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On Saturday night, Pierre Lees-Melou scored the fourth and final goal in Nice’s big 4-1 win over Metz. The final piece to a well-constructed puzzle. Moments after the final whistle, Patrick Vieira sang his praises in the post-match press conference. “Pierre is a very reliable player. Out on the pitch, he always gives everything he has.” Three days later, the dust has settled, and we take a better look at that famous reliability…

It all started when the coach thrust PLM into the limelight after his excellent match. After complimenting the performances of his goal scorers: “Wylan Cyprien and Pierre Lees-Melou were extraordinary, both in attack and defence,” before speaking at greater length about the No.8. “He’s a very reliable player,” declared PV. “Out on the pitch he always gives everything he has. He can make a mistake or have a bad match, but he’s always there for the team, always giving it all. He works hard to cover his mates, make runs in behind. I love working with him.”

“HE KNOWS HE NEEDS TO SCORE MORE”

Lees-Melou joined Le Gym in the summer of 2017 and has always been one of the most-used players in the squad, whether by former coach Lucien Favre or current boss Patrick Vieira. In two and a half seasons, he has played 79 Ligue 1 matches with Les Aiglons, scoring nine goals – including a club-high five over the period from outside the box – and providing 11 assists – including a club-topping four this season. A versatile midfielder who has already played on the wing, his best performances have come in the middle, as part of a two-man defensive midfield or higher on the pitch in 4-3-3. This latter role offers him the perfect chance to show off his skills, box to box. But it’s in an attacking sense that Patrick Vieira believes he still has room for improvement: “He knows he needs to make the difference more often with his last pass and score more goals. He can finish the season with ten goals.”

Pierre Lees-Melou in 10 photos

On 16 June 2017, midfielder Pierre Lees-Melou signed for Le Gym from Dijon FCO
 

226 July 2017: PLM plays his first match for Les Aiglons, against Ajax, in UCL third qualifying round (1-1).

5 August 2017: 1st Ligue 1 match with Le Gym, away to Saint-Etienne (1-0 loss)
 

19 August 2017: first assist for Le Gym, for Rémi Walter, in the win over Guingamp (2-0)
 

22 October 2017: his first goal in Rouge et Noir, against Strasbourg (1-2 loss)

22 February 2018: end of the European campaign away to Lokomotiv Moscow (1-0)
 

14 September 2018: a superb winner from outside the box in the 89th winner against Rennes (2-1)
 

31 March 2019: PLM scored the winner against Dijon (0-1). He has already scored twice against his former employers

7 July 2019: after 64 Ligue 1 matches with Le Gym, Pierre captains the side for the summer friendly against PSV Eindhoven (3-2)

7 December 2019: a hug after scoring his ninth and most recent goal for Les Aiglons, with the final goal in last weekend’s 4-1 over Metz

Photos : OGC Nice Médias

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