How OM intends to recover after the slap received against PSG

OM must raise their heads. After a rather very convincing start to the season, Roberto De Zerbi's gang was shattered last Sunday during the first Classic of this 2024-2025 financial year. Quickly reduced to ten after the controversial expulsion of Amine Harit and swept away by Paris Saint-Germain (3-0), the Olympian club, third in the standings, must now react against Nantes on the 10th day of Ligue 1. Present at the press conference, Luis Henrique, in this sense, noted the importance of getting back on the path to victory as quickly as possible. “ It was very difficult. After the match, in the locker room, it was difficult for us. It was difficult to talk to each other. We have to turn the page, show what we are capable of doing on the ground. We must give an answer as quickly as possible. Not just for our supporters, but also for us. We must not doubt for long, we must turn the page and do everything to show that we can play something this season. »

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The defeat against PSG left its mark

Relaunched on the atmosphere in the locker room after the slap received against Luis Enrique's flock, the Brazilian also recognized that Roberto De Zerbi had clearly not appreciated the performance of the Olympians. “ He was extremely annoyed, so were we, but he was perhaps a little more upset after the match against Paris. He gave us his confidence, there was a lot of work done. Yes, this week has been harder, the work has been a little harder. He was colder to us. But that's normal, so that we can work hard and we can really get the best result in the next match and then we can be happy. » Questioned in turn by the journalists present at the Commanderie, the transalpine coach began his speech with a frank clarification on the subject of the Jean-Pierre Papin affair. Very frustrated, the 45-year-old then returned to the terrible affront experienced at the Orange Vélodrome last weekend.

« This defeat, due to the fact that it was PSG and the nature of the match, was difficult to digest. This weighed on the following days and then the boys trained well. We want to move forward, even if no one wanted the match to go like this. I think all my players respect the OM jersey, I am ready to put my hand to the fire on that. You can miss a match and play badly, but I don't question their respect for the club. Maybe there will be some changes in the players, but it starts with mentality, character and courage. It's more difficult when all this is missing. », admitted, in this sense, the ex-Brighton manager. Relaunched after this first big failure, RDZ immediately tried to justify this disappointment, emphasizing the irregularity of Marseille since the restart. “ On my team, we alternated very big matches with ugly matches, bad matches. »

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RDZ points out the lack of regularity and defensive flaws

For what ? “ There are different reasons for this, but when you rebuild, it takes time. Even I don't know what this OM is. If we win on Sunday, we will have 20 points in 10 games. We have to find a balance and that's the difficulty of doing it in Marseille. We have to do it by playing the way we know how, because we are the second best attack. There were also matches where we were reduced to ten. Certainly, the first 20 minutes against PSG were not good, but perhaps we could have turned things around. And then, it was the first Classic for many players. » In addition to the argument of experience and continuity in the performances achieved by his players, the native of Brescia also recognized that his OM needed to progress defensively. “ We can do better from a defensive point of view. Some would say that we create them against ourselves. Our defenders must attack the match more and not suffer. »

Central architect of this new project, Roberto De Zerbi, however, did not want to shy away from his responsibilities, even in light of the surrounding pressure. “ I live for football. I can't decide the results, but I try to put the players in condition. When I see that we play without personality and without courage, I wonder where I made a mistake. OM is a challenge for me, but I'm not afraid. Working at OM is a privilege and it shouldn't put extra pressure. We can still grow and progress as a team in terms of play and mentality. And it goes through me, so, yes, I am the first to question myself. » After this self-criticism, the Olympian coach finally recalled that the most important thing was to get back on the path to victory and thus stay at the top of the French championship.

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Straight to the point

« We must win as with all matches in order to stay at the top of the rankings and continue our path. That's my only thought. We have to focus on what we know how to do. By winning, we remain third and we could perhaps get back on those in front. We would like to do better, we would like more points, but it is not catastrophic. We are having a good championship, even if that is not the case in every match. I will repeat what I have already said: I have a strong team and strong players. But we started our process two months ago, so we still have things to improve. The absences weighed on us, but we have players with talent to play in defense. We need to control the game better, press high and play between the lines. I didn't appreciate that we didn't do it against PSG. I am confident and I am sure that we will get there. » After the slap and the time for the first lessons, time for victory. FC Nantes has been warned.

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