The Marseille football club was, at one point, feeling like they were on cloud nine. They were performing well and were challenging for the Ligue 1 title in the French league under new head coach, Roberto De Zerbi. However, that feeling has slowly diminished and now face troubling times with their manager at the forefront of all of it.
Furious Marseille boss, Roberto De Zerbi, reportedly refused to train his players following the 3-1 defeat to Reims last weekend. Marseille, who are in third place in Ligue 1, suffered a shock defeat away to relegation-threatened Reims.
Reims established a three-goal lead by the 68th minute, with Keito Nakamura, Mamadou Diakhon and Valentin Atangana all getting on the scoresheet. Although Valentin Rongier got a goal back for Marseille, De Zerbi's side still ended up being beaten.
As reported by L'Equipe, De Zerbi refused to train his players on Monday, which prompted a strong reaction from the team. Marseille players subsequently refused to train under De Zerbi's coaching staff.
In addition, players were disappointed with De Zerbi's decision to make them train on Sunday, the day after the game. Mehdi Benatia, Marseille's sporting director, had to intervene, with players reportedly asking him to ensure that De Zerbi didn't take charge of the next Ligue 1 game.
Frustrated Marseille stars are waiting on a, 'stroke of genius' from Mason Greenwood - with the ex-Man Utd forward urged to, 'put on his overalls' and work harder.
Greenwood moved to Marseille in the summer of 2024 from Manchester United and hit the ground running as he settled quickly in Ligue 1. However, the one-cap England international's form has slowly faded away as attitude issues have cropped up, with a reported feud with boss Roberto de Zerbi; which has seen him being benched against RC Lens and again versus PSG before the international break.
It has now been reported by French publication La Provence that Greenwood's Marseille team-mates are frustrated by his lack of hard work, with a source being quoted as saying: "His team-mates are tired of waiting for the stroke of genius. They're making the effort, and they need to see him put on his overalls."
While it seemed certain that Greenwood would remain with Marseille next season, his late-season struggles and lack of form have put his safety in doubt as the Ligue 1 side are not keen on keeping players who don't work hard for the club and transfer talk is already raging.
Olympique de Marseille is enduring one of its most turbulent stretches of the season. A string of negative results in Ligue 1 has pushed the club further away from European qualification spots and tensions are rising inside the locker room and among fans. Amid this storm, head coach Roberto De Zerbi finds himself at the center of speculation regarding his continuity with the team.
"I'm very happy to be OM's coach because I love controversy," De Zerbi stated defiantly during a recent press conference. The bold remark has drawn widespread attention in France, sounding more like a challenge to critics than a reassurance to supporters.
The former Brighton manager has struggled to implement his philosophy at a club with visible deficiencies, particularly in defense and midfield creativity. Nevertheless, he maintains that he has no intention of stepping down. "I know this is a tough club. That’s exactly what drew me to Marseille,”"added De Zerbi.
Despite his public resolve, reports have begun circulating about growing doubts within the club's hierarchy. Another defeat in the league could be decisive. The locker room appears split in its support of the coach and fan frustration is mounting with each disappointing result.
It seems to me that there's chaos left, right and centre of the club. To me, things need to be dealt with one problem at a time. The primary issue to solve are the disappointing performances and results. I think it's a bit harsh to point and put pressure on a singular player. However, having a bad attitude is never beneficial to a team.
It might take a while to sort out all of this mess.