Very paternal in the relationship he maintains with his players, Roberto De Zerbi also knows how to be tough when he deems it necessary. Passionate and invested, the Italian coach wants to be demanding with his troops – Quentin Merlin, who missed his match last month against Auxerre, can attest to this.
Faulty on one of the three goals scored that day by AJA at the Vélodrome (1-3), the left side defender of OM readily admits to having missed. “ I watched the match again when I got home, as always, and I spent half an hour on the phone with my father because of it. It’s the first time I’ve stopped like that in a match. And honestly, my only desire was to send a message to our group and apologize to my teammates and the staff, because it was a lack of respect. Just because you lose a ball doesn’t mean you have to stop or raise your arms, like I did. »
“Once but not twice…”
In an interview with Agence France Presse, Quentin Merlin admits to having taken a blow from Roberto De Zerbi for this, coming out at half-time then relegated to the bench during the next two outings, against Lens and Monaco. “ We discussed it with the coach. Let’s say he scolded me a little… I must no longer have this reaction, it’s betraying his team. So it’s once but not twice », confesses the former Nantes resident.
At a press conference on Friday, the transalpine strategist spoke of the Merlin case, and his duel with Ulysse Garcia: “ Quentin is more technical, he is cleaner in his game. Ulysse is more generous, more attentive in the defensive phase. Merlin can become a very important player. He has all the qualities to defend better. Garcia started behind in the pecking order, but today he really deserves to play. However, Merlin remains a very good player and, in my mind, he is still one of the starters. »
