Gerson goes up in tone with Marseille
After a slow start to the season which had given rise to some perplexity among OM supporters, the Brazilian, a major investment in the last transfer window, seems to have finally woken up before going to Strasbourg on Sunday (5 p.m. ).
“I was booed, I was humiliated, I was attacked, I was cursed, threatened, never scared. Applauded, revered, honored, rewarded by men, blessed by God.The formula is not from Gerson, but from Brazilian rapper Projota. The Marseille midfielder simply took it up to illustrate on Instagram a photo of him celebrating his winning goal against Nantes (1-0) ten days ago. Truth be told, Gerson was never really “humiliated” Where “damn“At the Stade Vélodrome, and it is not yet neither”revered“Nor”bless” in Marseille. But the recent three-game streak – victory at Nantes, 2-1 loss to Brest, 1-0 victory over Lokomotiv Moscow – in which he scored two goals, hit the crossbar and was overall convincing in a central role and offensive, a reassured on its value. Because the first months were difficult.
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Claimed by Jorge Sampaoli, arrived from Brazil with the label of best player in the local championship and for some 20 million euros, a very substantial sum for the current OM, Gerson was expected, watched, and he disappointed. Despite a first European experience, three extremely mixed years from 2016 to 2019 at AS Rome then at Fiorentina, Gerson seemed overwhelmed by the pace of the game in Ligue 1. Slow in his lessons and in his gestures, he also discovered that his physique does not allow him to win as easily as in Brazil. “He is very physical, but in a championship which is also very physical, maybe more than him. Before, he stood out for his athleticism. But here it is different. He had to learn to understand the game, refereeing, adapt to opponents», Sampaoli recently explained.
On Friday at a press conference, defender Luan Peres, another Brazilian recruit of the summer, confirmed that his compatriot’s debut had not been easy. “He had a slightly more complicated adaptation than me. We often talked about it together. All the players go through less positive times and it’s hard to be. But you have to understand that there have been a lot of changes to integrate. It’s another game, another culture, another position“, He summed up. But the but registered in Nantes with a beautiful pivot shot may have acted as a trigger. In the following match, against Brest, he alternated again with Dimitri Payet as false N.9 and attacking midfielder. Despite the loss, he scored again and had a good game.
At ease at the club
Thursday against Lokomotiv, he hit the bar and participated in several good Marseille movements, sharper in his lessons, more sure of his technical movements and less focused on his body game alone, one of his bad habits at the start of the season. . “He’s a Seleçao player“, Recalled Luan Peres, referring to the four caps of Gerson. “He didn’t give up and he’s starting to play good games, he’s scoring a few goals. He is an excellent player and he is more and more comfortable at the club.“Sampaoli seems satisfied with the new positioning of his Brazilian midfielder. “I prefer it close to the surface. For us, it is more decisive there», Declared the Argentinian technician, before returning to the criticisms suffered by his player. “I asked him to answer on the ground. Having significant value leads to this sort of thing. We have to accept that it belongs to this environment. We are observed“, He explained.