EXCLUSIVE: Former Marseille star Waddle impressed by instant impact of De Zerbi & Greenwood
“He's a very good player. He’s got the number 10 shirt and England seem to be producing a lot of good number 10s these days. He's come out of the blocks very quick, started scoring goals from the off. The new England manager will be taking notice of this,” Waddle says of Greenwood before putting a dampener on the enthusiasm.
“We all know the French league is quite strong, but it's not as strong as three or four other leagues in Europe now, you've got to take that into account. It is not as strong as the Premier League, LaLiga or the Bundesliga. But all he can do is do what he's doing in Marseille. Score goals and play well,” adds Waddle in an exclusive chat with Tribal Football.
De Zerbi will have his moments
Marseille are now under the ever-watchful eye of Roberto De Zerbi. As head-strong a character as they come, he’s taken charge of a club with the biggest fan base in France and one that never shies away from speaking their mind as well. A relationship with the potential to make wonders or end in a huge explosion. Or both even, but for the time being, Waddle believes Marseille has made the right call of bringing the Italian in.
“He likes his team to stay in possession and it's quite entertaining when it works. I think he'll get frustrated because to make this system work, you've got to have very good players and have a very good team.
"I know, Marseille have invested in certain players this season which has made them stronger but there will be moments when they lose or draw games which he'll think they should have won”, continues Waddle who played more than 100 games for Newcastle, Tottenham, Marseille and Sheffield Wednesday in his prime.
The winger-turned-pundit believes De Zerbi’s time at Brighton will help him at Marseille.
“Going to Brighton was brilliant in terms of lowering your ambitions a bit. Before Brighton, his expectations were always very high, while at Brighton it was great to survive in the Premier League. And a top-ten finish was a massive achievement. That’s probably helped him a little bit, but Marseille is a one-off club.
“It's very passionate, it’s a big city with only one club and it's very demanding to play there. When I was there, we had the money, we had the team. Obviously, that all changed. So, for De Zerbi he will have to be patient, but if I was the chairman I would say, why can't we finish top three, top four?
“Obviously, PSG are still very strong and there are four or five good teams in France right now who could easily finish higher than Marseille. But they don't play in Europe, they can focus on the French cup and the league and the goal is obviously to get into the Champions League.”
Top four is a must for Marseille
Playing European football should be a must for a club like Marseille if you ask Chris Waddle and the supporters creating a lively atmosphere at the Vélodrome.
“They're obviously trying to build a side which can compete to finish in the top three. They've got to be up there every year. A club that size should be in the top four,” states Waddle who lost the European Cup final with Marseille in 1991.
He nevertheless enjoyed three very successful seasons in France at a time when English players weren’t setting fire to many leagues away from the British Isles. So why did he and fellow Spurs legend Glenn Hoddle thrive in France?
“We played a continental game and were more technically gifted than people used to associate with English football. When we got the ball, we could see the pass, we could dribble. We did well in France, and I think we would have done well in Spain and Italy too. The way we played would have suited their league.
“We came through the English leagues playing 4-4-2 and it was crash-bang-galore. It was very direct when we started out and very hard to get your foot on the ball and play a possession game or technical game. There were other players like John Barnes and Peter Beardsley, who I think would have succeeded as well, had they gone abroad.
"The Premier League is still different from other leagues, but it's more technical than it has been. These days you can be a technical player and play an English game quite easily now.”
Before letting Chris Waddle off the hook, we wanted his opinion on one last question: Who would he rather have led out his attack: Harry Kane or Jean-Pierre Papin?
“Papin. We had a great relationship with Marseille," he said.
They are completely different players, both great goalscorers, but the way I played, I liked somebody up front who was willing to run behind defenders, who had pace. Papin didn't need many chances. He had a sledgehammer of a right foot.
“He could hit the ball so hard. For a small guy, he was really good in the air as well. I always preferred to play with the quicker centre-forward. The big, tall guys didn't really have time to be playing. Harry Kane gets his goals, but he’s also like a 9-cum-10. He wants to link the play. Papin used to come in behind, which suited my game.”