PROFILE | Geronimo Rulli crucial to how Marseille play | OneFootball

“Here at Marseille, one year is worth four years elsewhere,” Geronimo Rulli says following a win over Union Saint-Gilloise in the Champions League, where a last-minute parry in injury time saw Marseille keep their three points. In the past two seasons, the Argentine shot-stopper has proved to be one of the most consistent performers at the club – but is now reaching a maturity that has translated to some exceptional outings in Ligue 1 and now the Champions League with OM. 

On Europe’s grandest stage, Rulli delivered one of the standout individual displays of his career during Marseille’s UEFA Champions League opening away fixture at Real Madrid. He was historically busy in the first half, producing an astonishing 10 saves at the Bernabéu, one of the highest tallies in a single half in the competition’s recorded history. Yet, in a fashion typical of Marseille’s luck in Europe, it ended in a loss. But just one game later, it was a clean sheet against Paris Saint-Germain and a victory for Marseille in Ligue 1 at the Vélodrome for the first time in 14 years. 

Over the last 365 days, Rulli has marginally outperformed expected goals conceded, but where Rulli truly distinguishes himself is in his assertiveness on and off his line. Few goalkeepers in Europe leave their line as frequently or as decisively. He ranks in the 99th percentile for crosses stopped, a remarkable indicator of his command of the box, while also placing in the 93rd percentile for defensive actions outside the penalty area and the 94th percentile for average distance of those actions.

Rulli – the modern-day sweeper

 “We [the defenders] receive the ball after Geronimo, sometimes he plays like a midfielder,”  Rulli’s teammate and Argentine compatriot Leonardo Balerdi told GFFN. These figures confirm that Rulli acts almost as an auxiliary defender, regularly neutralising danger before it develops into clear shooting opportunities. For a Marseille side that compresses space high up the pitch, Rulli’s sweeping has been essential in preventing structural breakdowns.

This has been a downside in itself at times, for example, against Lille recently when the Argentine’s error saw him leave his line way too early and provide Ethan Mbappé a perfect opportunity to score. There are also other imperfections on the ball, as De Zerbi demands that his goalkeeper play more effectively out the back. 

Yet those imperfections are inseparable from the role Rulli has been asked to play. The Argentine has, in his own manner, become one of the most reliable and consistent keepers over the past year in Ligue 1.

GFFN | George Boxall