The object of robust debate during the last summer transfer period, Benoît Cheyrou is becoming, bit by bit, the keystone of the OM midfield. The day after the qualification in the Coupe de France against Beauvais, (2-0), his manager and team-mates are unanimous.
Arriving last June from AJ Auxerre, Benoît Cheyrou has begun in recent matches to recapture the ability to dominate midfield that he displayed so often last season. He has a strong reputation as a ball-winner and a distributor but the former Lille player and Auxerre captain has had a tough time getting his season up and running. Just like the team as a whole, he lacked impact in the first few months of competition, something his captain, Lorik Cana, confirms: "The side's catastrophic start to the season didn't really allow Benoît to express himself."
Now the team is doing better, as their unbeaten run in their last 7 league matches will attest. And the younger of the Cheyrou brothers has, according to those around him, rediscovered his touch. "We're seeing again the great player that he is; he's in the ascendancy again gaining in confidence," remarked Lorik Cana, echoed by Laurent Bonnart: "Benoît is on the rise, just like the squad as a whole." Eric Gerets is not short of praise for his midfielder either: "At the moment, he's the best in the side. He's becoming more and more of a leader on the pitch, he's beginning to command. What he's showing right now is tremendous class. I'm not saying he's knocking on the door of the France team, because I never want to talk up a player so the national team manager will select him."
Asked about the influence of his choice of formation (4-4-2 or 4-3-3), the Belgian technician was adamant that it has had no effect on Cheyrou. "I simply asked him to be more attacking. He should be part of 70% of our attacking moves, while it's 30% for Cana. He needs to get into the box 3 or 4 times a match and score 6 to 10 goals per season." Cheyrou's midfield partner, Lorik Cana, explains their partnership in his own words: "I win the ball and try to get it to him as much as possible so he can pull the strings. I leave the attacking organization to him. He has great vision and an awesome left foot." The Albanian international is in complete agreement with his manager as to Cheyrou's attacking qualities: "He wants to score goals. The manager is asking him to step in to finish moves off, something he has the qualities to do. I'd like him to be freed up a bit more so ha can score even more goals."
For the OM number 7 to transmute into a goal scorer would be great news for OM ahead of its trip to Rennes next Sunday. Something will have to give in OM's attack in the absence of serial goal scorer Mamadou Niang.
