Jean-Pierre Papin has identified an issue among attackers in France. According to the former Marseille striker, they no longer work hard enough in front of the goal.
On the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the National Football Institute (INF) at Clairefontaine on Tuesday, Jean-Pierre Papin was questioned about the offensive weakness of the French league this season. The advisor to Pablo Longoria, the president of Olympique de Marseille, believes that Ligue 1 attackers do not work hard enough.
“I am convinced that to be a good striker, you have to work a lot. Today, they don’t work enough. When you see a striker who arrives in front of the goal and doesn’t know what to do with the ball, it’s because he doesn’t work enough… This is a finding that applies to all clubs, including OM,” explained “JPP” in comments reported by Franceinfo journalist Julien Froment.
“Strikers are like goalkeepers: if you don’t review your basics every day, you lose your bearings. For ten years, I did that every day. (…) We did it every day, it wasn’t a chore. It was just a pleasure. For forty minutes, we hit the ball 200 times,” said the former French striker.
“So, they give me the excuse that it will tire or injure the player… I don’t think football has changed so much. (…) What the coach can’t imagine is that we (the attackers), mentally, physically, and in our daily gestures, need it. We’re not talking about strength here, but precision for the foot to find the right angle,” he concluded.