Marseille supporters were once again able to see that Roberto De Zerbi is a fiery coach with his very angry public outing following the defeat against Auxerre. From the start, he put his cards on the table with his players…
L'Équipe in fact recounts a rather mind-blowing anecdote which took place during the discussion of the first match of the season in Brest. The coach would have projected to his players the contract that Manchester United would have offered him. He reportedly explained: “ This is the contract they offered me, a contract for several seasons, with the salary you imagine. This is where I haven't been, because I put my passion before money. I came to Marseille for passion. »
“If I’m the problem, I need to leave.” Money means nothing to me.”
This is what he declared directly in front of stunned journalists: “I have to take responsibility for this defeat at home. We're having difficulties at home, that's clear. I don't know if it's a lack of courage or personality. I came here to play at the Vélodrome because I wanted to live the experience. If the problem is me, I'm ready to leave. I'm leaving without the money, the rest I don't care. I don't want to make excuses and talk nonsense. I'm not going to escape, we have to face reality. This is what I have to do. Playing at the Vélodrome is a privilege. I have to transfer my passion for football to the players. At PSG, we played with ten, it's true. But what I saw eleven against eleven didn't please me. There are performances that are not good at home. Away, we had good performances, in Toulouse, Montpellier, Nantes. We can't talk about this second place. I must be able to give, to transmit something. I live for things that transcend football. I repeat, if I'm the problem, I need to leave. Money is nothing to me. It’s the reward from the work that’s important. I don't have bad things to say about my players. If I leave, I leave my heart, my soul.
When I say that I take responsibility, I really feel responsible. What I just said about Pablo Longoria and Medhi Benatia is what I told the players. I always speak with my players in the locker room, the managers were present. I tell you exactly the same things. What I have to say, I have said it. I have a face. I don't think the solution is to change the players. They have courage, personality. You need passion, you need to understand how lucky we are to play in this stadium, for this club. If they are able to understand that, it is obvious that we will do better. They need to understand what it’s like to play for Marseille. To play here, you have to understand the city, the history of the club. We must be suicide bombers. I'm going crazy not understanding why we can do certain things outside and at home we can't. We must try to find solutions. »
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