The defeat is still on everyone's minds. Infuriating, “difficult to accept” and “not deserved” in Roberto De Zerbi’s own words. Two days after the loss of Olympique de Marseille on Sporting's pitch in the Champions League (1-2), a match which ended with the expulsion of Emerson, the Italian coach returned at length to this frustrating scenario. While we could have expected him to take charge of the refereeing again, the Marseille coach took everyone on the wrong foot. In an exercise of lucidity and honesty rare at this level, he pointed out his own share of responsibility in the defeat.
“Maybe it’s my fault”: The coach’s mea culpa
Analyzing the second half where his team, reduced to ten, played too low and ended up breaking, De Zerbi did not look for excuses. “ I couldn't make myself understood between the two periods. I didn't want such a low team,” he explained, before releasing this strong sentence: “ Unfortunately, that was not the case. (…) Maybe it’s my fault. » A powerful self-criticism which denotes his demands towards himself and which undoubtedly aims to clear his players before the major shock in Lens this Saturday.
Learn lessons from defeat, without dramatizing
If De Zerbi accepts his faults, he nevertheless refuses to sink into pessimism. He made a point of recalling the quality of his team's performance before the red card: “In the first half, there was only OM on the pitch. » He therefore called on the supporters not to be “sad or disappointed”, but to be positive based on this good first half. Young defender CJ Egan-Riley, also present at the press conference, agreed: “ We will be able to bounce back, that’s football. (…) It’s a lesson to learn. »
Renewed confidence in its young talents
This difficult period in no way diminishes the confidence that De Zerbi places in his young players, quite the contrary. He once again praised the merits of young striker Robinio Vaz, for whom he has “a weakness”, praising his “hunger and his desire to progress”. He also reaffirmed his admiration for Arthur Vermeeren: “He is a strong player and he will play a lot of matches. This is the present and the future of OM. » A way of showing that his project, based on youth and progression, continues despite obstacles.
Rebound objective: Distrust is the order of the day in Lens
Now, all eyes are on Saturday's match in Lens. A meeting that De Zerbi approaches with great seriousness, particularly wary of Florian Thauvin, a player he “likes even more” because he reminds him of his own characteristics when he was a player. The objective is clear: “start again as we finished” before the defeat (on a series of victories), relying on the lessons of Lisbon to “put things back in place”. The Sporting page is turned, time for the rebound in Ligue 1.
