Olympique de Marseille secured a comfortable 2-0 victory over FC Metz in Ligue 1 action on Friday evening, but did so without Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea target Florian Thauvin.
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The right winger and France U21 international has been a regular feature for OM in the French top flight this season and, at times, has demonstrated improvement under the tutelage of Marcelo Bielsa.
He has certainly enjoyed the faith of the manager and had appeared to have become something of a pet project for the Argentine coach during his time at the Stade Velodrome.
However, Thauvin was criticised and heavily barracked by Marseille’s fans during the club’s four-game losing streak and became a victim of the team’s dreadful run on Friday night when he was dropped by the former Athletic Club and Argentina coach.
Thauvin’s game has some foibles that even Bielsa has been unable to iron out.
His teamwork and his decision-making repeatedly let him down, although these concerns don’t appear to bother either Jose Mourinho or Mauricio Pochettino, both of whom are reportedly interested in the former SC Bastia man.