AS Saint-Etienne : OM (1-0): Khazri, Balerdi, Abi, Thauvin … the tops and flops of the green victory | ASSE News

Zapping Goal! Football club ASSE: Laurent Hess’s edit on the nice shot Pape Cissé

Tops

Wahbi Khazri: untenable for three months, the Tunisian still left his mark on this match. It was he who obtained the first two opportunities in Saint-Etienne, he who centered on Arnaud Nordin’s goal, he who was dangerous each time he was found, in the feet as in the space… We cannot rewrite history, but where would ASSE be if Claude Puel had not deprived himself of his services until February to encourage him to look elsewhere?

Pope Cisse: we hardly saw Arkadiusz Milik and the Senegalese obviously had something to do with it. Especially since, to add to the difficulty of the task, he had to change partners in central defense at the half-hour mark, Harold Moukoudi being replaced by Timothée Kolodziejczak. Always so impressive in the air, Cissé did not waver, even when the Marseillais pushed in the second half. What a pity that Olympiakos clearly does not intend to sell it this summer!

Luis Henrique: the Marseillais as a whole were very disappointing. But the Brazilian has at least had the merit of trying, of trying to shake things up. To be sure, he’s not cut out for the piston role in a 3-5-2 pattern. But in a 4-3-3, he could do a lot of damage as he goes so fast on the first few meters.

SEE ALSO: ALL NEWS FROM AS SAINT-ETIENNE

The flops

Leonardo Balerdi: the goal conceded by OM in the 42nd minute? It’s him. A missed raise in his box on a cross from Wahbi Khazri and Arnaud Nordin who only had to push the ball into the net. A stupid warning collected for insulting Khazri when the ball was for the Marseillais? Him again ! The missed equalizer three meters from the goal on a magnificent cross from Thauvin? Always him! The Argentinian, oddly aligned on the left when he is used to being on the right in the defensive line, has almost missed everything. A match without …

Florian Thauvin: for his first game since the announcement of his departure from the Tigers, he certainly dreamed of scoring, to silence the critics who question his involvement. But like Balerdi, he missed almost everything, well taken by Trauco and especially a very compact team from Saint-Etienne when it comes to defense. Unable to make any difference, he just stood out with a defensive retreat following a Stéphanois counter in the second half and a good cross spoiled by Balerdi. Too few … Also, warned, he will miss Angers’s reception, which should have been his last game at the Vélodrome.

Charles Abi: The collective performance of ASSE was very interesting. But if there was one weak point in the team, it’s Charles Abi. The great striker touched very few balls. While he did a good pressing the entire time he was on the pitch, he lacked scoring flair. Because the two times Khazri crashed and crossed in front of the goal, he was two meters behind… Claude Puel complained that his player did all his training at the center winger. After this type of service, it’s hard to prove him wrong!