Argentine defender Leonardo Balerdi remained in the center of critics After his performance at the last meeting of the Argentine National Team against Ecuador in Guayaquil. The footballer emerged in Boca Juniors and current captain of the Olympique de Marseille (OM), made an error that led to the expulsion of Nicolás Otamendi, an episode that revived the debate on his performance both in the selected and in his club.
The impact in France did not take long to amplify. According to the program Generation after of the station RMCthe former defender and world champion with the French team, Fair Ramianalyzed the situation of the defender in an interview where he openly questioned his leadership role in the OM. Rami stressed that Balerdi faces a particular pressure by carrying Captain’s tape in Marseille, a demanding city with his sports referents. “Taking the bracelet is a great responsibility. Especially in the OM”he said.
“I consider that it is a good defense,” said former Fenerbahce, Seville and Milan, although he pointed out that he was awarded an image of leader and defense head for which, in his opinion, he is not prepared. “We haven’t had a boss in this Marseille team, at least in defense,”he added.
Rami’s analysis defined the profile of a true leader in the field, associating it with the referents capable of ordering the last line and instructions to his teammates. According to the Frenchman, a boss is the one who “regulates his defense, who tells his partner: ‘Go to the duel, I cover you’, who shouts at his numbers 6 or his strikers to replicate.” When asked about whether the albiceleste meets these requirements, it was blunt: “From what I see, it is not at all a leader”he said about Balerdi, and highlighted the presence of “Too many technical errors in each game.”
The team He registered another critical episode recently in Ligue 1, during the last game prior to the recess for the FIFA date, when Olympique de Marseille fell by the minimum against Lyon. In that meeting, the Argentine starred in two determining plays for the result: first, he lost a ball in the middle of the field that resulted in the expulsion of his partner Conrad Egan-Riley, then Balerdi himself scored a goal against after an unfortunate action in the small area. The French medium described its performance with a 2, the lowest score of the collection.
The native of Villa Mercedes, who arrived at the French institution in the mid -2020 from Borussia Dortmund, loads with the expectations of a high exhibition position, both in the Argentine National Team and in the Marsellés Club, where its leadership is controversial. The mistake in the match against Ecuador and the complications against Lyon deepened doubts about his role as captain and defensive support.
According to Adil Rami, the club’s directive and the coaching staff have granted the Argentine a difficult confidence to give back under pressure, in a context where the fans and the media demand a solid and free reference of repeated errors.
Before playing minutes with the national team’s shirt, Balerdi made a mea blame and assumed responsibility for the fall of the OM on his excursion to Lyon for Ligue 1: “We came to add the three points. I assume responsibility for the expulsion of Conrad, because it was I who started the play with a bad pass. It was a sad night. For the costume New. Despite these words, the coach of the Gallic team, the Italian Roberto de Zerbi, publicly supported him at a press conference: “I have nothing to reproach him. Things are said in the costumes.”
The next presentation of the Olympique Marseille of Leo Balerdi will be this Friday, when they receive FC Lorient, a commitment that will serve as a prelude to the debut at the Champions League against Real Madrid at Santiago Bernabéu on September 16. It should be noted that the beginning of the Marseille in the local tournament was not the best, since it began its path with a 1-0 defeat against Stade Rennais, then thrashed Paris FC 5-2 and the aforementioned 1-0 fall against Lyon.
