“Do you think about mentioning the situation of Wissam Ben Yedder?
What a situation ?
The fact that he started on the bench during the last two days of the Championship. Why ?
There are several things. First Breel (Embolo) is having a good season. Last season, we had a midfield composed of Tchouaméni and Fofana for the majority of matches, with two attackers, who were Kevin (Volland) and Wissam (Ben Yedder) who played together, with Kevin doing a lot of work without the ball to help the midfield, and Aurélien (Chouameni), who was exceptional in terms of his strength, his runs, his power, to be present from time to time when we put high pressure, but also when the ball was behind him: with his power and his speed to help the defenders, he was the best pick-up in the entire championship.
“Nor is it the same Wissam as 3, 4 or 5 years ago”
Mo’ (Camer), it’s another profile. He is very important in front of the defense, but he does not have the same physical qualities as Aurélien. As a result, we have to find a new balance in the team. Kevin was injured several times. Breel (Embolo) did a good job as a striker, but having Wissam and Breel together means having two real strikers, who are less players who are in defensive work in the middle. So it’s more difficult to keep a balance. Breel did good things, Wissam too. I’m happy with both. When you look at the stats, both are around 8 goals. They respond present every time they play. There is no problem with Wissam.
You saw his entry in Lorient (He scored the tying but). Let me ask you a question. In City, are there any questions around Haaland? Because he doesn’t play every game… And around Alvarez when he played in a big World Cup? That there is a rotation of players, it is more and more the case in modern football: so that the players have the freshness to do everything they have to do. Wissam, I have a lot of respect for him, but he’s not going to improve physically. We must have a top Wissam every time he is on the pitch. For the moment, there is a good balance. Nor is it the same Wissam as 3, 4 or 5 years ago.
Are you counting on him being prepared for this second half of the season or is the door open to him?
Of course, I want Wissam to stay. He did good things for the team in Lorient. Not just his goal, and you don’t just need goals for a striker. Wissam has done some good things over the past few months. We don’t have to start talking about [sa situation] as a weakness. It is a strength. I understand it’s sometimes hard to understand, but Haaland, who is a young player, you can say he has the energy to play every game, but he doesn’t play every game. Last thing: when I let a player play all the time and he is injured or suspended, the other player who can play in his position is never ready if he has not played for three or four months. It is also something important. »