PROFILE | Marshall Munetsi – the man that makes Reims tick | OneFootball

Since his arrival at Reims, Marshall Munetsi has been perhaps the most invaluable player at the club. He may not have as much creativity as Junya Ito or the attacking quality of Keito Nakamura. Still, the Zimbabwean’s tireless work ethic is a big reason why this team have remained in the French top flight since the 2018-19 campaign.

The aforementioned Japanese duo of Ito and Nakamura can be deadly down the flanks because of Munetsi’s ability to recover possession in good positions. Never shying away from a challenge, Reims’ defensive midfielder has won over 70 duels in the league this season, with at least five possessions won in the final third. To go along with those impressive numbers, he’s racked up over 30 recoveries and is in double-digits regarding interceptions.

When you play as aggressively as Munetsi does, it inevitably comes with some drawbacks. The biggest for him is that he is often whistled down for fouls, committing over a dozen at this stage of the campaign. At the same time, he’s been able to stay in control and not go too far with his challenges and hasn’t been red-carded domestically since the 2020-21 season. For as many fouls as he’s committed, more have been committed against him, which shows just how sharp his timing is when he steps in to make a tackle and how positionally sound he’s become.

Munetsi increasingly prominent in opposition box

Munetsi may excel more at the defensive aspect of the game, but he’s also shown he can produce on the scoresheet. He’s found the back of the net in all but one of his Ligue 1 campaigns (2019-20). Meanwhile, he’s had over 40 touches in the opposition’s box in 2024-25. The midfielder may not be creating chances at the same high rate as Ito, but he’s already reached the double-digit mark in that department for Reims this season. He needs to work on his pass accuracy, though that’s rarely hurt his team in their matches this season.

If you were to rate the skillset of every current Reims’ across the board, Munetsi may be the highest when you calculate everything. The man covers so much ground all over the pitch, is sharp defensively and can contribute in transition. Undoubtedly, he figures highly in Luka Elsner’s setup at Stade Auguste-Delaune and is a key component to his side’s success.

GFFN | Joel Lefevre