L'Équipe: Pavard has struggled recently and he needs to get back to his best

After an impressive start to his first two months at Marseille, world champion Benjamin Pavard has found himself increasingly under pressure, a reality underscored once again by the heavy 3-0 defeat against Liverpool on Wednesday. The 29-year-old French international urgently needs to regain his form.

Marseille defender Pavard may not need to pore over newspaper critiques, listen to radio debates, or scroll through social media to analyze Wednesday’s 3-0 loss to Liverpool. If the 29-year-old full-back truly seeks an insightful assessment, he need only listen to his coach, Roberto De Zerbi. “The first half was evenly balanced, but we didn’t understand the flow of the match,” lamented the Italian coach after the game. “Liverpool constantly marked, pressed, and targeted Pavard, and we failed to grasp that. If Benjamin [Pavard] had understood this himself, we could have built more attacks from our own half and wouldn’t have lost possession so easily.” This tactical analysis of the defeat offered no leniency toward Pavard.

In De Zerbi’s hybrid system, Pavard is expected to switch between two roles: as a right-sided center-back in a back three when defending, and as a full-back when attacking. The system is even more complex than that, as the coaching staff instructs him to push forward as much as possible—even if it occasionally means playing as a central defender. De Zerbi later added, “We could have scored in the first half. We could have involved Pavard and Murillo more in attack, because he has the ability and should be part of it. The problem was that we remained disorganized throughout the first half.”

Despite flashes of brilliance in the matches against Nice (5-1 on November 21) and Newcastle (2-1 on November 25), Pavard’s performances this season have been inconsistent, and Wednesday’s display was merely a reflection of the difficulties currently facing the former Bayern Munich player. The hybrid role within De Zerbi’s tactical setup—once considered his greatest strength—has now become a source of struggle. At times, he hasn’t even started, such as in the match against Union Saint-Gilloise, where he was benched alongside captain Leonardo Balerdi. While squad rotation was understandable then, Pavard’s current level is far below what is expected of him.

Despite a congested fixture list and evident fatigue—he has started four of the five matches since the beginning of the year—he is still expected to start again in Saturday’s home game against Lens. However, due to a needless yellow card picked up against Liverpool, he will miss the crucial Champions League knockout match in Bruges next Wednesday. His visible tension in recent games has raised questions about a player who previously never showed such signs. Initially, Pavard embraced life in Marseille with genuine enthusiasm, expressing real joy at joining the club. Now, however, that joy seems diminished—even though he has repeatedly stated that, after spending most of his career abroad, he longed to shine in his home country of France.

When he joined Marseille this summer, Pavard also hoped it would serve as a springboard to return to the French national team. In recent years, his standing with Les Bleus has clearly declined. Although he once seemed poised to secure the right-back position, he informed national team manager Didier Deschamps of his preference to play as a center-back. Yet, in that role, he faces fiercer competition, having been overtaken by Dayot Upamecano, William Saliba, Ibrahima Konaté, and Lucas Hernández. Since making that choice, Jules Koundé has firmly established himself on the right flank, Malo Gusto has become a highly valued backup option for the coaching staff, and Warren Zaïre-Emeri has demonstrated this season that he can competently fill in at right-back if needed.

Pavard (55 caps, 5 goals) is no longer hesitant; he is now willing to play right-back—the very position he occupies at Marseille. As previously mentioned, Marseille employs a hybrid system in which Pavard alternates between center-back and right-back within a single match. Unfortunately, on Wednesday, under the watchful eye of assistant coach Guy Stéphan, Pavard’s performance fell short. Stéphan attended the match primarily to assess Hugo Ekitike’s form; the former Reims player delivered experience, while the ex-Lille man faded into the background. Pavard has not featured for France since coming on as a substitute in the 3-1 win over Italy on November 17, 2024.He was called up during the international breaks in September and October last year to cover for injuries. Although he didn’t get any playing time, a return to the form he showed in September might have given him some hope of making the World Cup squad. For now, however, that hope is fading fast.

The uncertainty surrounding Pavard’s international future casts a shadow over his prospects at Marseille as well. The club has always been quick to resolve issues through transfer windows, and patience is virtually nonexistent. Thus, Pavard must deliver results to meet the expectations of the club’s management. The right-footed defender arrived on loan from Inter Milan, with an option to buy for approximately €15 million. The coming weeks are critical for turning things around—especially since neither club has yet made any definitive moves regarding the buyout clause beyond this season.