Marseille: Amine Gouiri's absolutely wild start
Amine Gouiri, Olympique de Marseille's secret weapon. The Algerian forward has already been involved in 5 goals in 3 games
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In a packed Vélodrome on Saturday, Marseille needed to rise to the big occasion. Amine Gouiri duly dressed for the part and simply delighted his team-mates, the fans and football lovers in general. The Algerian first opened the scoring with a superb curled finish (27th minute), a goal that rewarded an opening spell in which the player, who turned 25 on Sunday 16 February, looked totally at ease. Then, on the hour mark, the former Rennes man added a second with a superb, ruthless chip. They were his first two goals in an OM shirt.
And when it comes to the numbers, Amine Gouiri's stats are simply staggering. Already an assist provider against Lyon in his first game, he set up two more last weekend against Angers, before getting off the mark on Saturday against Saint-Etienne. That leaves the Algerian forward with 2 goals and 3 assists. He has therefore been involved in 5 goals in 3 games. So he has already contributed to as many goals as in his 20 games for Rennes this season (3 goals, 2 assists).
Heading for the top?
Deployed as a centre-forward by Roberto De Zerbi, Amine Gouiri is thriving under a coach who already wanted him at Brighton. He has made the most of his ability to drop out of position, link up with his team-mates, tie things together with his vision, and also find space to offer options. "I'm very happy and very proud to score my first goal for OM, especially at the Vélodrome. It's a big moment for me, hearing the crowd shout my name, it really feels great", the player said after the game.
"Gouiri is a very strong player. He must think he's a real number 9. I've talked to him about it, he needs to specialise in that role and have that perfect finishing. When he has put that right, he will be a top European-level player", De Zerbi said in response. The Italian coach also thinks Gouiri isn't even aware of his true potential. And what if this is the start of the Fennec's real rise to the top?
Amine Gouiri's game against Sainté. Can you see the difference in profile with Elye Wahi and his contribution to RDZ's system?
🎬 @FCompsOMpic.twitter.com/pABJpTdIOv— 𝐕𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐳𝐨 𝐓𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐢 (@Vincent_1393) February 16, 2025