Greenwood initially impressed after joining Marseille, but his performances have come under question as the club struggles through a rough patch, losing four of their last five Ligue 1 matches. ..Continue Reading
Despite netting 16 goals in 29 league appearances, Greenwood was benched for two consecutive games last month by manager Roberto De Zerbi, who stated the forward must show more willingness to “make sacrifices” for the team.
De Zerbi said: “No one can have more respect for him than I do. But that doesn’t change anything: I expect more from him. He has to do more, because what he is currently showing is not enough.
“If he wants to achieve his ambition of becoming a champion, he has to be more consistent, sacrifice more and be more determined.”
De Zerbi’s man-management ploy hasn’t paid off, with Greenwood scoring just once in his last five matches and being handed a score of 1/10 by local paper La Provence in the recent 3-0 defeat to Monaco.
The paper reported: ‘As gifted as he can be – when he wants to be, and that’s increasingly rare – the former Man Utd player exasperates with his lack of seriousness. You really want him to make more effort, especially when he’s having a bad day. He had two shots saved by Philipp Kohn. As for the rest? Nothing.’
In the aftermath of that performance it was suggested that former Tottenham midfielder Pierre-Emile Hjobjerg and teammate Adrien Rabiot approached the club’s director of football, Medhi Benatia, to ask that Greenwood and Luis Henrique should be removed from the squad.
Benatia has moved to quash the claims, telling La Provence: “Can you imagine? He didn’t come to see me. And what’s more, do you think I need a player to tell me that?
“Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg is one of the most professional in the locker room, a guy who only wants to unite and carry everyone along with him, like Rabiot.
“Today, Adri is dying inside, he only wants one thing: to reach the Champions League. These two are truly two examples, and at no point did they come to see me to dismiss Luis Henrique or Greenwood. The people who say that don’t want the best for OM.”
Marseille slipped to third place behind Monaco following last weekend’s loss, and with only the top three securing Champions League qualification, their season is in serious jeopardy. Lyon trails by just one point, while Lille and Strasbourg are only a point further behind.
However, Benatia denied reports of a divided dressing room, rejecting suggestions that frustration over head coach De Zerbi’s tactics is causing internal conflict.
“When a coach reads in L’Equipe that he’s lost the dressing room, he’s devastated. It’s absolutely false,” the Marseille sporting director continued.
“He gives love to everyone, and even a little too much for my taste. I always tell the players, the staff, and the employees that I’m not here to make friends. I only want people who work hard for OM.”
Marseille face bottom team Montpellier at the Velodrome in Ligue 1 on Saturday as they look to get their season back on track with five matches to play.
