Roberto De Zerbi’s Bold Take on His Team’s Performance

Roberto De Zerbi is not one to hold back. Last week, the Italian coach gave a detailed interview to Sport Italia, admitting that his 2025-26 Marseille team is not the most attractive to watch among all the teams he has coached. “This is a less attractive team in terms of play than others I’ve managed, but it earns the most points and scores the most goals. Playing in Marseille is very challenging. It’s a special place, comparable to southern Italy. The pressures are different; this club has a history that makes it the best in France. When I was at Brighton, I told my staff I wanted to come to Marseille. They are as passionate here as I am.” Happy in the city, the 46-year-old coach reflected on his team’s recent 1-0 loss to LOSC, just before facing Union Saint-Gilloise in the Champions League.

“We lost, and we need to analyze the match. We’ll try to understand why we lost with the players and staff. We don’t have time to dwell on it; our focus is on tomorrow night against Union. We know it’s going to be a very important match, and it will help us forget the game against Lille, which was maybe the worst since I arrived at OM.” De Zerbi also commented on the inconsistent nature of his team: “We need to get used to never being satisfied with what we do. We must always strive to improve and move forward. We cannot stop. When I mentioned the need to open the umbrella when it’s sunny after the win against Newcastle, we earned just one point. I don’t think it’s a matter of fitness but rather mentality. We need to stay focused and not give up. We must keep working to improve; we will have answers on the path forward.”

De Zerbi Wants OM to Play Better

When addressing his tactical approach, especially in defense, he admitted: “I want us to play better. I’m not satisfied with our quality of play. At times, we’ve played well this season, against PSG, and in the first half against Lens, and against Newcastle. We can do better. The ball needs to move faster. Weah was very good against Newcastle. Sometimes our play is less effective. The absences of (Hamed Junior) Traoré and (Amine) Gouiri impact us, as we currently don’t have a true number 10. Depending on Greenwood, it will vary with each match. We’re doing our best to adjust the team, whether with a four or five-man defense while defending.”

The OM coach also spoke about the lack of attacking options. “You can ask this question when Gouiri and Traoré are back. Occasionally, I play Weah. Right now, it’s not easy to change things. We have two injuries in the same position. We must also be cautious about mental energy. Playing every three days is a challenge we have to face. We need to perform well in each match.” The next challenge is tomorrow night in the Champions League against Union Saint-Gilloise. De Zerbi respects the opponent: “Union won the championship; they are a strong team. Now with the model of multiple ownerships… That’s how it is, many people do this, including in France with Chelsea and Strasbourg.”

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