FEATURE | Thrown into the deep end against Newcastle, Marseille’s Darrly Bakola neither sinks nor swims | OneFootball

Darryl Bakola, just five days before his 18th birthday, was thrown into the deep end. Given his first start for his formative club, Olympique de Marseille, in a UEFA Champions League encounter no less, it felt like a sink or swim moment. 

In the first 45 minutes, he did the former as his confidence evaporated. Roberto De Zerbi, who took the bold choice to start Bakola in a No.10 role, said pre-match that he wanted Bakola to “play like he did when he was young.” At 17, how much younger could he really be? He repeated the sentiment post-match, saying that he wanted the Frenchman to play as if he were “at the park”.

But there certainly wasn’t any insouciance in his first-half performance, no fearlessness of youth. A couple of wrong decisions and mishit passes, and the volatile Marseille crowd had already climbed onto the back of one of their own. 

A moment of redemption

Bakola couldn’t get his head above water: his decision-making, pace of play, and technical errors continued to hold back a team that was looking for a way back into the game following Harvey Barnes’ early opener for Newcastle United. 

And so, in phases, he looked to hide from the ball, didn’t show as he did in the opening moments, and it all culminated in the action that summed up his first half in the 36th minute. Having jinked past Fabian Schar, he looked for the contact from the Newcastle defender, looking to earn a penalty rather than take the glorious chance that had presented itself to him. He was subsequently booked for simulation. A bit of gumption, a bit of insouciance, and he would have taken the shot.

With Matt O’Riley warming up, it was a surprise when he didn’t come off at halftime, but he then delivered the pass to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang for the equaliser, just seconds after the restart. It was a simple pass and the goal itself a result of Nick Pope’s error in judgment, but it meant that when Bakola was withdrawn in the second half, he had somewhat redeemed himself, even if his report card was mixed.

De Zerbi admits Bakola ‘risk’

In the post-match press conference attended by Get French Football News, De Zerbi said that Bakola had “shown personality and bravery”, even if he admitted that “he had made some errors”. The Marseille manager added: “He dared to take risks and made the night his own […] sometimes you have to take risks. It was a risk to play him tonight.”

It is a “risk” that didn’t necessarily fully come off. Whilst his teammate, Benjamin Pavard, said that Bakola was a “big talent”, he struggled to show it on the big stage. “Being 17 and starting in the Champions League isn’t nothing,” added the former Bayern Munich and Inter Milan defender in the post-match mixed zone after the comeback win (2-1), secured through Aubameyang’s brace.

Pavard is right. It isn’t insignificant, and De Zerbi’s choice to give the forward his first start in such a match is telling. But on a night that felt like sink or swim, he did neither. 

GFFN | Luke Entwistle – reporting from Marseille