1st Team

Amavi finds his feet

Posted by
Antoine Plaquet
On Monday 21 August 2017 at 10:50

Sunday afternoon marked Jordan Amavi's debut appearance in the number 18 jersey for the whites at the Orange Velodrome. When the teams emerged from the dressing rooms, his name was greeted with a warm welcome by the Marseilles supporters. As was his exit, to sustained applause from the stands, just over an hour into the match.

The Marseilles audience already knew him thanks to his performances for Nice in 2014. On Sunday, against Angers, wearing the blue and white kit, the former international had hoped to show what he was capable of. He was taken off an hour into the game, in favour of Matheus Doria, a few seconds after Angers scored their equaliser.

Even before the match, Jordan Amavi could be seen in long discussions with his team mates. In particular, during the warm up with Bouna Sarr, who was also about to make his season's debut. The former Aston Villa player was also deep in discussion with Adil Rami or Rolando, his team-mates in midfield.

On the ball defensively, promising offensively

During the match, the one-time Nice player gave his all. As an attacking player, his arrival strengthened the team noticeably. With multiple runs along the touchline, he was not always in the thick of things, but just being there helped to knock the opponents off their guard.

Defensively, his intentions were clear and appropriate, as you would expect. Often and repeatedly helped by Lucas Ocampos on the left wing, he gave Marseilles' defenders confidence, such as when he effectively tackled Angelo Fulgini in the 29th minute after Angers had held possession for a long time, or against the same adversary an hour into the match (61'), which earned him a yellow card just before he left the pitch.

With a committed style of play and a clear desire to fit in with the team, Jordan Amavi was in dialogue throughout the match. With Lucas Ocampos in the 22nd minute and André-Frank Zambo Anguissa in the 40th, pauses in play helped to build bridges with the players around him on the pitch.
Following his replacement by Matheus Doria just under 30 minutes from full time, Jordan Amavi followed the end of the match from the bench on tenterhooks with the rest of his teammates. As a fully paid up member of the team, the new Marseilles player would not get the chance to see his team regain the upper hand. However, his first appearance in a Marseilles shirt on the Boulevard Michelet shows the first signs of a promising future.

Jordan Amavi's statistics against Angers
OM 1-1 ANGERSJORDAN AMAVI
Time on the pitch64
Touches50
Passes30
Successful passes26
Passing accuracy87%
Passes in own half7
Successful passes in own half5
Passing accuracy in own half71%
Crosses2
Duels7 (including 3 aerial)
Duels won3 (including 3 aerial)
Percentage of duels won43% (100% for aerial duels)
Balls recovered2
Intercepts1
Clearances6 (a new club record)