Sead Kolasinac reportedly told Olympique Marseille president Pablo Longoria that he didn’t sleep for three nights after their 2-1 loss to Tottenham in the UEFA Champions League.
In a profile piece for L’Equipe, it is described how the former Arsenal star revealed to the Ligue 1 official that his role in Marseille’s defeat to Tottenham had affected him deeply, with Kolasinaic quoted as saying: “I didn’t sleep for three nights,” having missed a chance to score against the north London side.
The Bosnian international had a great opportunity to score a crucial goal for Marseille in their final group stage match of the Champions League, though Kolasinac’s header went wide as Tottenham went on to score a last-second winner to book their place into the round of 16.
Moreover, due to a breakdown of communication on the pitch, Kolasinac and Marseille thought that a 2-1 loss would still be enough for them to qualify for the UEFA Europa League, only to discover that the French side needed a draw, meaning the result saw them drop out of Europe entirely.
Indeed, the result and the slip-up was a huge moment of embarrassment for Marseille. And although the club have rebounded superbly in Ligue 1 since crashing out of Europe, it is evident that Kolasinac was deeply shaken up by both his miss and the loss to Tottenham in November.
Given the defender’s ties to Arsenal, as well, the loss to Tottenham would have hit extra hard, with Marseille also boasting the likes of Alexis Sanchez and Matteo Guendouzi in their squad, with Nuno Tavares also currently at the club on a season-long loan deal.
Kolasinac has responded well to Tottenham nightmare
Kolasinac might have missed a golden chance to book Marseille’s ticket in Europe, but that’a not to say the defender has fallen into obscurity since the Tottenham result, with the defender now widely-regarded as one of Igor Tudor’s most reliable players in the squad.
As stated by L’Equipe, the former Arsenal man is a respected figure in the dressing room, and with Kolasinac starting regularly for the French giants, the Marseille defender could be key in getting the club back into the Champions League, where they could get their revenge against Tottenham.
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