted within Arsenal, the Portuguese was shown the exit door and Lazio seized the opportunity with a loan with obligation to buy under conditions. Arriving in mid-August in poor form, Nuno Tavares did not take part in his team’s first two matches against Venezia (3-1) and Udinese (1-2). Nevertheless, the Portuguese who was launched on the 3rd day against AC Milan did not miss his debut.
The press and its team are charmed
While his team conceded a 2-2 draw, Nuno Tavares stood out with his offensive contribution and his two offerings for Taty Castellanos (62nd) and Boulaye Dia (66th). A successful debut that earned him the man of the match trophy and praise from the Italian press. The Gazzetta dello Sport notably gave it a 6.5, stating: “revelation of the evening. The two goals of Lazio are his merit. There is however a flaw that gives him half a point less. He could have done better on Leao during the equalizer at 2-2.» The Corriere dello Sport who nicknamed him “king of sprint” or “fast and furious” even gave him an 8 and was dithyrambic: “the people praise this devil. Nobody dreamed of a Tavares like this. Without running in, a steamroller. Two assists and he hadn’t played since February. He put AC Milan in his wake. He came out exhausted.»
The media are not the only ones getting excited. His new coach Marco Baroni is also happy to finally be able to count on him: “I think Nuno Tavares hadn’t started a game since February, so that was also a risk, but he has quality and we want to get him in the best physical shape. We’ve been playing a lot of crosses from the right this season, so we needed someone like Nuno Tavares to push down the left as well. Luca Pellegrini can also play that role and we’ll get better as the season goes on.» Reaching a speed of 35.3 km/h during the sprint match, Nuno Taares reassured about his physical condition and already seems ready to shine on the Roma side. The Biancocelesti have already adopted him in the image of left winger Mattia Zaccagni: “With him I can rest even in the offensive phase. Nuno is a great player, these weapons in today’s football are decisive.»
